Welcome back Chicago State University Cougars! I hope your semester is off to a wonderful start and everyone is ready to work hard! For those of you who missed the Back to School Parade on Monday August 26th, we now have a marching band, and they did a great job performing. Now, let’s talk about this banner you see below.
When we think of back to school, we think STUDENTS and TEACHERS, not so much the President of the university. I guess things are different here at Chicago State because everything is always about Z. Scott, not the students, just her. Let’s recall the eventful week full of events back in April of the Spring 2018-2019 semester during Spring Fling when the President prioritized all her events that she said was all about her, not the school. By the way, how much did that week cost? I hope our tuition and fees didn’t pay for it since it was all about Z. Scott, not saving Chicago State. Congratulations Madame President, you are doing a terrific job. I’ve never seen such a self- centered back to school flyer; where are the students? While we are addressing this, can we address the marketing that Chicago State is doing. It is great that we are getting back out there, but where did you all find the students to go on flyers? Maybe I just have bad memory, but those students aren’t even from Chicago State, but hey! Moving on…
Let’s play catch up, Dean Crawford or shall I say ex Dean has started his new job at Kennedy King and Dr. Shenay Bridges- Carter, Director of the Abilities Office, has been appointed as the interim Dean of Students. Hopefully, we can figure out what is going out with our Student Government Association since Michael Crawford, Safiya Edwards, and let’s add President Z. Scott never cared about one of the most powerful groups on campus.
It’s funny how things work out, President Z. Scott, since you like the spotlight so much, I am going to talk about the decisions YOU made this summer. Once again, on August 9th, Chicago State was featured in the Chicago Tribune because the director of athletics, Chris Zorich, had been fired without cause. Z. Scott then replaced him with Jimell Byrd- Reno. In case you are just as confused as me, Jimell Byrd was the President’s special assistant. She has over 20 years of experience in everything BUT sports. By the way, since Chris Zorich contract hasn’t expired and he was fired without cause, Chicago State still has to pay out his contract. By the way, this is not the first or last person who has been fired and CSU still has to pay them their salary. So, President Z. Scott, help me and my colleagues understand this: you fired former Bears and Notre Dame star, still have to pay him, drew more bad publicity towards Chicago State, and replaced him with your friend, I mean ‘special assistant’, for what exactly? I thought we were eventually going to get a football team here at Chicago State later down the line. I guess that was just talk.
While we are on the subject of pay, as we all know, Chicago State did receive $33.7 million in capital funding for the first time in a long time. Can’t we all tell? Or did you have to watch for potholes while you entered into the parking lot, still? What we should be asking the administration is exactly when will their budget for the 2019-2020 school year that already started is going to be complete so departments can get their funding? Should we be paying $100 for a parking pass if the parking lots are trash? I know after Z. Scott gave herself over a $100,000 raise this school year some departments will have to cut back on spending, so hopefully students can still learn and have all the resources they need. In 2018, Z. Scott was the 8thhighest paid President in Illinois. In 2019, our enrollment is down and almost nothing has been done to fix up the school, but she is now the THIRD highest paid university President in the state of Illinois. Even when Wayne Watson was CSU’s corrupt president and gave himself a raise, it was nowhere near Z. Scott’s current salary, and she attacked him for it.
Don’t get me wrong, it is nothing wrong with making more money, but how can you give yourself a raise, Z. Scott, and the university is suffering? Parking lots are not fixed, the pool does not work, Wi-Fi on campus is terrible, there was a flood in the cafeteria’s kitchen, the classrooms and building are outdated, the ceiling tile in the Student Union Building still needs to be fixed in some areas, and the list goes on. She also has no experience in higher education to bring home a salary like that. What I found even more interesting than her $394,999.92 salary is the fact that I could find everyone’s salary here at Chicago State University, except any of Z. Scott’s staff members. If Chris Zorich’s salary is $135,000, and it is undisclosed how much Jimell Byrd’s makes, that lets me know that she is not only underqualified but also bringing home a bigger salary than he is. More money at Chicago State is being spent on salaries than it is on students and improving the campus. Z. Scott, is Chicago State on the rise or about to be for sale?
I have a theory here. Why would there be a need for the Metra by Chicago State? Why would the President fire everyone who was not on her legal team, friend, or family, for no reason other than the fact she does not want them here? Why is the capital funding not being applied to help better the university? Now, what university has been buying everything in the Chicagoland area? The University of Chicago, bingo. They have the money and means to rebuild this campus and turn it into, for example, University of Chicago college of law. Do we really want our university to get sold to a private university? That would lead to gentrification on Chicago’s south side.
My fellow CSU Cougars, we need to figure out where our money is going. Personally, I did not mind the few hundred dollars increase in tuition as long as it was for the better of the university, not salaries for a President and her staff that does not put the students first . Our school, which is the only majority African American public university on the Southside of Chicago, is falling apart and I refuse to let another Wayne Watson destroy our university and take Chicago State away from us. It’s time for us to question administration, go to Board meetings, and stand our ground! We have so much power, and we are so much more powerful together. We have to fight.
Once again President Z. Scott, you are doing a great job, such a great job that faculty members who have been at the university for decades are leaving, and not because it’s time for them to retire, but because we have another president at Chicago State University that has failed us. Thank you, NEXT!
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