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 :) ]

In the second instance in as many months of ILL judges lauding the molestation and rape of children, the appellate court has upheld that Normal (ha!) school district Unit 5 cannot be liable for the sexual abuses committed by Jon Andrew White at Thomas Paine Elementary in Urbana after they pawned him off, knowing full well of his record at Unit 5.

Laughable is here in the courts opinion:

The Illinois Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Abuse Act imposed criminal penalties for willful violations of reporting requirements, which we trust will give Illinois school officials an extra incentive (if they needed one) (emphasis added) to disclose their teachers' known acts of sexual harassment.

Three items of note:

• "The Illinois Abused.... Act imposes criminal penalties for willful violations of reporting requirements.

Really? The opinion of the court does not seem to support that.

• ...which we trust will give Illinois school officials an extra incentive (if they needed one)...

They did. That was what the suit was about. And yet the appellate court seems to forget that Carmelita Thomas plead guilty to knowing full well what White was over at the Normal district. How could she know and Dist 5 not?

• "...known acts of sexual harassment."

Well, was it known or not? The court seems to have trouble making up its mind. But more important, this is NOT sexual harassment. This is child molestation by a government employee.

Posted by Hound No. 4

Rosebud

That is what many a citizen journalist may say when they get citizen canned.

Rather than dwell on the sure-to-be ad nauseum chit chat on Brown's victory in MA, and Durbin's threat of nuclear options, we would rather take a look on something else Durbin is up to.

Under the radar, our mangy senator Durbin is trying to strike back at citizen journalists by pushing them to extinction. Along with Diane Feinstein (whom, if you all will recall, is now the person that decides who our senators are) is pushing to insert language into press shield laws that only apply to those are a "salaried worker" of an "entity" that "disseminates information by print, broadcast, etc."

Grave this development is, but fear not. We Hounds have other ways to get our news out.

Posted by Alpha Hound

I put your post on his letter No. 8 on the DI's website (in condensed form). Seemed to make more sense than here. Haha!

Posted by Hound No. 9

The big news over at the the UI is Ikenberry's announcement of furloughs for faculty and staff. Hardly surprising this is, since similar institutions have announced similar methods across the nation.

Given the constant of faculty haughtiness, it is no surprise that some have taken the announcement as an opportunity to voice their contempt and malcontent to the public that feeds them.

At the forefront of the grousing is James Barrett. Let us not forget this is the same faculty blowhard that railroaded money to be invested with the UI through the establishment of the Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government. Why did it fall apart and the UI turn down free money? Because Barrett and like-minded cranks of the professtocracy felt it was a threat to their singular and narrow vision of the Ivory Tower.

Playing also into Barrett's tantrum could very possibly be fear, given his position. A quick look at Barrett's vita shows a lackluster and scant publication record; read or valued by no one outside his own small corner of post-modernist hackademia.

Barrett's tirade seems to make the case for furloughs, rather than dissuade it. In fact, when it comes to spending cuts at the UI, Barrett is the obvious candidate for redundancy.

Posted by Hound No. 8

Naturally, the DI did not post on this at all.

Posted by Hound No. 9

Another Clout Scandal.

Gotcha!

This one is not a ILL related Clout Scandal. This one occurs at the home of criminal at large, Charles Steger.

Whereas at ILL connections to administrators will help you gain admission, at Virginia Tech your relation to administrators means someone else will get shot instead of you.

Posted by Hound No. 3