Do not give to the NIU Foundation. There seems little likelihood that one’s money will be used to benefit the university. Thanksgiving week, the Foundation financed a trip to Las Vegas to watch a ball game for five Regents, LaTourette, Eddie Williams, Montiegel, Peggy Sullivan, plus maybe others. This junket was paid for out of the president’s discretionary fund which in turn, is funded by the Foundation.

By way of comparison, the Kishwaukee College Foundation recently built a greenhouse for the students involved in their horticulture program. Can the NIU Foundation claim that it has given any of its discretionary money, i.e., money not specifically directed to a particular purpose by the giver, to any useful university purpose? By “useful” I do not mean the athletic program or public relations purposes.

I called the NIU Office of Information about this junket and was told that the rules governing these funds permit expenses for “entertainment.” However, in this case, it seems that the persons being entertained were the administrators and Regents. This practice appears to be an extension of prior practice in which the NIU Foundation funded the entertainment needs of LaTourette’s predecessor, often in Florida. I can hardly wait for Christmas break when urgent needs for administrators to entertain in warm climates will arise.

Joseph Harry

sociology