U. of Ill. faculty: Clout firewall appears to work

URBANA -- A review by University of Illinois faculty finds that year-old measures created to remove political influence from the admissions process appear to be working well.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported that the faculty Senate Admissions Committee found that a so-called firewall intended to keep anyone other than a student or the student's parents or guardians from inquiring about their admission seems to be working.

The measures were put in place after media reports about the influence of politicians and others with connections on university admissions. A number of students with such connections were admitted to the Urbana-Champaign campus over better-qualified rivals.

University President B. Joseph White and Urbana Chancellor Richard Herman resigned over the revelations.