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Pork, corruption, mismanagement: A keepsake.
By AFP | August 8, 2008
Chicago State University has been the recipient of massive amounts of pork over the past fifteen years, despite the university’s laughable academic reputation and its chronic mismanagement. AFP has long highlighted the signs of taxpayer abuse at Chicago State:
Since Elnora Daniel was appointed to her position as President of Chicago State University (CSU), campaign contributions to Senator Emil Jones from individuals associated with CSU, including Daniel, have been on the rise. Pork-barrel spending steered to CSU by Sen. Jones has also trended up. Over the same period (1999 - 2006) Sen. Emil Jones received nearly $56,500 in campaign donations from CSU-affiliated persons[i], the Senator sponsored more than $49.2 million in grants for Chicago State University
Daniel’s leadership at CSU has consistently been questioned, but Jones support for Chicago State has been unwavering. Nevertheless, she was forced out as President under intense public scrutiny, though that didn’t stop her from sending one last “I love you” to taxpayers. This story from the Trib shows why Chicago State University, and all of its taxpayer largess, is today’s Pork Barrel Project of the Day:
Before leaving Chicago State University, embattled university president Elnora Daniel signed off on spending more than $18,000 to publish a tribute book honoring herself, a glossy coffee table publication featuring pictures of Daniel posing with lawmakers, university staff and her family.
The 52-page soft-cover book looks like a personal photo album, with minimal text and no photo captions. There are pictures of Daniel at a grant ceremony with President George W. Bush, smiling at U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and accepting state checks from Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, who funneled millions of dollars to Chicago State under Daniel’s leadership.
The last page features a photo of Daniel and five family members dressed in formal dinner attire and standing next to an elaborate staircase. Daniel’s university-financed family travel was the subject of a stinging state audit that found she spent more than $15,000 to attend a leadership conference aboard a Caribbean cruise ship in August 2006, where she was accompanied by five family members.
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