Birt announcesPublic Comments:

Kirk Allen — discusses the slow response he got to FOIA requests about Hurricane Graphics.

Hurricane Graphics ahs not complied with prevailing wage.

570,000 bid-free payments have been made to Hurricane Graphics by COD.

Discusses COD Foundation Member Scott Marquardt — Lobbyist hired by COD.

Note that COD has been playing around with his FOIA requests.

John Kraft — Tells Birt to please hang on to the note that she is passing back and forth to Dr. Brueder because he intends to FOIA it.

Why do his FOIA requests keep coming back with the claim that there are no documents.

Maybe the COD attorney doesn’t know how to tell the truth to the Attorney General.

Corrects his statement that he was forcibly removed from his seat — says the police officers were polite about it, but they shouldn’t have done it.

Mentions the problem of the “voluminous requestor” in FOIA request. Media and non-profit groups are exempted.

Roger Kempa: The Board approved the addendum to Brueder’s contract  6-1 so that we the public can find out what is in it.

Regarding Trustee Savage claiming that enrollment has gone up. Kempa challenges that with information from ICCB —    COD is down 1.3 %.  COD claims that enrollment has gone up  +10%

Ed Francoviak — talks about going on the COD website to look for e mail addresses for BoT members — which is a legal requirement. HE has contacted the College to find out when that information will be available.  He was unable to get a direct e-mail to Erin Birt to ask for the document regarding Brueder’s employment. Why should I have to go through so  many hoops to get documents.

Recalls Bot meeting  when a contract was not approved because somebody spoke against the specifications of a piece of medical equipment. But now, two meetings later, the same contractor has a bid approved for more money than the previous one. Your bidding process is really confusing and hard to understand.

Ilhan Husseini — for Student Leadership Council. Talks about the members of SLC who worked at the Northern Illinois Food Bank this past Monday on MLK Day. Working at the Food Bank is just one of the many ways that SLC offers students opportunities to see how non-profits work and to help out in the community and help community residents in need of food assistance. We work to have impactful service projects.

Announcements: ICCTA — Trustee Svoboda talks about her participation there.

Foundation Report. 2.2 million raised in the first half of the fiscal year. 138,000 dollars from over 150 donors.  This is great compared to last year ,55,00 from 187 donors last year.

Event in March planned for Donor Recognition.

Mentions her attendance at the MLK Day event at Benedictine. Also at the MAC New Year’s celebration with the New Philharmonic.

Svoboda — attended the In-Service Day presentations.

Birt announces that Feb 19th is the next BoT meeting.

Adjourned.