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State Panel Says 3 U Of I Faculty Violated Ethics Laws

State of Illinois

A state ethics panel says three University of Illinois faculty violated Illinois ethics laws when they used their campus email addresses to discuss political activity with a congressional candidate in 2013.

The Illinois Executive Ethics Commission ruled that three tenured professors should not have used their email addresses at work for political activity --- in this case, discussing campaign work for unsuccessful congressional candidate George Gollin, another faculty member previously cited for the same violation.

Physics Professor Laura Greene told investigators her email traffic is so heavy, she didn’t consider her two emails a violation. Journalism Professor Leon Dash said it only occurred to him later on reflection that he was violating ethics rules.

Literature Professor Nancy Blake said in a statement that her mistake only violated university guidelines, not state law. But the Executive Ethics Commission says the state Ethics Act tolerates no exceptions.

It found that all three professors violated the law, and while it’s not seeking prosecution, it recommended that the university take whatever action it sees fit.

A university spokesperson says they don’t comment on specific personnel matters. But she says use of university resources for what’s considered “prohibited political activity” is a violation that the U of I takes seriously.

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