College of DuPage Holds Marathon Meeting

The College of DuPage educates 29,000 students a year and boasts an annual budget of $181 million, but its board of trustees meeting April 30 lasted five hours and consisted of bickering and immature behavior, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

“At Thursday’s marathon session, the board narrowly approved 12 items, including putting embattled President Robert Breuder on administrative leave, suspending travel and entertainment reimbursements for trustees, and hiring a Chicago-based law firm to investigate the college,” The Tribune reported. “But even the agenda itself was under debate. The three trustees in the minority said the agenda had been prepared illegally without their consultation and, because of that, they voted against every item.”

When it came time for the public to comment, they asked the board to please start taking meetings seriously and explained they were tiring of the public laughing at the school.

The news surrounding the college recently is controversial.

• In January, school board members voted to send the community college’s president Robert Breuder away with a $762,000 buyout. That was funded by taxpayers.
• Then there were the business dealings at the college radio station and a move tocensure a board member.
• Earlier in March, it was revealed that nearly $200,000 was charged in food and liquor costs at the college’s fine dining restaurant, Waterleaf.
• The last week in March, the college allegedly awarded signage contracts to a foundation member without going to bid for the jobs.
• On April 13, the former radio station employee pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces.
• Then on April 20, it was discovered that an additional $160,000 has been spent at the College of DuPage restaurant, Waterleaf, from an account that was previously undiscovered.