After all this time, the infamous recording is out. It seems the guilty parties still want to pretend that the issue is a sign held up by a student.
We have only had a chance to listen to a little of the recording, but it is sickening. The guilty will squeal that this should be over. It’s just starting. This is what happens when you get caught abusing your power. There is no statute of limitations on bullying.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Sunday, July 21, 2019
RELEASE THE TAPE AND TRANSCRIPT
Well, we thought we were about done with this blog. Life goes on. The national scene is a dumpster fire and SIU is on the ropes. JALC was seeming like it was gaining some semblance of normalcy, real or imagined. And then the chicken came home to roost.
Those who have followed this site, and those just with an interest in John A. Logan College, know that when the board went into executive session to vote on who would be laid off, three years ago, they were in there a long time. At the next Board meeting, we learned why: they had been discussing more than just the individuals to be laid off, which would be a legitimate use of an executive session. Student trustee, Brandi Husch, revealed that one of the Board members bullied her and whipped out a file regarding her past, unrelated to her career as a student or service on the Board. As she attempted to explain this to the public in open session, she was shut down by the then Board chair and the college attorney.
Well, the wheels of justice turn slowly, but the IL Attorney General has opined that the Board violated the Open Meetings Act. In fact 80% of the discussion was supposed to be public. The AG invited Logan to release the audio recording and transcript to the public.
Conveniently, the Board had voted to destroy the recording before the matter was settled and without consulting the AG's office. But, the AG had a copy.
Board members said they would vote on whether to release the audio file but, alas, it would be a moot point because they had already destroyed it. ...And then the other shoe dropped. On them. The AG gave them his copy.
So, Tuesday night, July 23, the Board will vote on whether to release the verbatim recording. They have scheduled the vote as item 6 on the meeting agenda. They have scheduled public comment as item 7. How convenient.
Maybe they will vote to release the recording. That would be the decent, civic thing to do. On the other hand, not behaving like thugs would have been the decent, civic thing to do too. Tuesday's meeting is scheduled for 7pm, in the Administration Building Boardroom.
Oh, and if you are a Board member and reading this, do the right thing. Release the damn thing!
Those who have followed this site, and those just with an interest in John A. Logan College, know that when the board went into executive session to vote on who would be laid off, three years ago, they were in there a long time. At the next Board meeting, we learned why: they had been discussing more than just the individuals to be laid off, which would be a legitimate use of an executive session. Student trustee, Brandi Husch, revealed that one of the Board members bullied her and whipped out a file regarding her past, unrelated to her career as a student or service on the Board. As she attempted to explain this to the public in open session, she was shut down by the then Board chair and the college attorney.
Well, the wheels of justice turn slowly, but the IL Attorney General has opined that the Board violated the Open Meetings Act. In fact 80% of the discussion was supposed to be public. The AG invited Logan to release the audio recording and transcript to the public.
Conveniently, the Board had voted to destroy the recording before the matter was settled and without consulting the AG's office. But, the AG had a copy.
Board members said they would vote on whether to release the audio file but, alas, it would be a moot point because they had already destroyed it. ...And then the other shoe dropped. On them. The AG gave them his copy.
So, Tuesday night, July 23, the Board will vote on whether to release the verbatim recording. They have scheduled the vote as item 6 on the meeting agenda. They have scheduled public comment as item 7. How convenient.
Maybe they will vote to release the recording. That would be the decent, civic thing to do. On the other hand, not behaving like thugs would have been the decent, civic thing to do too. Tuesday's meeting is scheduled for 7pm, in the Administration Building Boardroom.
Oh, and if you are a Board member and reading this, do the right thing. Release the damn thing!
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
NEPOTISM R US
The original sin of higher education, in southern Illinois, at least the one that inspired the creation of Muddy Williamson, was nepotism. We railed against its existence, as practiced, at John A. Logan College. However, Logan is not alone. Logan Board members and administrators were brazen, over the years, in their promotion of the careers of their children at school and tax payer expense. However, times have changed and some of that has abated; nepotism has given way to mere cronyism. However, at SIU, old fashioned nepotism is in full flame.
We, at Muddy Williamson, heard rumors, last year, of new SIU Chancellor Carlo Montemagno bringing on his daughter and son-in-law, she in University Communications and he in another department. Not knowing their names and not wanting to prematurely spook them, by calling University Communications or Human Resources, we held off. However, the Daily Egyptian got the scoop. And, congratulations to them for brave journalism and excellent reporting.
The bottom line is that as part of his own hire, Montemagno extracted a deal from SIU to create jobs for and hire his daughter and son in law. The usual process involves position requests from departments, vice chancellor level approval, job announcements, applications, search committees, interviews, a hiring decision by the department, review by Affirmative Action, a green light from Human Resources and then an offer to the candidate and negotiations between hiring department and candidate. Or, an alternative route is to have the President ask the department to "identify an opportunity" for you. Or, yet another is for your daddy to send an email to a department "introducing" you and inviting them to connect with you. That is an introduction in the sense that a shotgun wedding is by invitation.
We won't recap the story. We'll let you follow the link to the Daily Egyptian article. They deserve the read, the congratulations for the story and recognition of their bravery in publishing it. Special kudos should go to staff reporter Anna Spoerre, for a well written article.
We, at Muddy Williamson, heard rumors, last year, of new SIU Chancellor Carlo Montemagno bringing on his daughter and son-in-law, she in University Communications and he in another department. Not knowing their names and not wanting to prematurely spook them, by calling University Communications or Human Resources, we held off. However, the Daily Egyptian got the scoop. And, congratulations to them for brave journalism and excellent reporting.
The bottom line is that as part of his own hire, Montemagno extracted a deal from SIU to create jobs for and hire his daughter and son in law. The usual process involves position requests from departments, vice chancellor level approval, job announcements, applications, search committees, interviews, a hiring decision by the department, review by Affirmative Action, a green light from Human Resources and then an offer to the candidate and negotiations between hiring department and candidate. Or, an alternative route is to have the President ask the department to "identify an opportunity" for you. Or, yet another is for your daddy to send an email to a department "introducing" you and inviting them to connect with you. That is an introduction in the sense that a shotgun wedding is by invitation.
We won't recap the story. We'll let you follow the link to the Daily Egyptian article. They deserve the read, the congratulations for the story and recognition of their bravery in publishing it. Special kudos should go to staff reporter Anna Spoerre, for a well written article.
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