Hardly- unexpected disgust with the revealed agenda to ban the Three-in-One performance has resulted.

The longevity and singularity of the Chief tradition aside, the enduring nature of the Chief and his related issues can be explained by a history of back-door dealing, assaults on free speech, an Chicago-based subterfuge.



Familiar names and faces continue to impose themselves. Why the TASSers at the DI can at this point can even remotely consider Robert Warrior a credible commentator  for any matter at all is quite...interesting. Lest they forget on our behalf, in emails from FOIA requests by SFCI regarding Assembly Hall rentals for unofficial performances and the shadowy attempt to prevent them, Warrior wrote to Romano and Gonzalez, complaining that displays about the anti-chief movement had been damaged, in addition to other libels and claims so vile, even Gonzalez wouldn't touch. Afterwards, Warrior confessed that said actions were actually perpetrated by his own people in attempt to castigate chief supporters. "Incitement to resentment' indeed!






Concurrent with the Chief's "retirement," were mandates by ex-state senator and Blagojevich ally Emil Jones' shakedown demands that the university cease and the punish all future performances of the Chief or face the wrath of a cut in state funding (which happened anyway). Observers were quick to ignore Jones' strong-arming of the U of ILL and instead focus on NCAA sanctions-that is until the Tribune showed how Jones and steered in excess of 50 million dollars to Chicago State University, which in a statement to the Tribune, even its president was unequipped to explain. But Jones’ had little to fear since the entire Board of Trustee save one was comprised of Blagojevian appointments, and none, save one were from outside Crook County. A back door shakedown of trustees by Epply, and Jones’ own oppressive avatar, Francis Carroll lead the Illinois Press Association to declare the BOT and the U of ILL leadership winners of its annual "“Worsty”' awards for its skullduggery. In the due course of time, all involved with the Star Chamber passage of death on the Chief, from White, Herman, Carroll, Eppley, and the others were later implicated and revealed in the now-infamous U of ILL/Chicago-based Clout Scandal.






President and serial Clouter, BJ White, saw fit (as later revealed by the Sun-Times entitled "Something Smells and it's Not Roses) to reward handsomely his brand of leadership during the Chief retirement. Indeed, free VIP Championship Game Rose Bowl tickets were handed round, personally approved by White to Jones, Eppley, Carroll, Montgomery, and of course convicted felon Rod Blagojevich.

Coupled with censorship attempts by Herman during homecoming parades, music professors pushing to make opinions on the Chief a deciding factor in student admissions, and acts by Renee Romano and others to suppress appearances by Chief supporters, and now the most recent action by unnamed (despite FIOA requests) personnel ordering Houser to send patrols and students home from Marching Illini practice if they were apparel with Chief iconography, it is no wonder a strong support of stopping these initiatives is in place.


Ignoring the debate of the yet-to-be-proven claim of "racism" regarding the Chief, the manner and methods of the leadership, faculty, state, BOT and been consistently linked to the proverbial hip of censorship, duplicity, and Chicago corruption. And as long as that shadow alliance remains, the resistance thus seen will undoubtedly continue.


Posted by Hound No. 7

One Ikenberry Enough for Now

Interim President of the U of ILL, Stan Ikenberry, personally scuttled an expensive project, that would put a large statue of himself in the renovated Ikenberry Commons (formerly the so-called “Six Pack” dormitory bloc). Ikenberry’s rationale for the move, said Tom Hardy, was "he didn't want to generate any ill will toward the university or put the university in an embarrassing situation."

We very much had to chuckle at the irony of this. From clout, to cover-up, to numerous free speech violations, to underhanded dealing, to discrimination, to insider advancement, etc. It would be awfully presumptious for any member or part of the university to believe the UI has any angstrom of ethics and credibility left to protect.

Nevertheless, Ikenberry should be applauded for his decision in this matter, and we wish that he and other would follow suit more often.

Posted by Alpha Hound

Students for Chief Illiniwek, the post-factum support group for the now-removed Chief of the University of ILL, has posted on its site disturbing emails of disgraced, ex-Chancellor Herman, Renee Romano, Stephen Kaufman, Robert Warrior, and Anna Gonzalez.



Whatever one's opinion is on the Chief, the lack of transparency and willful attempt (though Romano will probably claim it, misquote seems unlikely given their track record-see below)to prevent a student group by administrators reveals a frightening trend that has been creeping at the UI for awhile now.



To be fair, this decent into darkness (or at least, lack of transparency) originates even before Richard Herman, the criminal actions of whom we have heavily documented here. We must go back to Nancy Cantor, who brokered behind-her-office door-deals with Bill Cook and the Progressive-Resource Coalition after taking university buildings hostage. At the time (and even today) the instances were ignored and celebrated by the TASSers at the DI.



Also writing in the emails, is Stephen Kaufman, in attempt to not only stop the "Next Dance" event but to revoke SFCI entirely. Lest we forget, this is the same Stephen Kaufman, who has since spent his emeritus, and hopefully, declining years grousing about his failure to be politically appointed to the BOT, due to his monolithic fixation on the Chief issue at the expense of all others. This was the same man who sued Michael Aiken on free speech ground for simply declaring NCAA policy, and won, and now seeks to deny the same rights to another group, echoing the "free speech for me but not thee" mantra practiced by faculty and administrators nationally in many colleges and universities. By the way, Kaufman has recently authored letters posted at the IMC (which, contrary to the name is financed in part by the Campus Faculty Association ), which publishes the Public, a four-page hate rant, where he bizarrely equates Chief support to murdering Kiwame Carrington.



In addition, this is not the first time Herman has run afoul of First Amendment rights. This is the same Richard Herman, who (similar to the tone of Romano in her emails), felt that criticism of Islam has no place in the public print.



With budget issues and furloughs, a good start the university can me is to flush the "Diversity" office. Indeed, Anna Gonzalez's* bio brags about a sixty-million slush of dubious use at UC-Irvine. Tightening the belt, yeah right.



*As your unofficial ombudogs, we should point out to you, DI, that you tagged her twice.



Posted by Hound No. 7 and Hound No. 9 [who was courteous enough to post under 7's color :) ]