Ron Santo Finds Way Into College Clout Case
Former slugger implicated in U of I emails, but not in the way you think
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Is Ron Santo seeking admission into U of I? Not exactly.
Lately, the Chicago Tribune has devoted much of its front page to the scandal at the University of Illinois. What scandal? Oh, surely you've heard. Illinois apparently has some kind of clout list, which is what it sounds like: If you know the right people, or are somebody's fortunate nephew, or happen to be friends with a university administrator, it's easier for you to get into U of I. What's shocking is that more college admissions processes aren't exposed like this, but oh well. If you have to use clout to get into Illinois -- a very solid state school, but not exactly Oxford -- there must be no greater punishment than having to look yourself, and your more deserving friend, in the face every day. Jerk.
Anyway, the clout list case has taken a funny turn, which the Tribune reported today: Ron Santo's name was inadvertently redacted by someone who didn't recognize the slugger and broadcaster. Mistaking him for a student -- i.e. someone who would be connected to an inappropriate admissions process -- Santo was removed from an email record. Get a load of this:
The conversation took place between university lobbyist Terry McLennand and Teresita Soto Plutz, a medical school official. The two bemoaned Santo's latest rejection after McLennand asked Soto for help securing a residency for a connected candidate. "Okay, let me call them," Soto writes back. "Well, the hubby is unhappy that [name redacted] got overlooked again.""Poor [name redacted]," McLennand wrote. "I had not heard, he should be in. Did your husband get tickets?"
See the mix-up here? "He should be in," could definitely refer to a student's admission into Illinois, as could "the hubby is unhappy that [possible student but really potential Hall of Fame candidate Ron Santo] got overlooked again." Oh, my. Classic mix-up.
Of course, the two were just referring to Santo, which means no harm, no foul, at least not in this email exchange. We would like for whoever's manning the black ink at U of I to step up, though. Does the Freedom of Information Act cover stuff like "How ON EARTH do you not know who Ron Santo is?"
Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. You can also read him at Yahoo! Sports, Mouthpiece Sports Blog, and Inside The Hall, or at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com. Follow him on Twitter.
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Posted Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009 - 4:05 PM CST
