Schock Calls for Immediate Resignation of Blagojevich Appointees on University of Illinois Board of Trustees
Contact: Dave Natonski
202.225.6201
Washington,
Jul 8, 2009 -
Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) issued the following statement today calling on the nine members of the University of Illinois (UI) Board of Trustees who were appointed by ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich to resign in the wake of the latest saga of blatant corruption regarding special treatment granted to UI applicants with political connections:
“The Board of Trustees are charged with overseeing a flagship state institution of higher learning in the University of Illinois. Unfortunately, time and time again Trustees appointed by Rod Blagojevich have violated the public trust and responsibility of their positions by trading favors and applying political pressure to ensure unqualified applicants received special treatment.
“This latest episode is incredibly shocking involving the payoff of five state jobs in return for admitting an unqualified applicant. There seems to have been no bounds beyond which some Blagojevich appointees were willing to go.
“Either the Trustees were asleep at the wheel or were party to the culture of corruption which has engulfed Illinois for far too long. Regardless, it’s time to move on and today, I urgently call for the resignations of those Trustees appointed by Rod Blagojevich, which are essential to restore faith in the admissions process based on merit and qualifications,” said Schock.
In a decisive effort to fumigate the University of Illinois’ admissions process, Governor Pat Quinn recently appointed a state commission to investigate the scandals. Governor Quinn wisely chose former Congressman and Judge Abner Mikva, a man with a sterling reputation for integrity. Schock strongly agrees with Mikva’s recent statement to the Chicago Tribune: “It just gets thicker and thicker and it’s not good.”
Schock wants to see the Mikva Commission complete its work so a complete picture of what happened is uncovered and to make recommendations for reforms. Even so, Schock feels it is imperative that the Blagojevich appointees resign en masse immediately to free the University of the albatross they have become.
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