U. of I. medical school gave 2003 candidate unfair advantage (Chicago Way)
Lawrence Eppley
Kenneth Schmidt
FROM CHicago trib VIA
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276476/posts
University of Illinois College of Medicine officials acknowledged Friday that an unqualified applicant pushed by Trustee Lawrence Eppley received an unfair advantage.
...........
But in the 2003 Eppley case, the student seeking to transfer to the Chicago-based medical school had “very poor grades” in the beginning of his college career. The former University of Illinois at Chicago chancellor took the unusual step of agreeing to allow him to join the school if he could achieve, among other things, a better — but “not a spectacular” — score on the standardized test for medical school.
In documents connected to the case, school officials suggested that Eppley was acting as a go-between for an unnamed patron. The student never did transfer.
In one instance, Trustee Kenneth Schmidt, the board’s only medical doctor, forwarded a vitriolic e-mail from a friend who was enraged about an applicant’s denial: “When I can’t understand things at our U. of I. you know I have always come running to YOU,” the friend wrote. “This time, I’m not only running, I’m coming galloping to your doorstep in hopes that you can solve what to me is a more than egregious error on the part of the admissions committee.”
Federal Inquiry Into Blagojevich Turns to University Admissions
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Excerpt:
By KAREN ANN CULLOTTA
Published: June 18, 2009
CHICAGO — Federal prosecutors are trying to determine if former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his allies used political muscle to influence student admissions at three state universities.
United States Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald issued subpoenas .........
The request was related to Mr. Blagojevich and three of his co-defendants on criminal corruption charges, William Cellini, Christopher Kelly and Alonzo Monk.
The investigation also seeks records related to Antoin Rezko, .......
*snip*
investigate accusations that hundreds of students at the University of Illinois had been admitted because of their families’ political connections.
*snip*
The Chicago Tribune has reported that as many as 800 applicants to the university had been admitted because of political patronage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/us/19donors.html?ref=us
Federal Inquiry Into Blagojevich Turns to University Admissions
###
Excerpt:
By KAREN ANN CULLOTTA
Published: June 18, 2009
CHICAGO — Federal prosecutors are trying to determine if former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his allies used political muscle to influence student admissions at three state universities.
United States Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald issued subpoenas .........
The request was related to Mr. Blagojevich and three of his co-defendants on criminal corruption charges, William Cellini, Christopher Kelly and Alonzo Monk.
The investigation also seeks records related to Antoin Rezko, .......
*snip*
investigate accusations that hundreds of students at the University of Illinois had been admitted because of their families’ political connections.
*snip*
The Chicago Tribune has reported that as many as 800 applicants to the university had been admitted because of political patronage.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/us/19donors.html?ref=us