NIU (ECWd) - So far we’ve looked at numerous ways in which NIU President Baker and his Administration has violated, or at least has made a valiant attempt to violate, state procurement rules: using open orders, putting consultants on payroll, using Foundation funds to pay for...
Northern Illinois University (NIU) - (ECWd) - Northern Illinois University has been paying for President Baker’s membership in a private social club, the University Club of Chicago, which is located at the corner of Michigan and Monroe in downtown Chicago. This "perk" is included in President Baker's...
DeKalb, IL. (ECWd) - In our previous article entitled "NIU’s IT Director, James Fatz, used NIU equipment in for-profit private business – " we wrote about James Fatz' use of Northern Illinois University software in a private for-profit business, according to court records. We are in possession of documents where he indicated to...
DeKalb Co. (ECWd) - We introduced Ron Walters in our story ‘Northern Illinois University – Ron Walters’ travel/hotel expenses’. To recap, President Baker engaged Mr. Walters and had him added to NIU’s payroll as an “affiliate” employee. The simple designation of “affiliate employee” was enough...
DeKalb, IL. (ECWd) – Local Sycamore attorney Nicholas Cronauer represents Vantage Electrical group against a former employee whom allegedly stole data from their company. Mr. Cronauer hired forensic expert Andy Garrett of Garrett Discovery whom testified regarding the data theft in a hearing held in Dekalb...
DeKalb, IL. (ECWd) - Between January 2014 and February 2015, of the approximately $36.000.00 of p-card (credit card) expenditures from one Northern Illinois University p-card account, around $19,000.00 was travel. -- $1,900.00 of this was for Magaly Rodrigues, NIU's "Chief Inspiration Officer", who would not qualify since she was commuting...
NIU / DeKalb, IL. (ECWd) - We realized that we have been remiss in discussing Northern Illinois University’s consultant/employee Ron Walters, the good friend of NIU’s President Baker. Mr. Walters, a recent major player at the University, was heavily involved in the problems that have beset...
NIU / Dekalb, IL. (ECWd) - When a donation is made to a university foundation, assumedly one would believe that the funds go to support the students in some manner. But apparently not at Northern Illinois University. At NIU, some of the funds are being used...
DeKalb Co., IL. (ECWd) - There must be many instances of collisions at the intersection of cronyism and state procurement rule violations that are likely to be mentioned in what appears to be 36,000 plus pages of documentation in the Office of the Inspector General’s investigation...
DeKalb, IL. (ECWd) - On April 26, 2015, we published the article “NIU Official dials wrong number – leaves message”. To recap, that was a story about an errant phone message left by Bill Nicklas, then NIU’s VP of Operations, in which Mr. Nicklas thought he...
