More Details on UIUC Senate Postponment of Vote on White, Herman

It will be two more weeks before the Academic Senate at the University of Illinois's Urbana campus votes on a resolution calling for changes in leadership.

The body made up of 200 faculty and 50 students met in closed session for about an hour Monday to consider an advisory resolution aimed at Urbana Chancellor Richard Herman and President Joseph White - calling for them to step down in the wake of the U of I admissions scandal. Then the panel voted 91 to 66 to postpone the vote to September 14th.

Before Senators considered the resolution... both administrators addressed the standing-room only crowd. Chancellor Herman again apologized for his role in improper admissions, saying he realized that people were in 'genuine pain' as a result of clout's involvement.

"I still believe", said Herman, "that for the hundreds of inquiries from well-connected people over many years, only a small percentage ended up being mishandled. But even one case is too many."

Herman said he considered resigning... but believes his accomplishments should outweigh the mistakes.

Meanwhile, White told the faculty-student body that said he was unaware of the Category I list of politically connected applicants until news reports of about the list first surfaced:

"I assure you that had I known about these practices, I would have challenged them", White said.

Both White and Herman say they want to stay in their jobs to help guide reforms of the admissions process.

Senate Executive Committee Chair Joyce Tolliver says now the Senators can take their time to discuss the resolution with fellow faculty and students, most of whom have just returned to campus. But Tolliver points out a new U of I Board of Trustees could take action on the administrators ---- before the Senate meets again. Governor Pat Quinn still has to fill five vacancies on the Board prior to a September 10th trustees meeting in Urbana.