NIU spokesman: police investigating secret fund

Might there be any connection with this story and an earlier Daily Chronicle story and the public comments on that story?  SEE:  http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2012/08/two-niu-administrators-leave-recently.html

NIU spokesman Paul Palian Northern Illinois University officials are investigating reports of an alleged secret bank account channeling thousands of dollars to several university workers. NIU spokesman Paul Palian confirms to WNIJ the university's police department is looking into the matter: "There is currently an investigation underway. It was launched Friday afternoon. It is an NIU police investigation." - Paul Palian, NIU spokesman NIU employees working at a campus physical plant allegedly sold scrap metal to a local company, which would write checks to an account known as the ``coffee fund.'' Electronic records show checks from the DeKalb Iron and Metal Company to the fund have totaled more than $13,000 since 2005. School officials say they have no record of such a fund.J & WNIU

Click on the following for the source of the above story:  NIU spokesman: police investigating secret fund | WNIJ & WNIU

Today’s Daily Chronicle has much more detail.  GO TO:  http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2012/08/03/niu-probes-existence-of-coffee-fund/awdfbmu/

Kunkel said several employees, mainly from NIU’s Physical Plant, have sold scrap metal from the university to DIMCO on and off for at least the past 25 years. The company’s electronic records date back to February 2005, and checks from DIMCO since that time have totaled more than $13,000.

“It’s not going back to Northern,” said Kunkel.

Kathryn Buettner, vice president of university relations, said NIU Police plan to open an investigation immediately. She said Friday was the first time she or other administrators had heard about the coffee fund and said NIU takes the allegations very seriously…..

Kunkel said employees often used university-owned vehicles to drop off the scrap, usually coming in on Saturdays; sometimes they sent family members. Kunkel said when he asked what the coffee fund was for, he was told the money was split between several workers at the Physical Plant, who sometimes used the money for cookouts, or purchased coffee and food for the office.

Kunkel said the company keeps separate accounts for different NIU funds, including the Physical Plant and telecommunications department. He said he grew suspicious years ago, when NIU employees began asking him to pay a small percentage to the university and a larger percentage to the employee who dropped off the scrap, which prompted him to contact the university.

It appears that Associated Press has picked up the story.  See the Northwest Herald’s short AP Piece:  http://www.nwherald.com/2012/08/06/niu-probes-existence-of-a-secret-coffee-fund/av9uru6/