Danica Hubbard:

Helen Feng:

Dilyss Gallyot:

Caroline Soo:

VPAA Jean Kartje announces outstanding faculty awards.

Chris Miller, Communications and Speech faculty, COD outstanding Full-time  Faculty Award.

Nominated by students who says he has a passion for what his students do in and after his class. He treats students as people first. He presents interesting lectures about material that could be dull.

Outstanding P/T faculty Kaitlyn Lutger. Humanities Lecturer.  Student nomination describes her as “interactive and enlightening.”

Outstanding Division — Health Information Technology,  Cheryl Jackson

Business and Technology: Bill Carmody

Business and Technology: Mike Foss

Health and Sciences:   Dilyss Gallyot Professor of Nursing

Health and Sciences:  Mathematics Professor Carolyn Soo

Liberal Arts:  English Professor Danica Hubbard

Liberal Arts:   History Professor Helen Feng

Counselor: Carol Giegerich

Mike Foss:

Bill Carmody:

Outstanding, all-college faculty, Chris Miller, speech.

Mark Misorowski, Resident of Lisle. Comments directed not at Bot but to students and their parents. I read the HLC letter addressed to Drs Breuder and Collins and also read the Tribune article titled “Troubled COD faces review by accreditation authority.” I am the parent of two kids going to college. What would I tell my kids if they were going to COD. What would I tell my wife? Those are the comments I want to give to the students. There is a time when you need a second and third opinion. What’s on line is your future — not mine, not my wife’s not BOT members’, nor the faculty’s. But yours. When you need to make a major life decision sometimes you don’t take the opinion of just one physician. Sometimes you get the opinion of a second or third doctor.  This HLC letter is just one of those events. You should get a second opinion from my most trusted faculty adviser at COD. Maybe I should go to other institutions where I am thinking of having my credits transferred to and ask “is this now going to be trouble in my future.” If you want to get a job this summer and eventually a career in your chosen profession, talk to somebody in the field and ask. I hope you make some wise decisions. I wish you the best of luck.

Roger Kempa

Are there any restrictions to phone calls to interim president Collins or VP Glaser. I have not been getting my calls answered. I am tired of getting FOIAs not answered.

Chair Hamilton says to talk to Maryann Millush.

Kempa continues — what is the status of the PR firm that was hired in March? Are they still on board? Are they out?

Hamilton: We will be talking about that in the meeting.

Kempa: Normally an audit firm for year-end audit is generally being hired by now. Books close June 30th. Also there is an investment audit. Legal compliance, though it doesn’t cover ethics or morality but it should be added.

Was the College founded in 1965?

Hamilton: Yes

Kempa: Let’s not forget that. It’s going to be the 50th anniversary.

Hamilton: I stand corrected. It was 1967.

Kempa-Hopefully by then (50 years of COD) everything will be in order and we can have a big celebration.

Miguel Marino- Proud to be a student at COD and also a classified employee. I am not affiliated with any political party. First congratulations to Gloria Roark, first African-American student trustee at COD. We all need to celebrate diversity. I had a speech at the last meeting about accepting different mentalities at COD, no matter what. I did not give my own thoughts about it because I was shocked by what I was hearing. I had heard many things about the Tea Party. I think that the election of the Clean Slate was a show of democracy. But the results of that election are not being lived up to. This is not the democracy we wanted. There is a one-sided aspect to this new Board as was said of the old Board. I know it is hard to live up to the high expectations of democracy and it is hard to achieve it. I still have faith that this Board will achieve it. There are things we should not accept like disrespect. I would like everybody to be more respectful of each other. We need to speak up when we see wrongful actions. If we do not speak up we become part of the problem.

Hamilton asks Trustee Roark for a Student Trustee report. She does not have one.

Hamilton asks Interim President to give out the Outstanding Faculty Awards.

Special BOT Meeting is called to order at 7:10 by Chairman Hamilton.

Roll call. Trustee Birt is absent. All others present.

Motion to approve tonight’s agenda. Moved by Mazzochi. Seconded by Trustee Bernstein.

Napolitano asks why there is no second  public comment and whether or not the public should be notified.

Chair Hamilton says that there will no second public comments tonight as it is a special meeting with an ambitious agenda. There will be a second comment period at the next meeting.

Vote on motion to approve agenda. Unanimously approved.

Hamilton: Public comment. Open Forum procedure is a privilege and not to be abused. Speakers will speak in the order they signed up. All questions will either be answered or referred to the appropriate person to answer.

Glenn Hansen

Good Evening, I’m Glenn Hansen, President of the Faculty Association and Faculty Senate.

First, I’d like to confirm that I have not been abducted by aliens and that yes, I was quoted in a COD press release today. Maybe a first, but certainly the first time in 7 years that a president has reached out to me. Let’s recognize that there are many things to talk about, but not tonight. We’ve reached the end of a very tough year and I would like celebrate by recognizing the good things we do.

I would like to welcome many new faculty members to College of DuPage. Contrary to what you have read or heard, this is a great place to have a teaching career. Almost 40 years ago, I decided I wanted to teach at COD. I taught my first class in a temporary building on this campus 30 years ago and never left. The majority of our colleagues can share similar story of longevity and commitment, so to our new faculty and staff, welcome.

I think the members of the faculty who are tonight recognized as our outstanding colleagues are evidence of what you will find in our classrooms. Individuals who are dedicated to our students, dedicated to the process of teaching and learning. Thank you for who you are and Congratulations! on the recognition of your achievements.

But, it is tomorrow evening that affirms why we are all here, Commencement. It is the best night of the year for all of us. As the spring semester ends more than 2000 students will become graduates and alumni. They will graduate and move forward with their certificate or degree. They may be finished, they may transfer, or they may return to take more classes to work towards a new goal. Thousands of other students have also completed one course or many and are in the process of reaching their goals. All students have turned to us as an educational resource with the trust that we will provide them with a quality educational opportunity. We believe that as the semester ends they will assure anyone who asks that they came here to learn and left enriched.

We must never lose sight of this.

Richard Jarman, Vice President CODFA

The cost for lots of large colorful postcards, four sets, apparently around $260,000 if what I read in the Tribune is accurate. To be blunt, this sort of spending has to stop. Setting aside for a moment the dubious ethics of distributing propaganda on the eve of the trustees’ election; I am not sure how Mr. Samborn was able to maintain a straight face when making the claim that, “it was done to promote positive news about the college” (Mr. Samborn wasn’t on the job then); what purpose did these mailings with their associated colossal expenses serve?

Throwing good money after bad. It is time to recognize that the days of defending the indefensible are over. $260 K spent on justifying the 100s of thousands squandered in other dubious activities. To put it in perspective, that $260 K could have paid the tuition for about 600 hundred students each taking a 3-credit hour class.  That number represents the large majority of the students taking our chemistry classes this semester.

And that is not all. Here comes Res Publica holding out its cap for $51 K for its “services” in crisis communication. You remember, that Res Publica that was hired by a law firm (now gone) that began its work before the board even approved it. So I guess that little charade established a precedent for Rathje and Woodward sitting at the table two weeks ago prior to being actually hired.

And then there is Randall (Randy) Samborn from Levick. As suddenly as Res Publica appeared, they were gone, usurped seemingly by Randy. Truth be told I find nothing in the board packets indicating any contract or approval of this arrangement. And who knows at this point how much has been spent on that questionable exercise. I would like to hear from the new board what it thinks of this adventurism in public relations and crisis management.

None of this is necessary. It is time to own up to the past and move on to the future. Enough of law firms, public relations and crisis management. Let’s commit to spending our resources on education, for that is what we are in the business of.

John Kraft

I want ot bring to your attention the letter to the BoT dated May 5, from the Higher Learning Commission stating that the HLC is placing the pending action of reaccreditation of COD until a site visit is had. Please post something on your website about that HLC visit. Several things were cited, including spending at the restaurant, Foundation members receving contracts. Within minutes of receving that we got an e-mail

General Schwartzkopf, asked how he knew what he knew said “I mainly know what I know from watching people do what they do wrong.”

Reports on e-mail that says he has spent a lot of time going   but I have never seen anything so scathing as what was sent to the COD from the HLC in any of the 1000s of pages I have read. IT is like a fire at a warehouse with no insurance. This writer doubts that COD will lose its accreditation, it should be noted so that it doesn’t happen again.

Kirk Allen

Headlines from the last meeting focused on bickering rather than on the positive things that happened at the last meeintg. I find it troubling that you whine about the meeting being illegal. IThe three of you spent the last meeting sniping. This board has to fix what was broken. If you can’t get to this, just resign. We want the taxpayers money is spent properly. The previous Board did not do this. Posting expenses in one giant pdf document does not work.

He gives an example of 4 cellphones on an ATT bill with no explanation of who has those phones, 4 employees, or one employee with the family put on the plan. We’ve seen this with other public body.

Also there are bills for invoices for personal meals, red box purchases, etc.  No receipts to show who is responsible for the charges.

The speaker notes other questionable expenses on these bills.

Rob Sherman

I am in Buffalo gRove, outside of the District. But I have been reading about the electioneering scandal we had in Buffalo Grove. The Indian Trails public library was in the biggest electioneering scandal in Illinois public library history.  The attorney involved in that was none other than Ken Florey. I would be willing to work with you and your team on this.  I can’t do this because I don’t live in the district. Maybe my friend Adam from Openthe books would be willing to do this.

Michael Connelly has sponsored a bill that would prohibit public bodies from participating in this kind of electioneering.  Senate Bill 914 — if you could give some support to this bill it would be sufficient for me to be convinced that COD is serious about this matter and will not allow it to happen again. This bill refers specifically to community colleges. I would like it also to apply to public libraries.

Joe Collins sent an email today announcing a special meeting of the BOT on Thursday, April 14 to continue conducting regular college business.

The meeting will be held at 7pm in the Student Services Center.

Discussion of the item about office space for the Board of Trustees. Trustee Mazzochi: would use to improve access of students and faculty, public. Napolitano: would be using existing space and resources, not building out new space or adding new computers or servers. Birt: clarify how it would be staffed. Office space not necessary. Wozniak: couldn’t they use study rooms in the library? Birt: we did use library space in the past. Micromanaging the college. Roark: very hard to get office space on campus. Points out that she is the student trustee and she has an office. Hamilton says that trustees don’t have enough access to students and faculty. McGuire asks if Hamilton sees herself being on campus every day, or 3 days a week, or hold office hours? Hamilton responds that office hours are a great idea and says that McGuire’s questions are out of line.

Vote: Roark abstains, the rest vote in pattern. Passes.

Mazzochi moves to table bank signature authorization since not enough information was available.

The rest of the agenda is “for information” and will not be voted on tonight.

Additional public comments:

David Goldberg asked that the Trustees adopt and follow Roberts Rules of Order, speak in turn, and stop sniping at each other and wasting time. It’s an embarrassment, unprofessional, not how large organizations must be run.

Another citizen stepped up to protest that the new trustees had acted as trustees before they were sworn in. The attorney clarified that they were in fact trustees by law.

Then there was a weird exchange, sort of, among Kirk Allen and Birt and Hamilton during which Allen made several interesting points that I was too tired to capture, and I truly apologize – please wait for the video. Laura Reigle also spoke again.

As it is closing in on midnight, your friendly faculty blogger is giving up. Good night everyone – it’s been damned interesting.

Suspension of house accounts at Waterleaf restaurant. Moved / seconded. Mazzochi asked for an amendment to include any restaurant on or off campus and the Inn at Water’s Edge. Would cover house accounts anywhere.

Birt states again that she doesn’t object to the motion but to the way it was presented.

Roark starts voting again, votes yes, the three vote no, amendment is accepted.

Then the amended motion is voted on. Same vote, motion passes.

Trustee Bernstein asks for the next four items to be considered together. These are requests for contracts and invoices from PR firms and client files from legal firms.

Items 15-430-9, 10a, 10b, and 10c are combined and moved/seconded together. Motion passes with same vote pattern.

The next issue is the Illinois Auditor General’s performance audit. Birt asks if there is a cost defined. Mazzochi argues it could save money by revealing expenses that could be recovered and also that COD could lose state funding if it does not comply. Wozniak argues that the state should pay for the audit.

Motion passes by same 4-3 vote.

Short recess.