We're back...

The placid atmosphere at CSU since the aborted August 3rd "meet and greet" of the Trustees' flunky Wayne Watson, now termed "president-elect," should not be mistaken for docility or reconciliation on the part of the faculty, staff, or students. While there have not been many posts this month to this blog, a lot has been going on behind the scenes.

Watson, who is not to take office until October 1st, has been parading around campus, speaking at orientation, visiting dorm rooms, essentially calling the shots with or for Trustee Leon Finney (it's really hard to distinguish between them or to say who is really running CSU) since July. All this seems at best to be inappropriate action for someone whose job doesn't begin until October 1st. Watson claims he is "volunteering." Hmmm. At worst, it may be a violation of SURS and the board's own contract with him.

But I'm not here to go into those details right now. I do want to alert people that there has been a lot going on on our campus all summer and that those of us sickened by the Trustees' continued interference in the day to day workings of CSU and their contempt for the faculty, staff, and students that led them to give away our presidency to a politically- connected crony, will continue to be investigated and discussed in this blog.

I will also mention that at this time the student newspaper Tempo is on hiatus, hopefully not for too long, for a number of reasons. The on-line student paper, The Cougar Chronicle, however, has returned and its first issue is just out and accessible at http://www.cougarchronicle.net See this issue for Yan Searcy's eloquent statement to the university community as we begin this school year. And the Cougar Chronicle trumpets the not-yet president Watson as "The Great Conciliator." We'll see.

a bientot

And the beat goes on.......

So, the first week of the new regime is over, well sort of. Below is the text of an email message sent by the Faculty Senate President Yan Searcy.

"Greetings Senators!

At a 9am conference call of the President's Executive Council, The Board of Trustees Choice for President of Chicago State University, Dr. Wayne Watson, was introduced as
"President Elect."

This was found to be a curious title. The contract of Dr. Watson allegedly states that his term as president was to begin on August 1st . After inquiry, it was discovered that the signatory on university related business remains Dr. Westbrooks. In addition it was found that Dr. Watson's monetary compensation is to begin on October 1st.

It is unclear why this is the case. Rumors have surfaced and some have suggested that this may be related to retirement pension issues. If this is indeed the case, then any type of compensation on the part of Dr. Watson would bring up ethical, legal, and professional concerns related to the state retirement pension system. State housing and state vehicle use are considered compensation. Again, we are unclear of the rationale. We do not wish to operate in a culture of rumor.

In addition, it is unclear what the responsibilities of a "President Elect" are. It is unclear whether the directives of a" President Elect" are binding.

Senators at this important juncture (at the start of a new school year and the beginning of a new presidential term) the university community must gain clarity, particularly as ethical concerns continue to plague the leadership of CSU.

In service,

Yan Searcy
CSU Faculty Senate President"

So the the first question I want answered is who is the president? Being unclear about who is in charge diminishes further the reputation of the institution. As Yan points out in his message, are any of the directives binding. For example, the number of personnel actions that have taken place in the past few weeks may actually have been illegal.

There was a possibility that the new regime would have started off on a high note with a meet and greet on Monday morning. About fifteen minutes prior to the start of the event the university community was notified that event was canceled without explanation. Rumors began to surface almost immediately, including a very plausible one that the 'President Elect" was summoned to Federal District Court to appear as a defendant in his most recent wrongful termination lawsuit. That would be the lawsuit referenced by my colleague on Monday.

A second, also plausible explanation, is that the "PE" could not participate in any activity which would indicate his acceptance of employment in a State University Retirement System (SURS) institution. So was the recent inspection of the university dormitory by the "PE" an activity indicating his acceptance of employment prior to the legally required period of no employment. I can fully understand wanting to make a good impression on the students in the residence hall, but wasn't the real reason for the inspection to get the dorms in top shape for the students from Mississippi Valley State who will be participating in the Bud Biliken Parade tomorrow? Was the continuous back and forth about the parade an indicator that the "PE" was actually serving in an official capacity? Was the installation of a telecommunication system at the official residence an indication of acting in an official capacity? Were the numerous meetings and requests for information from the "PE" as far back as May an indicator of acting in an official capacity? Who was responsible for giving the movers instructions about what furniture was to go where in the official residence? Was it the "PE"'s official cheerleader and chief sycophant, someone rumored to now be in charge of the marketing efforts for the university. The University Legal Counsel's office has not responded to my Freedom of Information Act requests in the legally mandated time period. What is the "PE" and his masters on the BOT hiding? Will we find out that what we are seeing is simply a continuation of the malfeasance and incompetence of the BOT manifested in the flawed hiring process of the "PE"?

Maybe a visit by 75-100 faculty to Governor Quinn's office will at least get a commission formed to investigate the activities of the university board of trustees. Or should we have something a bit less important like an influence peddling scandal. Oh wait, that's what we have. Go figure.

As usual I welcome any comments to clear up the proliferation of rumors surrounding our university.

Stay tuned!

The Latest on Wayne Watson

I had been thinking about posting something on my experience doing research while at CSU, and the importance of the summer for getting substantial research done. You know, to try to add another conversation to this faculty blog to reflect the diversity of our work as faculty members at CSU. But, then I saw these articles in both the Chitown Daily News and the Capitol Fax Blog, which report that WYCC, the City College's public television station, is the subject of a state ethics investigation as well as a federal law suit for allegedly producing free videos for politicians who were friends of then-Chancellor Watson.

Some choice bits from the Chitown Daily News: "The Daily News learned of the investigation from a July 15 internal e-mail titled "Meeting regarding Ethics Report." The e-mail was sent by LaDonna Perry, who works in the ethics office, to WYCC's general manager and to a college vice president who oversees the station at Kennedy-King College. The e-mail highlights more than a half-dozen issues and criticisms contained in an "Ethics Report." The report lists at least 15 programs that were never broadcast and were allegedly "distributed only to friends and associates of the Chancellor." The programs showcasing Jones included “Emil Jones fundraiser,” “Emil Jones State Senate California Trip,” "Emil Jones St. Francis Hospital" and four editions of "Emil Jones Golf Promo."Other programs included “Jesse Jackson Birthday Party" in 2006 and “Todd Stroger Registration Event” in 2004."

And, just slightly later in the article: "The e-mail also mentions Maria Moore, the former WYCC general manager who took issue with the Chancellor's request "to have WYCC assist with filming the Jesse Jackson birthday video …" Moore sued the City Colleges in federal court last week, saying that she was fired in 2007 after she voiced concerns about the television station being used for political ends."

And, then here's the substance of Moore's lawsuit: "“Each time Dr. Moore voiced her concerns to Chancellor Watson, he told her ‘I’ve heard your concerns. You’re wrong, I’m not asking you to do anything unethical. Do what I tell you to do or I’ll have you fired for insubordination,’” the lawsuit reads. Finally, the lawsuit says, she was fired in late 2007 after she was denied a medical leave, even though she had a letter from her doctor."

Perhaps it's time to renew calls to Gov. Quinn and others to act quickly and decisively before the fall semester starts. In the words of the title of the article from the Capitol Fax Blog, "Just when you think you’ve seen it all…"

From one of our untenured colleagues or What Does Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn Have against Predominantly Black Chicago State University?

So part of the responsibility of tenure is to speak for the un-tenured. They are in the precarious position of not having the same protections and yet being part of the university environment and activities. I was contacted by one of our colleagues who requested to be heard and here is that piece.

As you’ll recall, several months ago, dozens of Chicago State University faculty members and students protested what we perceived to be a rigged presidential selection process: Following the Board of Trustees’ national search, which cost Illinois taxpayers $75,000, the final candidate was the politically connected chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, Dr. Wayne Watson—a candidate rumored to have been tapped for the job prior to the launch of the search.

Faculty members appealed to Governor Patrick Quinn to restore fairness and integrity to the process. We demanded a new search. He did absolutely nothing. That’s in stark contrast to his instantaneous response to the board of trustees’ crisis at the University of Illinois, which is not located in a middle-class African American residential area, unlike Chicago State.

When members of the board of trustees at UIUC were accused of manipulating student admissions, the governor interceded with flourish, cameras rolling. When members of the Blagojevich-appointed board of trustees at CSU were accused of manipulating the selection of the most important position on campus, the governor cowered backstage.

Even after the faculty’s concerns about Dr. Watson’s qualifications to lead this institution bore fruit, Governor Quinn has said and done nothing. As state lawmakers work to pull the state from the quicksand of an unprecedented budget crisis, Quinn has allowed the appointment of the man responsible for inexplicable cost overruns of 118% at new Kennedy-King College campus. Ironically, Dr. Watson counts this as one of the highlights of his career as the City Colleges’ chancellor. The project was budgeted at $93 million. To date, the cost is $202 million, and is expected to rise when all the bills are tallied. The additional $109+ million can’t be explained because records are missing. How convenient!

Patrick Quinn blazed into the governor’s chair promising reform. He has replaced entire boards at other state agencies. Incidentally, while much is being made about the ascension process of UIUC’s current board of trustees’ chair, no one has mentioned that Rev. Leon Finney maneuvered his way into the chairmanship of the CSU board after only two years on the board, without holding any other position. As vice chair, Rev. Richard L. Tolliver was next in line. Quinn has remained mum, allowing Blagojevich’s CSU trustees to put a plague on our house.

Rev. Finney, who is frequently mean-spirited, condescending and disrespectful to the University’s presidents and high ranking administrators at public Board of Trustees’ meetings, raised the faculty’s ire again when he ordered the admission of students with low ACT scores. And he wanted the tuition to remain the lowest in the state.

Again, Quinn said nothing about the devaluation of a state university with some of the finest minds in higher education. CSU faculty members hail from prestigious universities throughout the country and the world. We have produced some of the state’s most successful business, political and educational leaders—and more African American physicists than any university in the country. Yet, our expertise has less value than our colleagues at other state universities.

Incoming president Wayne Watson reportedly told the Chicago Tribune editorial board that CSU faculty members must learn to teach. To that end, he allegedly plans to provide us with additional methods courses. Has Dr. Watson has observed even one CSU class? Why is he so committed to spending taxpayer dollars to improve our teaching skills? Who’ll get that contract?

The faculty has protested. Governor Quinn has turned a deaf ear.

Quinn’s disrespect for the Chicago State faculty generously gave Rev. Finney, the man many say orchestrated Watson’s selection, carte blanche to treat the university, which belongs to the state’s taxpayers, like a carnival prize he’d won at the State Fair:

• According to an Open Letter to the Board of Trustees written by then-Interim President Dr. Frank Pogue, Rev. Finney usurped Pogue’s authority to run the day-to-day operations of the University—authority granted to the CSU president in the board of trustees’ by-laws;

• In a public board of trustees meeting, Dr. Pogue revealed that Rev. Finney also allegedly halted Pogue’s search for a vice president to run the University’s financial affairs, despite numerous past irregularities found by state auditors and the possibility for more without a senior financial administrator’s oversight;

• Several administrators say Finney visited offices and instructed them how to do their jobs—jobs for which he has no expertise, educational background or previous experience;

• In May, Finney sent a memo to the entire staff, prohibiting the hiring or reassignment of any personnel without the Board of Trustees’ approval. Among the effects of this order, the search for a new campus police chief was halted; and

• When the interim president’s contract ended on June 30, Finney took the reins until Dr. Watson’s contract period officially begins on August 1. Both have been spending lots of time on campus in recent weeks.

Still, Quinn and the other Chicago State trustees have said nothing. As a result, what many staff members characterize as Rev. Finney’s reign of terror continues, and every taxpayer in deficit-plagued Illinois will pay the tab. He is now in the process of firing senior administrators and other staff—without cause, according to their termination letters—just because: just because they were appointed by Interim President Dr. Frank Pogue and just because he’s now in charge. Illinois taxpayers’ bill for this stunt will total hundreds of thousands of dollars. Why?

According to Chicago State University Board of Trustees’ Regulations, employees terminated without cause must be given notice three to 12 months in advance. It is University practice to send these employees home, instead of allowing them to continue working until their termination date. The rationale is that it minimizes the possibility that the employees will harm University property or personnel, in response to being fired for nothing—or in some of the recent cases, fired for doing a great job. It makes sense, under the circumstances. So off these employees go, remaining on the CSU payroll until their termination date finally arrives, three to 12 months later.

For CSU Provost Dr. Sandra Westbrooks, appointed by Rev. Finney and the board of trustees as the University’s most senior administrative officer until Dr. Watson officially arrives, this has been a tumultuous July: Allegedly at Rev. Finney’s or Dr. Watson’s behest, she has terminated at least five of her colleagues on the President’s Executive Council (PEC) and several other administrators.

On Wednesday, July 1, Dr. Westbrooks sent a grateful e-mail to one PEC member, wishing that she “could clone” her. The next day, she sheepishly entered that administrator’s office, pie-eyed and near tears, explaining that she had been ordered to fire the administrator—without cause, of course. And so, right or wrong, painful or not, the Provost did it, even while observing that after spending a month terminating her colleagues in preparation for Wayne Watson’s arrival, she’d probably be terminated herself.

Currently, none of terminated administrators has been replaced. None of their work is being done, and the University and the state are receiving no return on the administrators’ salaries. To add insult to injury, when they are replaced after Watson arrives officially, taxpayers will pay two individuals for doing one job until the terminated employees’ notice period expires. That’s consistent with the appalling lack of fiscal discipline that Watson exhibited at the City Colleges.

In the meantime, Governor Quinn and the other Blagojevich trustees are whistling in the wind. In a quest for great leadership and fiscal responsibility, the University’s faculty senate has implored Quinn to replace this board—a few of whom have expired terms—and he has done nothing. We asked him to fill the vacancies on the board, and he has ignored us. Why? Perhaps the good Rev. Finney has provided some clues.

No slave to subtlety, Finney has made only two new appointments during the past two weeks, most notably the reassignment of the attorney who formerly reviewed and approved large purchasing contracts. He will now do that again as the Associate General Counsel and Assistant Vice President for Auxiliary Operations.

The faculty has expressed concerns that the selection of Watson signaled the beginning of Chicago State’s use as a patronage tunnel for jobs and contracts. Clearly, room is being made for bodies. Monthly or quarterly FOIA requests for purchasing office records will reveal to whom the University is awarding contracts. Maybe with vigilant taxpayer oversight, no records will go missing.

Despite its top-notch faculty and staff and beautiful sprawling campus, Chicago State has been challenged with declining enrollment. Among the contributing factors is the board of trustees’ failure to approve a marketing budget for a number of years. There’s no advertising in online, print or broadcast media. The Office of Enrollment Services struggles to afford brochures and other marketing material while competitors advertise heavily to our prospective students. This is an anomaly among other state universities.

Few, beyond the range of a bullhorn, are aware of the treasures at Chicago State: Few people know that our students are engaged in significant alternative energy research with solar cells and fuel cells. Few know that our nursing students have a higher pass rate on the national certification exam than their counterparts in the state or the nation.

There’s been a lot of negative publicity about our graduation rate, which only counts those who enrolled as first-time, full-time freshmen. But with a student body of 6,800, more than 1,000 were conferred bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at Chicago State’s spring commencement. They will be wage earners and taxpayers, and they’ll be outraged by the callous disregard with which this governor has treated their alma mater and their tax dollars.

August first has not yet arrived. Wayne Watson is not yet officially the president of Chicago State University. Governor Quinn has time to appoint a reform-minded board of trustees. It’s also not too late to investigate the legitimacy of Watson’s selection and order an legitimate, cost-effective, ethical search for a leader who can move the University forward, rather than turn it into a funnel for patronage jobs and contracts.

Quinn holds full responsibility for what is happening at Chicago State and has a vested interest in addressing it, because it glaringly reflects the credibility of his dedication to fiscal responsibility and educational excellence. Neither the University nor Illinois taxpayers can afford Watson’s reckless spending sprees. If Quinn continues to endorse cost overruns as the status quo, we certainly can’t afford him.

The contributors welcome your comments.

Mid summer musings

So the summer is moving along. The university is conducting some house cleaning, reshuffling, reorganizing and the like. One of the statements that I have heard is that the new administration will clean house. Firing people is pretty easy. Hiring competent people to replace them is a bit harder. Our fair university has often found it hard to do the latter. Our history in that area is spotty at best. What we can expect next month is a politically connected administrator more interested in how long the blinds in the dormitory has been up than the deeper issues of managing a university. And this is what we get, someone who has never been an administrator at a university. I haven't quite figured out which organization has the worst curse, CSU or the Chicago Cubs. Will administrative competence ever land at CSU?

We aren't the only ones....

We aren't the only ones suffering under incompetent board leadership. This is a link to a Chronicle blog about what is happening at Florida Atlantic University. I guess this is what we can expect from a vindictive board and their applicant. The comments are very interesting.

Gov. Quinn's Hypocrisy

Many of you are no doubt following the recent admissions “scandal” at University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, and my sense is that mostly the press coverage of this has been on par with the press coverage of the events at CSU this past semester.  However, it appears the Gov. Quinn is much more concerned about the alleged unethical practices of the Urbana-Champaign’s Board of Trustees and President than the unethical practices of CSU’s Board of Trustees.  As reported in the Tribune today, Quinn has created a panel to review the admissions process at U of I, and reading this article I found myself get increasingly angry with his response in comparison to Quinn’s complete and total inaction in response to the unanimous request by the Faculty Senate to deal with the myriad of problems with CSU’s presidential search and its Board of Trustees. 

I know, I know, there are specific reasons why Quinn would be much more concerned (or appear to be) with U of I than with CSU, starting with class and race.  And I know that we should be focusing on the leadership that the faculty, students, and staff are taking in our efforts to reclaim our university, and not be looking for help from a single person in Springfield.  But knowing those things doesn’t make me any less angry about the gross inequalities demonstrated by Quinn’s vastly different responses to the two universities. 

These inequalities are magnified by the nature of the supposed unethical practices in the cases of these two universities.  If one looks at what’s been alleged in the U of I case, is it really so surprising that elected officials might try to make use of their influence to get various friends into the university?  Why does this “admissions scandal” merit the creation of, as the Tribune puts it, a “task force aimed at changing entrenched practices in the state,” whereas the manipulation of a presidential search at CSU does not?  Not to mention that the manipulation of the presidential search followed years of other problematic actions by the CSU Board of Trustees.  Which is a bigger concern, altering the admissions of a small group of students (in comparison to the total student body) or altering the way that the entire university is run? 

Again, I know that I should be focusing on the real leadership shown by faculty, students, and staff at CSU.  And, I know that we are the ones who really matter for the future of CSU.  Still, these recent actions by Gov. Quinn further demonstrate that our actions at CSU are not isolated from the larger society of which we are a part, a society riddled with inequality that places CSU firmly on the receiving end of much of that inequality.  And that just makes me angry, which I suppose it should.

The Saga Continues....

This just in, an article published in Diverse Issues in Higher Education. And Part 2 is here.

A West Side Campus??? Part Deux

[WARNING: Long Posting]

So given the truly bizarre happenings at our fair campus this year I was very surprised and confused by the report of CSU being given $40 million to open a West Side campus (WSC). Have I missed the university tidying up the $70 million of deferred maintenance on campus? Are we running such an efficient university machine both physically and fiscally that we should expand beyond our current confines? I think not dear reader and here’s why.

Academic affairs:
There are several academic affairs questions that must be asked and thoughtfully answered. First, who will teach at the WSC? Are faculty who currently teach between three and five courses per semester going to be expected to travel to location unknown and teach? If not, then faculty will need to be hired. Are adjunct faculty going to be the faculty de jure or will we hire the tenure track faculty? If so, will those faculty be part of the existing departments making them subject to supervision by existing department chairs or will there be duplicate departments at the WSC? If the faculty are all part of the same department how will they be supervised? Will the existing department chairs be expected to split time between the south and west side campuses? How will collegiality and intellectual exchange happen if the faculty is physically divided? If the faculty is separate and distinct, that will necessitate a duplicate accreditation process and the expense associated with it. Is the legislature prepared to appropriate at least 50% more to operate the WSC? What courses of study will be offered at the WSC? Lower division, upper division, graduate or all three? Will offering courses at a WSC compromise or complicate the accreditation process for any academic programs? The College of Pharmacy comes to mind. Will departments like Music, have the resources e.g. instruments, available at the WSC? If so, what sorts of cost estimates are available for that? If the WSC Music Department has brand new equipment, how will students and faculty at the main campus react after years of administrative neglect? It doesn’t seem to be the way to build morale at a university that is already poorly managed. If we offer physical or biological sciences, will there be lab facilities available or will students need to come to the main campus for lab time. If they are coming for lab time anyway, why not just come to campus all the time? Who will determine what courses are offered? As no one at the President’s Executive Council knew anything about the $40 million, will our legislators decide what is to be offered and then let us know? There might be some collective bargaining issues that need to be discussed before we tread too far down this road. And finally, will tenure track faculty at the WSC be expected to pursue an aggressive research agenda? If so, what research resources, like a library, will be available to them at this as of yet undetermined location?

Library
Related to the academic function is the presence of the library. Is there going to be a mini-library with a mini-ROVR in it? Or will the WSC students need to come to the main campus to use the library? If so, why not come here to take classes? Maybe the university could negotiate with UIC, which already geographically serves the West Side, to use their library so as to not inconvenience our WSC students. I am sure UIC would be willing to open their library so that our students won’t have to travel to the main campus.

Athletics
Academics are the core of the university and there are other elements of the university that must be considered. Is the intention here to build a CSU system much like the UI system which has UIC and UIUC. Each school has its own athletics program, with UIUC belonging to the Big 10 Conference and UIC belonging to the Horizon League. Will the WSC have its own athletics program or will its students that are interested in intercollegiate athletics need to come to the main campus. Will there even be athletic facilities at the WSC? If not, why not?

Student activities
Another vital function of the university is in the area of student activities. Will there be any student activities at the WSC? If so, will they be replicated from the main campus or will they be different? If different activities are provided what is the impact on students at both campuses? Given that student activity fees must be the same, shouldn’t the level of service be the same? Anyone who would argue differently doesn’t understand university life or care about the students’ well-being.

Administration
Students have repeatedly reported that administrative activities are the primary complaint; bursar, financial aid, bookstore being the leading vote getters. How might we fix the main campus before venturing off in some expansionist fantasy? Again the short question is will there be a replication of all the vital administrative functions at the WSC? Will there be two admissions offices? If so, how is adequate supervision maintained? Given the number of audit findings since FY 2003, how could we expect not to have more findings and further deterioration of our reputation by this unnecessary expansion? And will the legislature be willing to fund in the out years a duplicate administrative setup that is already poorly performing?

Policing
I continue to hear complaints of not enough police on the main campus. Our officers are already stretched thin. Will we need to double the size of the police department in order to safeguard a WSC? How integrated will our department be in the west side environment or neighborhood? Will they be patrolling in adjacent neighborhoods as well as providing 24 hour police service at the WSC? What sort of physical infrastructure will be necessary to support the police, e.g. telecommunications equipment, visual surveillance equipment, vehicles, etc.? I don’t believe this is an issue that should be left to the end of the conversation. And many of the questions can’t be answered until basic questions like what will be offered and what facilities are required and what location is available are answered.

Emergency management
Policing is a subset of emergency management. Response is just one phase of the emergency management cycle. We do not have an Emergency Operations Plan for the university, though there are several staff and faculty who are scheduled to receive training on preparing one. This is a major undertaking for a campus on one location. It will be double the work for a two site campus. Being unprepared is unacceptable and I would not like to be the person to explain to the world why we weren’t prepared for the lab explosion, fire, active shooter, tornado or any other hazard or threat we could experience.

IT
Underlying so much of what we do is information technology. Our IT infrastructure is sound on the main campus. Its overall management is often suspect. Labs appear and then disappear. The Help Desk is often of no help. We don’t have policy on IT that is easily referenced. There university’s web site is in need of an extreme makeover. Banner is usable and normally not friendly. How could we extend our IT operation to a WSC? Is this an opportunity for the board’s candidate to give another $45million no bid contract to a politician’s kid? Stay tuned. Maybe we will have two separate IT operations. Again, this is something that the university must negotiate with the UPI about.

Management
Has this Board of Trustees demonstrated the competence to manage one campus much less two? Their performance has been appalling, worthy of removal by the Governor, which is unprecedented. They clearly are the wrong group to lead any effort at expansion.

These are only questions I could think of. I am sure there are many more and knowing how inept and incompetent the Board of Trustees is, I have no confidence in their ability to manage such an enormous undertaking.

So after all of these questions, is this $40 million appropriation just a way for state legislators to pass money through a crony administration and board to their cronies during an election cycle. Maybe none of this is about education but that would not be surprising, it rarely ever is.

West Side Campus?

Others are probably much more familiar with the idea for Chicago State to create a second campus somewhere on the West Side, but my impression was that this plan was long dead due to other needs at the university.  In today’s Chicago Tribune, however, there’s a story about the “pork” projects in the recently passed state budget.  According to the Tribune,  “The new pot of money allowed lawmakers to approve $3.1 billion in projects, which varied from $50,000 for a firetruck in Rockford to $40 million for a Chicago State University campus to be built somewhere on the city's West Side.” 

I’m certainly not completely familiar with all of the various long-term plans at the university, so can anyone enlighten us about this?  What do others think about the idea of creating a second campus?  It seems to me that the current campus has so many infrastructure needs that we should be focusing on meeeting those needs rather than looking at creating an entirely new campus.