Dear Editor,

I am in a unique position. I am a Graduate Student at Large, married to Faculty, and I serve on the County Board. I am writing as a student who loves NIU, but is deeply concerned with the actions of the Board of Trustees regarding the severance package for President Baker.

President Baker’s contract reads, “the employee may terminate his employment as president of the university at any time upon not less than six (6) months written notice to the Board of Trustees,” as opposed to his two weeks notice.

The Board of Trustees can terminate the president for cause (with ¾ vote) for “gross misconduct or willful neglect in the performance of employee’s duties that harms the university; or (c) fraud or breach of fiduciary duty that harms the university. “ He would not get a severance — or without cause, he would only get one years salary severance.

The NIU law (110 ILCS 685 30/195) states that “this Section applies to the employment contracts of the president… of the university entered into, amended, renewed or extended…”

The Webster’s definition of amend is “to alter, modify, rephrase, or add to or subtract from… by formal procedure.”

To me, the law plainly states that if a contract is amended, that this statute does apply. The Board of Trustees is amending President Baker’s contract from the way it was originally written. The Board’s actions do not comply with either the contract or the law.

The above, in plain language, says “amended.”