UIUC Updates

There's been a lot of University of Illinois governance in the news the past couple weeks: from another administrator for the Chicago area Discovery Partners Institute tapping Urbana-Champaign campus talent, updates on accusations against faculty, infrastructure and planning, and a UI Trustees meeting. The campus was also mentioned in an article on campus active shooter training, but I'm covering that in a Parkland post here. There were also a couple items on the University and veterans dealing with transfer credits and reentry housing in a separate post here.

First on the DPI administrator:

In a previous Cheat Sheet post on DPI updates, there were concerns about the new campus draining resources from the local campus. At the time the person chosen to head the Institute was from UIUC. The News-Gazette is reporting that another administrator from the local campus has also been selected. From two weeks ago:

UI names first academic administrator for Discovery Partners Institute
As plans proceed on the Chicago development that will house the much-heralded Discovery Partners Institute, the University of Illinois has hired DPI's first academic administrator.

The UI announced Friday that Urbana sociology Professor Phyllis Baker — who has been working on the DPI project as a special assistant to President Tim Killeen for more than a year — will be the inaugural director of academic affairs at the Chicago-based research institute...

Meanwhile, the University Senates Conference, a UI faculty advisory group, recommended that the project proceed on a temporary basis, and that was endorsed last month by the Urbana and Springfield campus senates.

The Chicago campus senate, however, declined to endorse DPI in March, citing questions about how faculty royalties and intellectual property will be handled and about DPI's costs and funding, among other issues.

DPI must still be formally approved by the UI Board of Trustees and the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Full article with more information here.


In more salacious and strange news, the allegations against a professor have become more public along with his denials and the accuser has ended up in legal trouble in a separate incident related to online information. The News-Gazette had Petry's denials a little over a week ago:

UI professor admits sharing photos, denies 'sexual favors' allegations
...
Joseph Petry, who is under investigation by the UI, admitted he used poor judgment by sharing photos and having "communications of a social nature" online with a former student, but he insists it was consensual and he did not violate any UI policies.

Petry is also denying more explosive allegations that he offered to improve a student's grade in exchange for "sexual favors."
...
The News-Gazette's attempts to reach Naqvi for a response to Petry's statement were unsuccessful Tuesday and Wednesday. She was arrested Tuesday along with a roommate and charged with intimidation and aggravated unlawful restraint for allegedly threatening another man with a knife so they could delete information from his computer...

The university does not currently have a policy regulating consensual relationships between faculty members and students, though it is "in the process of developing one," spokeswoman Robin Kaler said....

On April 27, Petry announced his retirement from the UI, effective May 31, as part of a resignation agreement he signed with the UI in exchange for the investigation being dropped. The university, however, maintains that the investigation continues and that Petry remains on leave. Documents show the investigation has been referred to an outside law firm.

The full article, with a timeline and fairly comprehensive explanation of the accusations, denials, and reporting on the investigation is here. Petry's statement on the allegations here. The original resignation agreement with the University here. And finally the initial news of the accuser and another subject alleged to have held someone at knife point to remove data from his computer here. I honestly don't know what to make of it all.

Another faculty member from the UIUC campus raised this case and other allegations of misconduct to demand outside agencies investigate such cases to avoid the problems with University essentially investigating itself. That article here. It also highlights some other issues approved by the UI Trustees at the same meeting:

— The newly named Grainger College of Engineering, in recognition of the Grainger Foundation's $300 million in support.

— The Nick Holonyak Jr. Micro and Nanotechnology Lab, named for the UI engineering icon.

— The Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building, named for the UI alumnus and CEO of FoxConn Technology, who donated $21.5 million for the project.

— Agreements allowing the Urbana campus to reassume control of the Research Park from the UI System.

— A $7 million budget increase for the Demirjian Park soccer and track complex, to $21 million.

Blurb available at the bottom of this article here. In more down to earth crimes, a second suspect has been arrested in the ongoing investigation of parking meter thefts by parking enforcement staff. Latest details here. Previous arrest story here.


In more, and quite literal, "down to earth" news, the University is installing geothermal heating and cooling systems on campus. From the News-Gazette earlier this week:

UI installing pioneering geothermal system at new Hydrosystems Lab
...
Instead of drilling separate holes for a system of geothermal pipes bringing up water heated or cooled under the earth, the project will embed geothermal heat exchanger loops in the foundation of a new "smart" pedestrian bridge that will connect the Hydrosystems Laboratory addition to the Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory across West Main Street.

By using the 50-foot-deep shafts already being drilled for the foundation, the project will reduce overall geothermal installation costs and provide for on-site research, officials said. It will also heat and cool the new instructional geotechnical laboratory in the building for Tugce Baser, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.

The new installation approach, which costs about $240,000, is 30 to 40 percent cheaper than drilling holes for a more traditional geothermal "field" system, said Mohamed Attalla, director of UI Facilities and Services.

More details and explanations here. In a related infrastructure and planning note, the UIUC athletics division says it is "within range of a yes" to a hockey team that could make use of the arena at the center of  the proposed "The Yards" project in Champaign. From Tom Kacich's article on the topic last Sunday:

Illinois doesn't appear to have a single donor with Pegula's financial heft to build a similar arena. But UI Athletic Director Josh Whitman said last month on WDWS that he remains confident he can round up the resources to build a hockey program.

"It still is an awful lot of money," the athletic director said. "I think if we are able to bring this to fruition, it will be perhaps the most rewarding project that I'll ever undertake, just because of the number of different people and the variety of the organizations that have had to come around the table to make it possible. This will be a true community undertaking."

Full article here. To me "within range of a yes" still sounds far more comfortably in range of a no, but I suppose that makes me a "glass half-empty" sort.