Just when all of us here in ILLinois thought that nothing could top the Blago-Burris scandal...
Brought to our attention by No. 9 and No. 3, the Chicago Tribune has broken the story that White, the BOT, Herman, and others have been less-than-honest (surprise) about selective admissions to the UI.
The Tribune story which was picked up, naturally, by the News-Gazette and reluctantly by the DI, says that relatives of Blago men, including a relative of Tony Rezko were admitted on White's recommendation. For a look the juicy emails, go here.
But the corruption does not end with the skunk White. Trustee Frances Carroll, who has previously used her position in attempts to violate freedom of speech as well as Cullerton who replaced (better yet, succeeded) the position and corrupt Chicago strong-arm of Emil Jones.
White has fired back with his own pithy statement on his supposed support of merit based admission. This statement is absurd and typical white wash:
Merit-based system? We shall give you all a friendly nip if you are not sure that this is reality. This is the same man who scoffed at and showed that he openly despised the democratic process and the people's right to vote in the state of Michigan after the ruling of unconstitutional admission practices at UM."First and most important, all admissions to the University of Illinois should be based on merit. There will be many inquiries and expressions of support and interest for applicants, including from powerful people, but it is our job to manage a merit-based system and not
succumb to pressure."
But let us pass upon the debatable and dubious usefulness of racial preference in admissions, as it is second in importance to White's statement. The important point is thatthe mere fact that he fanatically supports such preferences makes his claim to admit solely upon merit is an affront to the truth.
"Second, it is the case that we track inquiries and expressions of interest in particular applicants...this was the case at the University of Michigan, where I spent 25 years, and at Georgetown University, where I serve on the the board of directors."
Like some sort of naive junior high punk, White seems to think that to engage in illicit practices is cool and okay because everyone else is doing it. White cites in his defense both the before mentioned UM and Georgetown. What do these have in common with White? He just told us-himself. Apparently, White's argument is that any place that he breaks the law previously, it is justified somewhere else because he himself thinks it is.
"Third, the Tribune makes not assertion that unqualified individuals were admitted to the University."
We cannot respond to this. The only possible way that White can remotely attempt to make the assertion that the Tribune did NOT make the assertion, was to have either not read or ignored the story.
If we have a problem with inappropriate pressures for admission...numbers from the Tribune article suggest it is a small one which does not corrupt the admissions system..."
Outrageous. White (and Herman and Hardy as noted in the main articles in the Tribune, N-G, and DI) now having been finally caught in the scandal, rationalizes that little corruption is okay because it is little. Would any student, parent, alum, for example, expect the University to overlook any bill, donation, loan dollar that is not nailed down if it were a small amount compared to the larger? No, it is absurd to even ponder. Corruption and crime is corruption and crime. Even if White only illegally let one person into the university, the fact that it is one out of twenty-thousand makes it no less a crime.
Readers should not be surprised (and based upon the DI article, they are not) that White should have Chicago corruption on his breath. As Trustee Schmidt (the ONE trustee who was voted democratically and has a legitimate claim to the BOT) says that "some must go down" White has certainly gone down on the laps (perhaps that is what the BJ stands for?) of Chicago patrons before to get what he wants. One most prominent example was to reward Jones, Blago, and others for the nifonging of the Chief by pay-for-playing them with tickets for 2007's post-season Rose Bowl tournament.
It comes as no surprise that everyone from lawmakers to students, to parents, to taxpayers of ILL are outraged.
White has continued to (now exposed quite literally) buy loyalty of BOT and others with misguided and deceitful assurances about his Global Campus failure, and of course let us never forget White's dedication to students and admissions when he helped Ghosh, Ikenberry, and DeBrock ruin the prospects of military applicants for the MBA program and ruined Van Der Hooning's reputation in the process. What goes around comes around, White. As we have also previously reported, the entire University has been mum on its continued employments of guilty accessories to child abuse and statutory rapes by clinical faculty, Gene Amberg.
As Hardy says, this is an easily manageable and correctable problem. We saw it with the ex-governor.
IT IS TIME TO WHITE-OUT WHITE. AND HERMAN. AND CARROLL. AND HARDY. AND EPPLEY. AND KALER. AND SHAH.
NOW.
Posted by Alpha Hound
