Southern Illinois University Trustee Roger Herrin says there's one thing he can agree with his detractors on: unity needs to find its way to the SIU System.
Herrin is under fire from SIU President Glenn Poshard, and now leaders of several NAACP branches in the Metro East and Springfield. The retired podiatrist says he'll work, through the Board, to unify various constituencies.
"There's no one - no one - who would want unity at this university more than me. I'll bend over six ways from Sunday. I'll cooperate with everybody - anybody - governor's office, administration, Trustees. But we have to have unity at this university."
Herrin is accused of trying to orchestrate his own rise to the Chairmanship of the SIU Board of Trustees... Poshard and others claim he's working with Gov. Pat Quinn to make things happen.
The NAACP groups sent a letter last Friday to Gov. Quinn, stating their opposition to Herrin - and alleging a racial bias - as well as their displeasure with Quinn's decision not to reappoint Trustees Ed Hightower, John Simmons and Mark Hinrichs.
The SIU Board of Trustees has scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday at 2:30 pm on the SIU Carbondale campus Student Center. According to the meeting notice the Board needs to appoint an interim general counsel.