The well-connected....connect to U. of I.- the corruption of education

Relatives of lobbyists, campaign donors got lawmakers' help to enter U. of I. - chicagotribune.com: "Family members of at least three lawmakers also were part of the now-abandoned secret system, known as Category I, a separate admissions track that allowed some subpar students to get admitted to the state's flagship university.

The Tribune first wrote about the shadow system in 2009, and the university then reformed its admissions process. However, university officials have continued to shield the names of the connected applicants, arguing they are following a federal law intended to protect student privacy. That position has sparked a protracted legal battle with the newspaper.

The newspaper has now been able to identify about one-quarter of the 800 students who got preferential treatment from 2005 to 2009. That allowed the paper for the first time to link many elected officials to the families they were helping, exposing possible motivations for interfering in the college admissions process.

"If the Tribune can access that data some other way and provide a public service by disclosure, so be it," said U. of I. Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher Kennedy, who was appointed after the admissions scandal as part of reforms."

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