Members of the Illinois Central College Board of Trustees say they feel blindsided by the recent decision to close the student housing facility on the East Peoria campus.
During a special board meeting Thursday, trustees said the board was not involved in making the decision that was announced publicly last month.
ICC indicated the closure of the 20-year-old WoodView Commons Apartments, managed by a separate limited liability company, was due to the expense of required upgrades and maintenance.
“This board did not make any recommendations. This board did not sanction the closing. This board did not, I repeat, did not vote to close student housing in the fall,” said trustee Gale Thetford. “That decision was made, we're told now, during a closed session Jan. 15 of the Educational Foundation and possibly additional managers of the Educational Foundation Student Residence, LLC.”
Thetford shared several stories about students who would face transportation difficulties and other issues without the availability of on-campus housing.
“This shouldn't be happening, and this board, the college and the foundation, need to work together on issues such as this,” she said. “We're all supposed to be striving to serve the community, the families and our students in a collaborative manner.
“Notification and passing the buck don't qualify as collaboration.”
Trustee Carl Cannon, who requested the special meeting, said the board had received no prior notification that the closing was imminent before the decision reached the news media.
“I've heard from students, other board members and this community, we look blindsided,” said Cannon. “Transparency and accountability are not optional.”
Cannon added he’s seen no documentation that indicates the apartment building is desperately in need of repairs.
“We heard claims that student housing is being shuttered because it's dilapidated,” he said. “If that is truly the case, then where is the independent engineering report that verifies this assessment?”
ICC said the apartment complex would not be accepting leases beyond the current spring semester. The college reported about 100 of the nearly 250 students currently living at WoodView would be graduating or finishing their programs this spring.
Bruce Budde, ICC's executive vice president for administration and finance, previously told WCBU the college was working on a list of possible off-campus housing options for students who would need somewhere to stay for the upcoming summer and fall sessions.
Cannon said he’s not gotten any information about “the financial or logistical toll” that would come from losing the on-campus housing availability.
“It is a reminder of the kind of students we serve and the real world consequences of decisions made without their voices being at the table,” he said. “This isn't just about buildings. It's about students. It's about equity. It's about whether we're truly living up to our mission to serve the communities and the people, the citizens of District 514.”
