For Bernstein  Question: Do you support the College by attending the MAC, athletic events?

Bernstein: I have not seen a show at the MAC for a long time. My understanding is that they have become fairly commercial and they have drifted away from their educational nature. I used to attend the Buffalo Theater when it was here. It is a shame it is no longer here. The BoT needs to do something about that.

For Pihos: Is COD better off with Brueder as president?  Where would COD be if he were not president?

Pihos: That’s a hard question. Certainly things have improved in some ways under Brueder’s tutelage. We do have to give him some credit. Transparency has suffered however. No BoT public discussions, just BoT rubber stamps. The public has not had the information that it needs to hear open discussion. That’s where we need to move.

For Gambs: What are your thoughts about making COD a four year college? (I will be graduating from COD in May and I hate to leave such quality professors from this college)

Gambs:COD is a wonderful place and the teachers are fantastic. But COD is here to develop careers and I do not support COD becoming a 4 year college. Career development is important. Anyone who comes here, and hopefully my sons do, it will be an experience unlike any other in Illinois and that will be enough. I do not support COD becoming a 4 year college.

For Savage: Why do on-line classes cost more or the same as classroom classes? Shouldn’t they cost less? What would you do to reduce the cost of on-line classes?

Savage: They may not have the same facility as a classroom class but the professors are teaching the same material. IT support also is needed to support those classes. We do have areas where classes are more expensive than others. Nursing is more expensive than a math class. That’s part of how classes are here.  I know from experience that both on-line and classroom teachers work hard to deliver their material.

Question: What is a fair and reasonable amount for the buyout for the President?

Bailey: It would be reasonable for him to retire without any other retirement package because he has retired.  We should be more concerned about teachers’ retirement.  He has a inviolable contract? But teachers and support staff are somehow not inviolable?  That is something we can change. I don’t think we have enough money for Brueder’s contract.  We could use that money for much better purposes. To reduce tuition, or to give scholarships, or to invest in programs.

For Ball: What would you do, if elected, during the first two months?

Ball: I’d ask a million questions. I’d dig in, look at the books. I’d talk to faculty, to staff, to inform myself with as much knowledge as possible. To improve transparency. To learn the details of everything that has come out in the papers.  We have to gather as much information as possible before you head in a direction and go, so that is what I would do.

Question for Napolitano: How will signing on to the Joe Walsh pledge affect your work if elected as trustee?

Napolitano: Anybody, whether they sign or not, can take individual responsibility. I believe in individual freedoms and liberty. We do need to be constitutional in everything that we do. We need to understand how we got to this free country and came to be.

For Kempa:  Do you support the concept of fair share for CODAA and CODFA

Kempa: Like everything, it is subject to negotiations. Fair share is not something I oppose or am for. It’s a matter of getting out the facts. Other states are becoming right-to-work states. We’re surrounded by states like that. Illinois will probably be the last state in the country to go that route.  People and businesses are leaving this state. We need to adapt to that.

NOW EVERY CANDIDATE HAS THE CHANCE TO ADDRESS QUESTIONS THAT WERE DIRECTED TO ANY CANDIDATE. ANY ISSUE.

Gambs– We have an opportunity today to set an example as a community, for ourselves and those around us. We have a chance with this election to help college of DuPAge to become an example. How we deal with dysfuntion, labor relations, anything…. we have the chance to be an example.

Savage: I have sent suggestions to the legislature for ways we could avoid the situations that have come about here. We need to revise our alcohol policy. We need to be proactive.

Bailey: On transparency: every meeting intelligent people ask questions of the BoT. Those questions need to be answered at the next meeting. Every important decision needs to be made  and discussed in public.

Ball: Transparency as well. Something that would help regular meetings go smoother would be to have meetings more often. Inforamational and discussion based only. The BoT has to comply with the Opens Meeting Act.  We need to have meetings where people can come and discuss their concerns.

Napolitano: Open Meetings Act. It does not specify what has to be discussed in closed session. It just says what CANNOT be said in closed session. We need compliance with the act, but the act says that we need these things to be discussed in public.

Kempa: Disclosure. At BoT meeting, I will answer any question that anybody asks, Student, taxpayer, anybody.  I will get back to them if I have to answer questions.

Pihos: Accessibility. I would be accessible to the public. I would be accessible by email and phone to the public, to students. I have been here, taught here, had seminars here, have hosted your students in Sopringfield to meet legislators.

Bernstein: Conflict of interest. If you don’t think that awarding contracts to the COD Foundation Board is a conflict of interest, how about this one: awarding no-bid contracts to COD Foundation Board members? Let’s get answers to FOIA requests and I will show you some more.

Svoboda: Regarding the 4 year college. There is a white paper that the ICTA is going to be looking at this Friday. Everybody is concerned with mission creep. But if there is a program where a community needs it, we want to make sure it happens.

Carlin: Despite the noise coming from the COD BoT, the college has never been in better shape, has never been in a better place in meeting community needs. Everybody has made that happen, previous negotiations, faculty, everybody has made a contribution. The financial position of COD has never been better.

Mazzocchi: We have already heard comments about openness and trasnaprency. That shows that community members are craving better leadership on this BoT. The public needs to know that people are going to be responsible to the public. Kathy Hamilton has endorsed the candidates she has to help ensure that.

Wozniak: COD is a great place to attend college. I am sorry that the students and graduates have to hear on a daily basis about the things that have been going on here. the BoT has to work to clear the image of COD in the community to be the place we know it is.