Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1986 [PAGE 177]

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166

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[February 21

dom of Information Act. Third, I am troubled by the decision of the judge to order the release of names of individuals who, in many instances, have neither knowledge of the nature of the charges in which they are mentioned nor any access to the minimum provisions of due process so as to protect their personal interests and reputations. While I strongly disagree with several fundamental aspects of Judge DeLaMar's decision, I have nonetheless ordered the release of the materials because of the overriding need to extinguish once and for all any lingering doubt about the determination of the University of Illinois to conduct its programs of intercollegiate athletics at the highest level of integrity. The University of Illinois supports the right of public access to information as defined under the Freedom of Information Act. Universities are dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of truth. As a result of this release, the public will have the information available to former Chancellor John Cribbet and the NCAA's Committee on Infractions at the time they reached their decisions. Although there is nothing substantively new in these materials, their release will enable the public to weigh the evidence and to assess the propriety and the integrity of the corrective actions taken by the University and the NCAA. Although the quality of the University of Illinois football program has improved significantly in recent years, transgressions such as those which occurred during the 1980-82 period will not be tolerated. Controls have been strengthened and appropriate safeguards put in place. Individuals responsible are aware that conduct inconsistent with the University's commitment to integrity in its athletic programs will result in dismissal. It is essential that the integrity of the University be above reproach, and it is in that spirit that I have reached the decision to order the release of the related materials. Computer Store at Urbana University counsel and others reported that a resolution of the legal dispute with local retailers is in sight. It is anticipated that an amended agreement with I B M would permit (although not require) the University to sell the I B M personal computers to faculty, staff, and students through authorized dealers rather than through the IUini Union Bookstore as has been the case. T h e University would continue to buy the machines from I B M at a discount; and local dealers would sell them to students, faculty, and staff at a price established by the University. Dealers would collect payment and provide maintenance and support for the machines. T h e University would continue to sell machines directly to its own departments. Although the agreement applies only to I B M equipment, the plan could be used as a model for arrangements with other manufacturers, although the University is not committed to such a step. National Science Foundation Award for Supercomputer Facility

The president reported that a public announcement would be made on February 25 about the award from the National Science Foundation of a supercomputer facility of unusual significance at Urbana. The funds from NSF may exceed $43 million; and with funds from additional sources, the total available for the facility over a period of five years should exceed