The University of Illinois Board of Trustees recently cleared the way for former Symbionese Liberation Army member and convicted felon James Kilgore to work on campus again. Days later, the U of I rehired Kilgore. Kilgore served time for a bank robbery gone bad that lead to the shotgun shooting death of a mother of four and the miscarriage of a child after one of his SLA buddies violently kicked her.
Last May, the Senate acted unanimously in its condemnation of the University of Illinois’ hiring of Kilgore by passing HB 4090, which was authored by State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet).
“After the unanimous rebuke, the University told us they wanted time to come up with their own policy to deal with issues like this,” Rose said. “Specifically, they committed publicly to coming up with their own rules prior to the fall veto session. Not only have they failed to publish their own rules, it is clear from the recent Board of Trustees meeting they have done nothing in the intervening six months to deal with the issue.”
HB 4090 would make it a crime for a person to knowingly use an academic degree issued under false pretenses for the purpose of obtaining employment, obtaining admission to an institution of higher learning, obtaining admission to an advanced degree program at an institution of higher learning, or obtaining a promotion or higher compensation in employment. Kilgore fraudulently stole the identity of a deceased child to obtain his degree under false pretenses. But, due to the U of I’s delaying tactic, the Illinois House has now left Springfield sine die. Rose now says the legislature will have to take action this spring.
“The U of I’s broken promise to deal with this on its own has caused great damage,” Rose said. “I’ve talked to several legislators this week who will join me in the Spring Session in sponsoring legislation to correct the University’s lack of action.”