At this point in the meeting, there was no other agenda business that could be conducted. Mazzochi made a lengthy comment about the need for public discussion to hold each other accountable and to have the public hold them accountable.

She also commented that the three trustees in the room are very new to the college. Need for trustees and administrators who have been at the college longer to scrutinize earlier decisions and actions at the college and completely address HLC concerns. “Findings are findings” – not appropriate to argue with or deny them.

Student Trustee Report. Roark discussed her recent experience at the ICCB student representatives caucus. She brought back ideas about textbook affordability and making scholarships better known and accessed by students in need. Also looking ahead to a day of advocacy in Springfield which will address the state level budget impasse.

Trustees expressed interest in the textbook affordability issue. Roark commented that other schools who also work with Follett have cost-saving strategies in place as part of their Follett contract.

Roark also reported on her poll of other student leaders regarding how the current BOT situation is affecting students, reading several comments she received from students who overall seemed confident that their credits will safely transfer but expressed concern about the public perception of the institution.

Once again there is no quorum. Public comments overall were similar to those in recent weeks.

Glenn Hansen, President COD Faculty Association

Last month after the release of the HLC findings, the Association with the help of IEA staff issued a press release. Our statement was simple and clear. We want to assure everyone that there is no question about the quality of the educational opportunities we provide or the credit you will earn at College of DuPage.

Monday, we return to our classrooms and begin another semester of outstanding opportunities for anyone who enrolls in our classes. We close the doors to our rooms and all the noise goes away.  There is tremendous sound proofing in our teaching facilities, what happens or doesn’t happen in the board room or administrative offices is gone. I want to thank everyone who makes that possible.

As for tonight, there isn’t much more to say that hasn’t been said. The misguided boycotting is not fixing anything. But, it is actually hurting many things, some of which will effect students soon. I have a suggestion from the halls, and I suspect you may have suggested it already, if so please let me add our endorsement.

After a conversation with a manager and administrator we would like to suggest to the absent Trustees that a meeting be held to only do the business of the College that must be approved. For the issues you don’t agree on, leave them off the agenda. If anything is on the agenda you can’t support vote 3 to 3 and call it a night. That’s a better result than not having a meeting, you will have served the students, employees, and the district but not lost on your issues.

Soon someone will be appointed who will decide everything for you.

Richard Jarman, VP COD Faculty Association. 

Last week I committed a grievous error by preparing my remarks expecting a full turnout for at least one of the meetings. Silly me. And then I was left to ad lib, a process I have never been comfortable with. So tonight I took the opposite tack, with the fairly confident expectation that the Boycott Three would be umm boycotting. Again. Yes again.

This makes either the fourth or the fifth time depending how you count last week’s one or two meetings. Well at least we only have one agenda. We are meant to believe that not one of the three could be available this night, even through the technology of the telephone. Just what implausibly low probability is that?

I believe it is not a stretch for me to state that the entire community is appalled by these antics. And by entire community I mean faculty and staff at COD (we had the joint letter last week initiated by CODAA; Perhaps those three have yet to read it), as well as the larger community. Am I wrong here? I have yet to hear resounding support for their position, except maybe from a couple of internet trolls.

Some might want to argue that it’s two groups of three with cases of equal merit. I disagree. One group has followed the letter of the law and shows up ready to work, even willing to entertain an agenda presented by the other group, which is apparently unwilling even to show up for that.

I don’t need to point out again the harm that is being done, the money that is being spent (there is some irony in the money being wasted on having lawyers show up for closed sessions that never occur because trustees who vent to the newspapers about money spent on lawyers don’t appear), the academic programs that are not being advanced for approval, the personnel decisions.

Of course it will all end with the selection of Trustee Number Seven. Here again, the Boycott Three have demonstrated contempt for the process and disdain for the applicants by refusing to participate. With weeks to go they are acting outside the process openly sending letters to ICCB saying they will have to choose. Is that what anyone associated with this college really wants? I can only hope that this gambit backfires massively. We shall learn soon enough but not soon enough.

And all the while the HLC is watching. I am not sure that the Boycott Three understand this?

We did not have a blogger present at this meeting. There was no quorum since Trustees Birt, McGuire, and Wozniak once again did not attend.

Video will be posted here:
http://www.cod.edu/multimedia_services/botmedia.aspx

Comments by Richard Jarman, Vice President, COD Faculty Association: 

I was planning to say, “And then there were six.” But actually there aren’t. There are just three. Again. Of course over the past few months there have been several occasions when there were six, even a five a time or two I recall.

Not knowing which agenda would be followed, either, both or none, I was not sure what to prepare. Would I being speaking near the beginning, as has been the right and proper thing since last April, or buried somewhere around item 18?

I need to remind the absent three of the HLC letter action letter of December 16? I quote:

‘The College is out of compliance with Criterion Five, Core Component 5.B, “the institution’s governance and administrative structures promote effective leadership and support collaborative processes that enable the institution to fulfill its mission…”’

I pointed out in December, though three were not here to hear it, that boycotting meetings en masse is counter to what is required in effective leadership. You all have until February 2017 to get it sorted, or the consequences will be dire, and upon your heads will they be. Though of course the real victims will be the countless thousands of students who could be left with ruined accomplishments, not to mention all the employees of this fine college. Think on this as you perpetuate your squabbles.

Superficially, 3 = 3. But at a deeper level is there really equivalence? By what moral authority do you serve? For the Slate Three it is clear based on the last election and almost everything that has been written and spoken since. But what of the Boycott Three, or the Breuder Three, or the Herald Three? I would ask the question, who do you represent? Who are you speaking for? Where is your mandate? Do you claim to represent the best interests of the college, the students and the taxpayers? Or are you clinging to the ruined legacy of the past? Unless you are tone-deaf, you must know that time is passed.

Comments by Jackie McGrath, Professor of English:

My name is Jackie McGrath. I’m an English professor at COD, and I love this school. I’m committed to setting it back on the right path, in the wake of the HLC probation findings last month. We have four semesters to set things right, and maintain our accreditation. It is a task we should all take very seriously. But what I am concerned about is that it’s been three weeks since that report, and the acting interim president has yet to describe a plan or take any formal actions to address the issues listed in the Dec. 16th HLC report. In his Dec. 16^th email to the college, Interim Acting President Joe Collins stated, “I will do everything in my power to move swiftly to address all of the HLC’s concerns.” I implore him, and I implore you, this board, to follow through on that statement.

I am here to ask this board to direct the interim president to articulate and share a plan and a timeline for how to address each item listed in the HLC report. I also ask you to direct him to modify his annual goals to account for how he will act to address the issues for which we are on probation.

It is too urgent, and the future of our college is deeply concerning to so many. I know at least three members of this board take the probation seriously, and I ask you to hold the current leader of this college accountable for writing a serious action plan—and documenting all outcomes—so that we are all ready, in 2018, to show that we took this seriously and remedied the issues, for the sake of our students and our school.

Earl Dowling introduces tonight’s report.
COD Football team presentation.
El Toro Bowl 12/05/15– in Arizona. COD is the runner-up though the team did not win.
Slide presentation of the football team’s trip to the El Toro bowl.

Earl Dowling presents Kotryna Statputye, COD winner of the Dr. Pepper Scholarship. 100,000 tuition scholarship to be used at any college where she wants.
Dowling notes that Kotryna is a Presidential Scholar.

Chair Mazzochi– report on presidential search feedback.
Hayes and company has done interviews of stakeholders, have held public forums.
Characteristics that stakeholders have identified as needed in the next president: Technical skills, educational background, intellectual distinction, experience managing a large complicated institution, financial human resources, collective bargaining, ethical, person who will put in checks and balances, experience in classroom teaching, track record.
Chair Mazzochi presents a long list of the traits that stakeholders would like to see in a new president.

Next step– Monday 6pm the committee will be meeting. Invites the public to attend and provide input to the committee.
Informational items for the BoT.
We cannot take action on the consent agenda due to lack of quorum.
Trustee Bernstein– reads parts of a letter from Trustee Birt he received today. That letter asks for a reorganizational meeting before meeting.
Bernstein suggests their collective decision to boycott the meeting might be a violation of the Open Meetings Act.
Bernstein lists the things that will not happen tonight because there is not a quorum:
–approval of consortium purchase for A and P models.
–Computer training for library
–Ethics training for staff and faculty
–approval of purchase of COMCASt spotlight for advertising for the MAC
–purchase of an electric organ
–contracts for various services
–Approval of certificates in various programs.
Bernstein says to the absent trustees — I have tried to reach out to you and will continue to try to work with you, but I can’t if you are not here. To the absent trustees: Please don’t hold the College hostage.

Trustee Napolitano — notes this is his third elected Board service. I call on my fellow trustees to come her, to work with us and discuss the things we must do. We have 60 days to work together to select a new trustee. I want an open and transparent process in which we all evaluate candidates and do that together. I participated in that kind of process before. It was open and transparent. We need full cooperation from all BoT members to do this. We must come together and find common ground to move forward. Or we can stay home, complain about others, and put our self-interest ahead of students, faculty and taxpayers. I welcome the trustees to join us at our next meeting. We need to move forward.

Chair Mazzochi– apologizes to people who are not being approved for appointments, transfers and promotions, I will continue to make it an agenda item so it can be approved.
I hope everyone really sits and reflects on where we want to go.
I wish everybody the best as we move forward to our next year

Next BoT meeting will be Thursday January 21st 2016 at 7pm
Move to adjourn because they cannot go into closed session. Meeting adjourned.

Public Comments continue

Jackie McGrath, CODFA faculty

Has worked at COD for 12 years and notes how sad she felt when reading the HLC report. The worst findings that could have been have. And this morning, instead of a to-do list of what this college could do to address and resolve the issues mentioned in the report. But instead there was an e-mail defending the Senior Management Team. But it is clear that we need leadership change at this college. We have to look at who is making management decisions at this college.
These issues are squarely at the feet of those who took the decisions and that is why we need a change in senior management — non-renewal, reassignment, resignation, firing — they are standing in the way of what needs to be changed here at COD.

John Kraft
Refers to the note sent by the missing three trustees. Reminds the public that the Illinois Community College Act stipulates that the Chair presides at the meetings and do what she chair is bound to do by law. The Vice-Chairman serves in the Chairman’s absence.
Notes that the Higher Learning Commission has put COD on probation for two years.
Notes that Illinois State legislation has also been created in order to address the problems created by the previous administration.
We all know the facts now.

Rosalea Danielson– retired Professor of Economics, COD
Academics are solid at COD, but probation puts a black mark on this college. Many students are going to associate probation with non-accreditation. Students are worried about whether or not their credits will be accepted from a college that is on probation.
For many students, COD is the only option for starting their college career.
Do you think other colleges out of state are going to accept credits from a college that has to list on all its documents that it is on probation?
A lot of damage has been done. I hope this status of probation will not harm students.
Shame on the senior management for having acted in a way that has landed COD on probation.
But note that no actions by faculty are mentioned in the probation. Probation happened only because of actions taken by administration.

Judy Wherely
Comes to offer her support. Students are great. It might be hard for students to organize here since they don’t live on campus, but I would like to stand up for COD students.
The absence of the three trustees — they have basically admitted the truth of the situation. They are holding the student body hostage at this point. I support the call for the resignation of the three trustees who are absent today and for the resignation of the senior management team.

Tom Tipton, English Professor, COD

Hi, I’m Tom Tipton. I’ve lived in the district and taught English here for 22 years.
It’s too easy, this time of year to make reference to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and the ghosts of Christmas pasts. Oh, how things would have been different, if only…Flashback: The Board and administration’s journey to accreditation probation began several years ago when members of an earlier Board colluded to “fast track” their pick of the now terminated president. The explicit reason for his choosing was his business acumen — he was a self-proclaimed businessman for whom “cash was king.” The implicit reason for his choosing was his reputation for taking power from faculty — witness the public record of the strife he caused at Harper before his hire here.

There is no pleasure in pointing out the irony that the college is now on probation with the HLC because the so called businessman tried to run the college like a business. But it takes more than one bad leader to destroy a community. To be sure, along the way he drew a loyal following among some of — not all of, but some of —the board members and administrators who enjoy playing politicians and “corporate bigwigs.” This is the problem.

Make no mistake, though, the College’s core function of academics — teaching and learning — are NOT called into question in the HLC’s report; it is the Board and administration who are on probation.

So, in the spirit of Christmases future, in the spirit of hope, let’s not repeat the core mistake of years past in choosing the next president of College Future. We don’t need a politician, a businessman, an engineer, a general, a Major League Baseball General Manager, etc. — all noble professions in their own place, just not here. What we need is a college president who will lead the college as a college; a college administration that will serve as college administrators; a college board of trustees that will function. It will take more than just one good hire for the board and administration to get out of this mess.

Okay, since it is final exam week, here’s a one question, pass/fail final exam for the board and administration. Don’t worry, it’s multiple choice…Here goes…

In order to get out of probation, the Board and administration should…
A.stop its political infighting
B.hire a college president who will run the college as a college
C.listen to your faculty members
D.all of the above…

A.In case you don’t know, the correct answer is…all of the above. Here’s to a brighter Christmas future.

Mike McPherson

Notes he is sorry that Trustee McGuire did not show up with her two bobbleheads. They are trying to run COD into the ground.
Talks about the Waterleaf– how administration ate and drank there and charged the college.
Notes he is glad that Breuder is gone.

Jeanne Ives, State Representative
Talks about the crisis that has happened. Notes that she told the Senior Administration months ago that they are enablers.

43 internal audit investigations that reveal illegal or unethical actions — I want a timeline from senior administration. What did you know, when did you know it, and who did you share it with?
Bab behavior doesn’t happen in a vacuum. THE SLEA credit scandal falls at the hand of your administration. We have a problem with this. The Senior Management need to start talking. Where are the 43 audits.
The taxpayers are still paying for these administrators. She would like them held accountable.

Miguel Marino
Says he has to change his speech today because it was intended for people who are not present at this meeting.
Why are we pointing fingers at each other. We are a community. We should be supporting each other.
We cannot play the blame game and solve the problems we have here.

David Goldberg, Professor of Political Science.
Has been here 11 years.
There are three hige issues here:
Search committee
Divided BoT
Probationary Status by HLC as a result of Brueder’s dysfunctional time as president.
Unfortunately those responsible are still here. They continue to behave as if April 2015 had not occurred.
The authors of the disastrous policies have not taken responsibility.
And faculty have not been named in any of the HLC sanctions.
The administration that caused these problems remains in power. They should be dismissed or reassigned.
Notes that students are concerned about whether or not COD credits would transfer.
Today I cannot say with confidence that there will be no problems for students who want to transfer their credits.

Julia DiLiberti, Professor of Humanities for here for 11 years
Talks about her students and their stresses.
Talks about a Dean who has talked about whether or not COD programs will be accepted in Springfield.
We have BoT members who got their names in the paper for stealing COD documents.
I am so distracted by what is going on on these levels that it is hard to be fully present for students.
Notes that students are asking if our credits are going to be accepted.

Chris Robling, had a temporary position with COD until he left it yesterday.
Praises Hamilton, Mazzochi, Napolitano, Bernstein for their comprehensive attempts at reform.
edgarcounty watchdog website
Notes that absent BoT members have attempted to smear his name.
The HLC has clearly indicated that this is a corrupt institution.
Wants included in the minutes of this meeting: I am an award winning journalist, helped IIT, Rush University,have spoken and taught at NW, U of C, Roosevelt, DePaul. Has gotten awarded by American Transportation Company, has spoken abroad on transportation issues. Has been sent to Russia to do democracy training.
None of my previous work has included politics despite what the absent BoT members have been saying.
He has sent every paycheck he got here to the COD Foundation.
The former BoT members are the dead hand of the past. Management must be gutted and rebuilt. A new BoT member must be found and a new president who are committed to uncompromising reform.

Roger Kempa
Notes that the absence of the BoT members is a work stoppage. They could have come here to discuss their issues.

Chair Mazzochi asks Mr. Elliot to inform the public on the current state of the BoT.
Mr. Elliot–
Hamilton’s resignation became known on Sunday evening and was t ransmitted by him.
Two vacancies are now
Section 3-7 of CC Act. Process is that remaining trustees have 60 days to find and agree upon a replacement, a new successor trustee. All 6 trustees have to participate in that process. 4 must agree on a new trustee. Feb 11 2016 will be 60 days. If no agreement has happened then the ICCB will name a replacement. That new trustee would serve until April 2017 when voters would select a new trustee to fill

Section 3-10 of the Illinois CC Act
The Vice-Chair shall serve in the Chairman’s absence. If both Chair and Vie-Chair are absent a Chairman Pro-Tempa. Only if both Chair and Vice-Chair are unavailalbe does the BoT then select a temporary chair to fulfill the role of Chair.
5-65 –duty of Vice-Chair shall include the following — serve as the Chair in the Chair’s absence.
There has been some suggestion that the course of action is for COD BoT to convene a new organizational meeting. This is not the law.

3-8 — an organizational meeting is required to be held following an election. That would be every other year following an election. The next one will be in April 2017. There is nothing in the statute for interim organizational meetings.
An individual community college could opt out and have elections every one year. COD 5-55 says that the BoT will annually elect or appoint a Chair, Vice-Chair and treasurer every year. That takes place in April. Thus there is not provision by the ICCB or COD policy to have an interim organizational meeting.
It is my opinion as COD General Counsel that Deanne Mazzochi as Vice-Chair must serve as Chair. In April there will be a meeting to elect new officers.

Chair Mazzochi — Thank you. Some comments relating to recsent events
Reserve judgement until you have walked in somebody’s shoes. I deeply thank Kathy for her actions. Now we must positively build on her efforts. As elected members of this body we can expect a mutual comittment to excellence, judgement, reasonable compromise. We were elected and we owe this to the people who work here every day. We must be committed to our students.
We have new circumstances. We must work cooperatively and with collegiality. We should advance the besst ideas no matter where their origin.

Regarding HLC — this is what I understand has happened since Sunday.
First non-compliant component — COD’s internal audits. Non-compliant investments.
We are hiring an outside agency to help us with making investments meet with BoT policy.
43 internal audits took place that involved unethical or illegal actions. Mazzochi has asked for a complete set of audits. Wants to generate the documentation the the HLC is asking for.
Are we following our own ethics policies — HLC has found there is no robust ethics training for staff.

We were supposed to fund spending for ethics training o item 9D of tonight’s meeting.

Failure to receive financial statements. That was at a time of transition of teams. AS we move forward from Alex Partners to other investors we will make sure that documents are available.

the BoT has no involvement in Waterleaf management.
Should BoT be involved in selecting new positions — Mazzochi has asked Dr. Collins to follow normal procedures of presenting his suggestions to the BoT.
Will call a new meeting to expedite new hires.

Faculty governance was not properly respected regarding the SLEA problem, where faculty had expressed their concerns and were not listened to.

Faculty Vote of no Confidence was not taken seriously and no actions were taken by administration to address them.

We can make the changes needed by controlling ourselves. We can do this.
Professional fees– discussed in newspaper that there have been expenses for professional fees. These are caused by investigations. The BoT is obligated to allow these investigations to take place. Federal legal compliance is not a place where we can cut corners or costs.

The crises here are not manufactured.
The BoT could take steps to manage our costs through in-house counsel.
Trustee Napolitano and Dr. Collins can ensure next year’s budget has a line item for hire of in-house counsel.
Calls for a proposal by MacGuire, Birt and Wozniak to address
Will establish a committee to oversee litigation costs. Committee will be composed of Sands Van-Kirk, Collins, a Finance representative and Mazzochi.

Student Trustee- no report since it’s finals week.

Chair Mazzochi calls the meeting to order.
Pledge of Allegiance.
Sec Napolitano calls roll
McGuire, Birt, and Wozniak are absent.
Other BoT members present.

Chair Mazzochi notes that there is no quorum. As a working group there will be discussion of items that can be discussed.

Glenn Hansen, President CODFA and Faculty Senate
Hansen notes the e-mail exchange on e-mail took place this afternoon regarding his call for the resignations of the three absent trustees, who have kept us from conducting COD business tonight. Not acceptable behavior. And in terms of comments to the press regarding the HLC report and probation. Hansen notes he defended the institution. But he wants the people who were responsible for the HLC sanctions to resign as they are responsible for the negative Wants all administrators who were hired by Breuder should be fired. Those who are responsible for the sanctions should stand up and admit their role and responsibility for what has happened. Only Dr. Collins has done that. He has apologized to faculty and staff for mistakes. That’s what I ask. Apologize and we can move forward. Hansen asks administrators who are responsible to step forward and take the mic and admit their responsibility.

Richard Jarman
I would like to read the following resolution that was adopted unanimously by the Faculty Senate this week.
“The College of DuPage Faculty Senate wishes to thank Kathy Hamilton for her many contributions to the College of DuPage over the past two years, for the courage she manifested in her challenging role as trustee, and, as the board chair, for her dedication and commitment to making the education of students the priority.”
The following are my own.
I know not Mr. Martin Dolan and I wonder if he ever visited this college. I realize he is not paid to be impartial, but the HLC letter that has just placed the college on probation makes abundantly clear that any actions taken by the board during the chairmanship of Kathy Hamilton regarding the former president was not some “political charade.” His undoing was not a result of a plot enacted by the Clean Slate, but at his own hands through his ravening greed and abuse of power and privilege. We should be grateful to the new board that his legacy will not be a name on a building, accompanied by a $760 thousand parachute, but the catalog of problems chronicled in the report.
Of course he did not act alone. I quote, “The Board of Trustees did not provide effective leadership…” “The administration of the College did not perform effectively…” Herein is a compendium of failed leadership.
Three of those trustees whose hands were on the tiller are still here –except not actually here. None has yet to make any acknowledgment that anything was ever amiss and that they owned some responsibility. One might think that now, more than ever, their full energy would be invested in addressing the issues and righting the wrongs. Not a bit of it. We have heard about “manufactured crises.” Creating a tempest in a teapot over the viewing of legal documents, then hauling them off campus on the pretext to do “research,” which it appears meant running post haste to the Daily Herald editors is a manufactured crisis.
And now these three have abdicated their fiduciary duties in an attempt to embarrass the other trustees and further their own selfish ambitions. There are real costs involved here. Real consequences. They have no shame. There is only one logical option. Go.

Keith Yearman — COD Geography Professor

IN 2009 THIS COLLEGE WAS PAYING THREE PRESIDENTS AT THE SAME TIME. SUNIL CHAND HAD JUST BEEN OUSTED AND REASSIGNED TO AN OFFICE IN THE LIBRARY. HAL MCANINCH CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT TO SERVE AS INTERIM PRESIDENT FOR SIX MONTHS; HE HAD BEEN AWARDED A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT. BREUDER’S HIRING THAT NOVEMBER COMPLETED OUR MOUNT RUSHMORE OF PRESIDENTS. AT THAT POINT MCANINCH WAS TASKED, PER BREUDER’S OWN WORDS, WITH RIPPING APART THE FACULTY CONTRACT IN PREPARATION FOR UPCOMING NEGOTIATIONS.

NOBODY HAS SEEN MCANINCH’S WORK PRODUCT. WHOSE PERSONNEL FILES DID MCANINCH ACCESS IN RELATION TO THIS ASSIGNMENT? WHOSE PERSONNEL FILES DID BREUDER OR HIS UNDERLINGS ACCESS IN PREPARATION FOR THESE NEGOTIATIONS? FACULTY NEGOTIATORS WERE SURPRISED BY SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE DEMANDS – DRASTIC CUTS RELATING TO THINGS LIKE CLASS REIMBURSEMENTS AND TUITION WAIVERS. IT SHOULD BE NO SURPRISE THOUGH – THE DEMANDED CUTS TARGETED SPECIFIC FACULTY MEMBERS WHO REALLY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THOSE BENEFITS, SOME OF WHOM HAD BEEN ACTIVELY INFORMING LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, AS WELL AS PUBLIC WATCHDOG GROUPS OF MISCONDUCT HERE.. LET ME POINT OUT SUCH CUTS MAY HAVE RUN COUNTER TO HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION ACCREDITATION STANDARDS 5.6 AND 5.13. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT IS THAT WHISTLEBLOWERS WERE TARGETED – THEY ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AT THIS INSTITUTION.

IN RECENT MEMORY, A LAB TECHNICIAN POINTED OUT YEARS OF CERAMICS PAINTS WOULD HAVE LEFT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN VARIOUS HOODS AND DUCTWORK IN CAMPUS STUDIOS. THE COLLEGE’S BUILDING PROJECT COORDINATOR WROTE IN AN E-MAIL THAT THE CONTRACTOR “DOES NOT FEEL IT TO BE A PROBLEM. HOWEVER, IT IS AN ISSUE NOW,” REFERRING TO THE TECHNICIAN’S OUTSPOKENNESS. THE TECHNICIAN PROTESTED REPEATEDLY AND LOUDLY ENOUGH TO FORCE TESTING, WHICH WAS ORDERED THE NEXT MONTH, BUT THE RESULTS DID NOT COME IN FOR ANOTHER FOUR MONTHS. THE RESULTS – ARSENIC, SELENIUM, CADMIUM AND SILVER ALL EXCEEDING OSHA STANDARDS. THE CONTRACTOR WROTE, “AT THIS TIME [WE] CANNOT REMOVE THIS DUCTWORK…PLEASE LET US KNOW WHEN IT IS SAFE.” MY UNDERSTANDING IS ANOTHER CONTRACTOR DID THE REMOVAL PRIOR TO THE TEST RESULTS ARRIVING ON CAMPUS, BUT I DO NOT WISH TO GIVE THIS BOARD MISINFORMATION.

THE TECHNICIAN WHO RAISED THE INITIAL CONCERNS? HE WAS FIRED AND EVENTUALLY SETTLED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE COLLEGE.

MORE RECENTLY, A PROFESSOR SENT AN E-MAIL TO ADAM ANDJEWSKI AND FOR THE GOOD OF ILLINOIS OFF HIS COLLEGE E-MAIL ACCOUNT. WITHIN DAYS THIS PROFESSOR WAS SUMMONED TO A MEETING WITH THEN-PRESIDENT BREUDER AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM ABOUT THIS E-MAIL. THIS WAS DESPITE ASSURANCES OUR E-MAILS WERE NOT BEING MONITORED. THEN TWO INVESTIGATORS FROM THE DUPAGE STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE SHOWED UP OUTSIDE THIS PROFESSOR’S CLASSROOM SEEKING (QUOTING THE LEAD INVESTIGATOR), “ANY INFORMATION IN HIS POSSESSION WHICH CASTS THE COLLEGE IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT.” ONE INNOCUOUS E-MAIL BROUGHT MORE OF A RESPONSE FROM BOB BERLIN THAN ALL OF BREUDER’S ACTIONS.

THE REPEATED TARGETING OF WHISTLEBLOWERS MUST STOP. THIS BOARD SHOULD STEP UP AND DO RIGHT BY THOSE WHISTLEBLOWERS, SOME OF WHOM MAY STILL BE HERE, AND COMPENSATE THOSE FOR DAMAGE DONE IN THE PAST. I ALSO CALL UPON THIS BOARD TO ESTABLISH AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE AND TO ESTABLISH A TRUE PROGRAM FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS AND THE PROTECTION THEREOF.

Bob Hazard, COD Faculty
Good Evening,

In a week of Daily Herald revelations, this one stood out for me. Trustee McGuire is quoted saying:

“The school has spent more than $3.5 million in legal and financial consultant fees the past seven months “chasing a manufactured crisis.”

She’s wrong in one respect: There is more than a single manufactured crisis here.

One crisis was manufactured by Bob Breuder, his SMT, and the previous boards. Anyone who’s read the HLC report can see that there was serious malfeasance going on at the highest levels of our college. Make no mistake about it. Breuder, Glaser, and Saypta all deserved to be fired.

No doubt they will continue their misguided lawsuits, hoping for a settlement they don’t deserve. Please don’t give in to blackmail. Breuder and his SMT damaged our college and they don’t deserve a penny more than they’ve already squeezed out of us.

But the bigger crisis has been manufactured by McGuire herself.

For seven months now McGuire who allowed, enabled, even encouraged Breuder and his hand-picked management team to damage our college with their bad investments, their wasting of tax dollars in their private clubhouse, The Waterleaf, their secret manipulation of credit hours in SLEA, and on and on and on, has been determined to undermine the trustees who were elected to clean up the mess she helped to create.

For seven months now, McGuire has preened before the press, posed as the martyr, playing out dysfunction in front of the HLC so she could claim the new board was dysfunctional, all the while not caring what damage she was causing.

Now, that preening has come home to roost. We’ve been put on probation for the acts of a fired president and those under his direct command. But we’ve also been put on probation for the acts and the inaction of those boards on which McGuire was an active member.

If there is any justice in all of this, it’s that the HLC report came out mere hours after the latest public snit fit from McGuire, a report that directly contradicted her latest defense of Breuder.

Part of me is angry that she’s not here to face the college she betrayed, but part of me says good riddance. Stay away Dianne, you’ve worn out your welcome here and it’s been a very long time since you contributed anything of value.

From the 4pm public forum

Bob Hazard, English faculty:
I had originally wanted to talk about our need for a college president who has a terminal degree in an academic field, but the events that transpired this past weekend have left me feeling that nothing that is said in these forums will have any effect on the final choice for president. This committee has shown by its recent actions that it has no interest in working with and listening to the constituent groups that make up the College of DuPage.
The assignment of Lee Daniels to chair the presidential search committee, without any public discussion and apparently without any discussion within the search committee is troubling. What this college needs is an open transparent and through process. Given the way the previous president was chosen, and the disastrous results of that decision on our college, it is crucial that we have a clean process in which all constituent groups have a fair say if we’re going to start to heal as a community.
I am even more dismayed by the secret choice of Robert Dickeson as a consultant for the presidential search. Mr. Dickeson has been rebuked numerous times over the past 30 years by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) for his anti –faculty proposals. We have just lived through an administration that was openly anti faculty. We need collaboration, not confrontation. But if you want confrontation, you will have it.
These events reek of a coup. Faculty fought Breuder for five plus years. We have supported the new board as they have worked to right the ship and institute new, transparent policies. But do not mistake our support of policies for blind support. We will continue to fight for what is best for our college.

Karin Evans
I am a Professor of English. I have been teaching here full time since 2003. Thank you for this opportunity.
I wish to make two points that I believe are critical in selecting a new president.
First, if we look at our college historically, COD became known as one of the best community colleges in the nation because of our commitment to quality in the academic mission. Now, as our accreditation is in question, we must have a return to the mission. We must have a president with unassailable academic credentials and a strong background in higher education to lead our faculty and curriculum, as well as our administration. Higher education is a complicated and special enterprise, and it is not like any other kind of business or government entity. We need a president who is qualified to understand the quality and depth of our curriculum, the preparation of our faculty, and the wise stewardship of our institutional resources, focused on excellence in teaching and learning.
Second, our new president must set the tone of listening and learning at the top of our organizational structure. A college is not a place where people come in with their ideas already set and their agendas already decided. A college is a place where people come to open themselves up – to learn the perspectives of others, to find out new ways to solve problems, to learn what history bears on the present, and to bring new information and data to bear on their decision-making. This is what we expect of our students and of ourselves. This is what we also should be expecting of our new president. Our new president must come to us as a learner and as a collaborator, with the aim to learn and serve, as well as to lead.
Thank you.

College of DuPage is asking both College and community members to weigh in on the qualities they would like to see in the next COD president.

The College will host two public forums to gather input on Monday, Dec. 14. COD’s Presidential Search Committee has asked noted former WFLD-TV journalist Anne Kavanagh to lead two sessions to receive ideas at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14, in the Student Services Center (SSC), Room 2206, on the College’s main campus in Glen Ellyn.

Read the full press release.