Rauner Says Chicago State University 'Throwing Money Down The Toilet'
(CBS) -- The blame game over budget shortfalls at Chicago State University intensifies, with students caught in the middle.
After charges last week that the state was leaving the school adrift, Gov. Bruce Rauner came out swinging, CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports.
Students at Chicago State University rallied just last week, calling for state money to keep the university's doors open. On Thursday, the governor fired back, saying maybe the money should go to students directly, because of financial mismanagement.
"They have the widest achievement gap between white students and African American students of any college. That is wrong," Rauner said of Chicago State.
A memo released by the governor's offices said 83 percent of white CSU students graduate in six years, compared with 19 percent of African-American students.
The university president responded in a letter said that statistical comparison is misleading and that Chicago State is willing to discuss reforms.
The students who rallied last week, from Operation Save CSU, back the president when the top official says the university can't enact reforms without the ability to function.
Rauner lashed out at Chicago State, saying: "For them to all of a sudden go, 'Hey, we're sorta more broke than most,' while they've been throwing money down the toilet -- you know what? Let's have some standards of behavior."
The governor's office says Chicago State has the highest ratio of administrators to students of any state university: 1 for every 17 students, spending 45 percent of total payroll on those administrators.
