I am disappointed in the Faculty Senate’s hesitation to vote no-confidence in President Doug Baker’s leadership at NIU. I’ve been reading about the scandals surrounding him for the past year and half [and] have had plenty of time to understand the material, and I must say that I believe Baker has a consistent disregard for policies and the law.

I understand the concern some faculty have in damaging the reputation of the university, but the scandals themselves have already done that. Not only have they been reported on by Illinois Leaks and the City Barbs blog, but students have [also] resorted to social media to lampoon Baker and portray him as saying, “Using your tuition money for personal expenses since 2015! For 2017, I’ll be using the tears of students unable to pay the bursar as lubrication!” So, they’re already talking among themselves about it and possibly to their friends who might otherwise have potential [to] enroll.

A Daily Chronicle article from Dec. 18, 2015, reports that a memo to Baker from the Board of Trustees Chair John Butler said, “We want to be clear that we are approving financial support for representation only for the ongoing OEIG investigation.” Yet, an invoice obtained through a FOIA request by Michael Haji-Sheikh, associate professor of electrical engineering, shows that work was performed by Baker’s attorneys on the response to the Faculty Senate’s questions. Even with their assistance, these responses don’t sound like the kind you would expect to hear from someone who has made honest mistakes and is taking responsibility for them. They sound more like the kind you would hear from someone who is making non-admissions of fault and obfuscating the truth. And at a time when students are increasingly facing food insecurity and homelessness, both of which I have had the misfortune of experiencing firsthand, the last thing that a university needs is an expense for a legal defense that is a lost cause.

Personally, after having numerous staff abuse their power at my detriment, it is my belief that NIU is a broken institution, and I have ended my educational career at it. Until the Board of Trustees fixes the administration, starting by terminating Baker’s contract as soon as possible, I am adamantly refusing to give NIU another cent.