UIUC

From yesterday's Daily Illini:

The Illini Union Board has finalized plans to bring former U.S.
Senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards to campus
as a guest lecturer on Oct. 14.

Tickets are free, but the student group is paying Edwards $65,000.

Edwards was recently thrust into the national spotlight when, on Aug.
8, he admitted to ABC News that he had an extramarital affair with a
campaign employee in 2006.

Despite those recent developments, Illini Union program adviser India
Myers said the contract with Edwards was signed before the news of the
affair broke and that he is still coming to campus.

University spokesperson Robin Kaler said the group gave Edwards a
chance to back out after he acknowledged his affair. Kaler said
Edwards' agent replied that the former North Carolina senator is
looking to add more speaking engagements and raise his fee.

[snip]

Republicans on campus are also excited for the lecture.

"It's great that we have people of all different ideologies coming to
speak on campus," said Bobby McNeily, sophomore in FAA and president
of the College Republicans.

"When you look at Edwards and the work he's done for middle class
families and labor unions, they're an important part of America, and
he's got a very impressive record."

I'm not sure I want the UI getting in the middle of a Presidential election.  Why would they be unwilling to release records like this?  Isn't that the whole point of having them at a public institution? Is there a harmless explanation I'm missing?

In the process of tracing down the Obama-Ayers connection, I located a large cache of documents housed in the Richard J. Daley Library of the University of Illinois at Chicago. These documents are the internal files of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a small foundation, founded and inspired by Bill Ayers, for which Obama served as board chairman (almost surely at Ayers’s behest). Although the library initially promised me access to the Chicago Annenberg Challenge records, top library officials mysteriously intervened at the last minute to bar access. There followed a struggle between myself and library officials over my right to examine the documents....

I need public help to gain access to this critically important repository of information... Please consider contacting the president of the University of Illinois system, B. Joseph White, to ask him to take immediate public steps to insure the safety of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge records, to release the identity of the collection’s donor, and above all to swiftly make the collection available to me, and to the public at large. You can find an e-mail link for White here. Telephone, fax, and mailing addresses for White’s offices can be found here .

Of course, this is related to a larger problem surrounding Obama:

Just to review, the public cannot get access to paperwork related grants distributed by then-state-legislator Obama (records from 1997 to 2000 aren't available); his state legislative office records (which he says may have been thrown out); he refuses to release a specific list of law clients, instead giving a list of all of his firm's clients, numbering several hundred each year; he won't release his application to the state bar (where critics wonder if he lied in responding to questions about parking tickets and past drug use); he’s never released any legal or billing records to verify that he only did a few hours of work for a nonprofit tied to convicted donor Rezko; and he's never released any medical records, just a one-page letter from his doctor...

The new politics looks an awfully lot like the old politics, doesn't it?

UPDATE:  More here.  This is not the sort of attention I want the UI to get.  Why not just release the documents?

I was just briefly on campus this afternoon, and it looks like there are already a bunch of students who have returned to campus.  I love this time of year, and I love the energy that the students bring when they return.  (Plus, returning students means the return of football!)

Welcome back, students!  We missed you.

A group of college presidents, chancellors and assorted other campus dignitaries are part of something called the Amethyst Initiative.  Their goal is to lower the drinking age to 18 in an effort to eliminate binge drinking.  No U of I signatories, but Nancy Cantor signed. 

Not sure how or if this will solve the problem.  I'd personally like to see a little more attention given to the Illinois statute which allows those under the age of 21 to drink in their own homes with their parents.  It seems if parents did more modeling of responsible drinking, and the minors actually practiced it before going to college, perhaps the rush of illegal drinking would lose a little of its lustre.  

Jamar Smith Gone!  This is From the U of I website.

http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/073108aaa.html

I'm not sure that we need a separate thread to discuss UI (former?) basketball player Jamar Smith, but it seems to be all anyone wants to discuss today.

The NG has two more articles, here and here.  The DI story is here.  There are other articles elsewhere, essentially saying the same things.  IlliniBoard is rife with accusations and rumors and defenses and speculation.

As for me, I'm excited about Meyers Leonard and the rest of the 2009 and 2010 players, as well as all the current players who are actually interested in playing for the UI. 

And, to me, the most interesting part of the Smith story are the actions of State's Attorney Julia Reitz.  Asking for Issuing an arrest warrent and asking for $25,000 bond for a probation violation for an offense like this and an offender with a nearly perfect court attendance record is certainly very interesting.

UPDATE:  Edit above to clarify that SA Reitz didn't issue the arrest warrant, but asked the judge to issue the warrant.  Thanks to the person who pointed out my error.  It's still interesting that she thought such steps were necessary.  Is this a normal SA reaction to a reported probation violation?

This, Sen. Mike Frerichs and Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, is why it's irresponsible to pass a budget that is so badly out of balance that you must rely on Gov. Blagojevich to cut things in order to balance it.  Does anyone really expect, when the Governor is considering where to cut, that the University or local legislative districts will be treated well? 

But at least our local legislators can sleep easy knowing they have done their masters' legislative leaders' bidding.

From the Daily Illini:

The Champaign City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday night to pass an ordinance giving Mayor Gerald Schweighart the power to increase the entry age for University bars from 19 to 21 in "emergency" situations.

In order to enforce that power, the mayor must give Champaign bars 24 hours notice before implementing the age increase, meaning the act would be in anticipation of uncontrollable environments, not a reaction to them.

Discuss.

Pantagraph:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has put another 450 jobs on the chopping block as part of his latest budget feud with lawmakers.

Workers at the University of Illinois Extension program have been told there may not be money to pay them after May 1 because the governor is threatening to withhold an estimated $18 million.

The Extension serves an estimated 2.5 million residents each year, including nearly 300,000 youths who take part in 4-H programs. It has 77 offices located in Central Illinois and throughout the state.

Discuss.

State senator considers cap on int'l students at U of I

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/state&id=6064616&pt=print

URBANA, Ill. -- A state senator from Chicago says the University of Illinois might consider placing caps on numbers of international students it accepts.

Ed Maloney broached the possibility after one institute found Illinois' 41,000-student Urbana-Champaign campus has more than 5,000 foreign students.

That's more than any other public U.S. university.

The Democrat -- who chairs the Senate's Higher Education Committee -- cites projections that Illinois high schools will graduate more students in coming years.

He says that means many qualified Illinoisans may not have a shot at getting into U of I.

But an associate provost at the Urbana-Champaign campus cites the welcomed diversity foreign students bring to U of I and says it'd be wrong to impose caps.

The News-Gazette:  UI's Global Campus starting small

URBANA – Global Campus isn't exactly spanning the globe – yet.

Right now, 10 students are taking classes through the University of Illinois' new virtual campus – three in a bachelor's-completion program in nursing and seven in electronic-learning programs – and the majority are from Illinois.

Given the $3 million spent on Global Campus this year, that's not an ideal student-cost ratio, as one trustee dryly noted last week.

...

While the nursing program has had difficulties, the E-learning programs have been unexpectedly popular, attracting teachers, college administrators and corporate employees hoping to manage or teach online learning, he said. Twenty new students signed up for the eight-week term that starts in May and another 25 are expected in September, well ahead of original goals, he said.

The nursing program is a bit of a puzzle. Market research showed "very high demand" for the program nationally, and initial recruiting drew 3,000 inquiries, he said. But only three people ended up enrolling.

Many of those interested were hoping to finish their bachelor's degrees quickly and inexpensively, Gardner said, and they were intimidated by the prerequisites required.

"We have high standards," Gardner said, noting the College of Nursing is ranked in the top five nationwide. "It is a demanding program."

To qualify, students must be registered nurses who have completed a number of tough prerequisite courses. Most applicants needed to take four to six courses before they could enroll, Gardner said.

To create a "pipeline," the UI made arrangements for students to take the prerequisites online through Parkland College, and 15 to 20 should be ready to enroll in Global Campus by September, he said.

...

Global Campus will always attract a strong contingent of Illinois residents, who are famliar with the UI name, he said. But it's stirring more interest from across the country and even overseas, said Becky Vinzant, director of student services.

History may be on his side. Now 40,000 students strong, the Urbana campus opened 140 years ago with 44 students.

(UPDATE: edited by IP to shorten the excerpt.)

The UI has more international students than any other American public University.

For the first time, the state's flagship public school is home to more international students than any other public university in the country. In fact, the number of foreign students at the Downstate Urbana-Champaign campus -- well over 5,000 -- is more than had ever attended any public university in U.S. history.

Foreign students from 120 countries now make up about 13 percent of the 41,000-student body, outnumbering the combined numbers of black and Latino Americans on campus. The share of foreign students is up from 9 percent of a smaller student body 10 years ago.

And:

"People in Illinois pay their taxes and their hard-earned money here,'' said Silverstein. "They should be given first treatment here.''

U. of I. officials deny that international students are displacing residents, noting that freshmen who are state residents still number 6,060 -- 87 percent of freshmen -- the highest percentage in the Big Ten.

And:

Though many students welcome the diversity the foreign students bring, it has not always made for expanded horizons. Many students say international students and the majority of white students generally choose to live and socialize apart.

"There is a de facto segregation,'' notes Joshua Myers, a student from Aurora who did research on housing and social integration at the school. "There is not any agenda by the school, it's just how it is.''

Adds anthropology Professor Nancy Abelmann, who directs an ethnography of the university: "Many undergraduate students go about their lives quite untouched by the presence of many international students.''

Interesting article.

(Hat tip: CapFax - welcome back, Rich.)

UPDATE:  Tom Kacich had a similar story last year.

From Sunday's News-Gazette:

A plan that city staff members are finalizing eventually could lead to higher property taxes for some East Green Street property owners, much denser development in the western part of Campustown, a campus parking deck and a multimillion- dollar extension of the streetscape.

The plan could lead to an eventual reshaping of the Green Street corridor, which already is undergoing a boom with a 24-story apartment building and a seven-story retail and office building currently under construction.

The "University District Action Plan" is an update of a 9-year-old Campustown plan.

Discuss.

At UI, tuition is going up again:

Trustees at the University of Illinois are to consider a proposal that would boost tuition at its Champaign and Chicago campuses by 8 percent next school year.

The proposal to be taken up next week would push the costs for new undergraduates in Champaign above $20,000 for the first time. The plan would set tuition, fees, room and board at the flagship campus at $20,034. Students paid $18,550 last year.

(Hat tip: CapFax)

From today's News-Gazette:

Costs for extra police and other staff for "Unofficial St. Patrick's Day" were more than $30,000.

Those costs included overtime pay for patrol officers and other staff for police and university personnel, but that was expected with the intended strategy of having more officers on the streets.

Discuss.

There have been rumors about the UI's utility deficit for almost a year, and the News-Gazette had two pieces on Sunday about it.  The first:

The deficit – slightly more than a year's worth of utility expenses – built up over five years as energy prices jumped by double digits and state appropriations failed to provide extra money for the UI to heat, light and cool its ever-expanding campuses, officials say.

"We had a budget for utility costs based on projections and recent history, and those utility costs soared well beyond what the expectations and projections were," Hardy said. "So we had to tap into various university reserves or savings to be able to pay our utility bills."

Cyclical spikes in energy costs are common, and prices tend to average out over time, he said. The UI used internal borrowing in the past, repaying other funds as the prices of natural gas, coal or oil dropped.

But natural gas prices spiked in 2004 and never came down. Coal prices rose as worldwide demand increased, particularly from China and India. And oil eventually topped $100 a barrel.

The second:

When Walter Knorr was hired as the UI's chief financial officer in early 2007, one of his first assignments was to prepare a report on the magnitude of the problem. The UI audit was not made public, but White said the findings were "very, very similar" to those in the state audit released Feb. 26.

Among them:

– The UI hadn't assigned anyone the task of reporting budget deficits for activities that cross campuses, such as utilities.

– University policy called for trustees to be briefed quarterly on budgeted versus actual spending, but utility costs weren't highlighted in those reports.

– UI policy was unclear about when trustee approval is required for money transfers between state accounts and unrestricted reserve funds.

– The accounting involved with utilities was "excessively complex," spread across all campuses and the central administration.

Discuss.

Thursday's News-Gazette:  (forgive me, I'm catching up...)

University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman is calling for the city council to re-evaluate its alcohol policies, including possibly raising the bar entry age from 19 to 21 and increasing penalties for bars that serve alcohol to underage youths.

And:

Schweighart said he's talked with council members and that five of them are opposed to raising the bar entry age. He identified those members as Michael La Due, Tom Bruno, Ken Pirok, Deborah Frank Feinen and Marci Dodds.

"I have heard from the council people, and they are not changing their minds," he said.

Not that I agree with the Chancellor, but at least this time they're not waiting until a week before Unofficial St. Patrick's Day to do something.  Maybe planning for the 2009 version of the event will be slightly less hysterical than they were this year.

There's an interesting article in the Trib about Blago defending a pardon for Chandra Gill.  Gill is currently an administrator for the Loop Lab School, which had rented space in the Pilgrim Baptist Church before it was destroyed by fire.  Gill was convicted in 2002 of assaulting off-duty Urbana officer Al Johnston.  She petitioned in 2006 for a pardon, and Blago granted it in 2007.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration presented a confusing picture Wednesday of what his office knew about a woman who received a criminal pardon from the governor in 2007, even as her school received a $1 million state grant to reopen after being burned out of the Pilgrim Baptist Church.

Blagojevich ducked out of a news conference Wednesday morning without answering questions about why he granted the pardon to Chandra N. Gill, who at the time was working with state officials to obtain the grant for the Loop Lab School. The school had rented space at the church until it was gutted in a 2006 fire.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mistaken_grant_webmar06,1,994978.story

Here are some related stories:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-moneymistake-pard,0,570522.story

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-pilgrim-baptistmar05,0,6636685.story

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-pilgrim-baptist.04mar04,0,7744993.story

 Update: There's a related article in the News-Gazette at http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/03/13/exofficer_upset_by_pardon .  Another officer involved wasn't too pleased when she heard about the pardon, and she also questioned the $1 million being given to the Loop Lab School.

From the Daily Illini:

Part of Campustown may soon be getting a makeover in order to become more developed and pedestrian-friendly.

The Champaign City Council gave instructions Tuesday night to move forward with a plan to work on Green Street. Since Green Street between Wright and Fourth streets has been worked on extensively in the past few years, the plan will, among other items, address the area from Fourth to First streets.

From today's News-Gazette:

White defended the university's commitment to openness and its record on FOIA requests, but also promised to do better.

"The general principle is, we do our business not only in the open but in the sunshine," he said.

Rose said in one case, UI student Paul Schmitt – elected last week as the new Urbana student trustee – was told his request for correspondence between "officers and agents" of the university and the NCAA was unduly burdensome because it didn't specify what an officer or agent was.

"At best that's a slap in the face to the kid who filed it. At worst you're trying not to disclose something," Rose said.

In another case, a television reporter requested information on utility budget shortfalls at the UI months ago, but Rose said most of her request was denied. The UI said internal audits are exempt from FOIA disclosure.

Last week a state audit reported on those deficits, which grew to $117 million over four years. Rose said the UI should have disclosed the information when asked, rather than wait for a state audit, because it now appears the UI hid behind the audit as a "shield."