(DuPage) United we stand

The organization DuPage United has been very active and vocal in the past several months at board meetings and more recently in the board of trustees election race. Candidates who shunned their forum a few days ago have tried to tar this group as a tool of the IEA. I'm not so familiar myself with DuPage United so I took a closer look. Listed below are the members as shown on their website.

Access Community Health Network
Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Lisle
Congregation Etz Chaim, Lombard
DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church, Naperville
Faith Lutheran Church, Glen Ellyn
First Congregation United Church of Christ, Naperville
First United Methodist Church, Downers Grove
Illinois Education Assoc., Regions 32 & 50, Naperville
Islamic Center of Naperville
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
Islamic Foundation, Villa Park
Muslim Society, Inc., Glendale Heights
Northern Illinois Conference, United Methodist Church
Peoples Resource Center
Resurrection Catholic Church, Wayne
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Downers Grove
St Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church, Glen Ellyn
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, West Chicago
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Wheaton
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Naperville
Second Baptist Church, Wheaton
St. Andrew United Methodist Church, Carol Stream
Wheaton Franciscans
Wesley United Methodist Church, Naperville

At first glance it looks more like an ecumenical religious organization; but buried deep in the list one does find the root of all evil, champions of indolence, grabbers for wealth and cosy conditions, scourge of DuPage taxpayers, the Illinois Education Association.

Connected with this group, a very clear piece about the issues at COD appeared on a local blog.

Much criticism has been leveled at Friends for Education 502 for being a union-inspired group trying to elect candidates that will be friendly come contract negotiation time. While I can see how this can appear so, I profoundly believe that most of its members are motivated by less self-serving interests, and wish to return the institution to a model of shared governance, where the education of students is the primary mission. There will always be those like my friend in Roselle (I'm still trying to get over myself, but it's hard) who believe otherwise. I am encouraged by the weight of comments at the feet of Herald articles that are sympathetic to Friends. There appears to have been a mood swing over the course of the year as the institution has reeled from one public embarrassment to another; none of which, I should add, has been due to the actions of the faculty.

At least the Friends make no attempt to disguise their identity. Far murkier is the group "Citizens for COD." According to the paper, it's only donor, so far, is Crowe Horwath LLP - the college's accounting firm. No special interest there of course...Echoes of the days of Macblugo.