COD Board Candidate Was Fired from College After Sexual Harassment Charges

Frank Flores, Jr. was terminated from the College of DuPage for a disorderly conduct incident; he claims the investigation was “cursory” and the charges “malicious and unsubstantiated.”

A candidate in the contested election for College of DuPage Board of Trustees was previously fired from the college’s aquatics department after multiple people alleged incidents of verbal and/or physical sexual harassment, the Daily Herald reports.  According to the paper, Frank Flores Jr. was employed as a temporary assistant aquatics manager in fall 2010 until a female lifeguard reported verbal sexual harassment, a claim corroborated by another female student, and a male student who also alleged physical harassment. A patron filed a separate complaint that Flores had made comments to her like, “I want to taste you” and “I peed in the pool,” the paper said.  No criminal charges were filed, but after an investigation, Flores was fired on …

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Jim Court

9:13 pm on Thursday, April 11, 2013

Danielle, Somehow you slipped passed the sensors. Was it a Freudian slip or???? Take care   more ›

Staff Endorsements a Factor in College of DuPage Election

The Friends for Education COD Faculty Association PAC is endorsing challengers over two incumbents; the incumbents warn of the danger of a faculty-endorsed Board.

A College of DuPage faculty political-action committee has endorsed challengers Ed Agustin and Frank Flores Jr. for the COD Board over incumbents Dave Carlin and Joe Wozniak (and other candidates Kathy Hamilton and Mike Lanners). The endorsement has become a bone of contention between the candidates, the Daily Herald reports. According to the paper, the endorsements made by Friends for Education COD Faculty Association PAC are notable, contentious and perhaps a double-edged sword in an election coming after 16 months of negotiations that led to a teachers' contract imposed on faculty without union approval last May. Both sides worked out a new deal that was unanimously approved in June. "The board is elected by the community. It's not …

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Dan F.

11:40 am on Saturday, April 6, 2013

If there were D's and R's behind their names at least there would be more honesty and information for the voter. As for the "Faculty Association" http://www.codfaculty.org/ It's a union.   more ›

COD Paying Consultant $290,000 to Develop 'Brand'

The college hopes to elevate its image and profile after recently completing $500 million in renovation projects to its campus.

The College of DuPage has hired a consultant at the cost of $290,000 in an effort to create a "brand" for the school that will improve its public reputation and allow it to transcend the stigma of "community-college" status, the Daily Herald reports. According to the paper, Ohio branding and marketing firm Ologie already is interviewing students and others affiliated with the college to lay the groundwork for the rebranding. The college hopes to move away from its highly public battles with the Village of Glen Ellyn and its own faculty, and focus on the school's transformation over the past few years, including a $500 million renovation. "I know it is a community college even though we don't have 'community' in the name," COD President …

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Training Program Will Prepare Veterans for Growing Field of Energy Efficient Building

A free training program for unemployed or underemployed veterans is set to begin in January 2013.

Written by Mary Ann Lopez The first program of its kind in the country to help educate veterans and train them for careers in a growing field — green building — will soon be offered in DuPage County through a special partnership. Get news in your inbox. Sign up for the Patch newsletter. Like Naperville Patch on Facebook. The Veterans Building Operator Certification pilot program will allow veterans to receive training and certification that will teach them how to optimize buildings’ energy efficiency to save energy and money. The education program, which will begin in January 2013, will be free to veterans who participate. The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA), in partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic …

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Mom's Eye View

It's Time to Think Summer

For parents, it's the time to map out summer fun from sports to activities.

If you have kids, you’re thinking of summer. And not just because you’d like to kick them out of the house on a regular basis to burn off some energy or because you’re looking forward to the day when you won’t have to scrape mud off their soccer cleats. It’s the time of year when we parents have to map out what our little cherubs will be doing when the days are long and hot. Swimming, golf, summer school, drama, enrichment programs, summer camp. Sign up is right now or coming up quick. We’re trading e-mails about whether to join Centennial Beach, a private local pool or one in a neighboring town. We’re looking to see if golf lessons will work better through the Naperville or Bolingbrook park districts or Cantigny in Wheaton and whether …

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Blood Donations Still Needed

March is American Red Cross month and the organization hopes to spur people to action, whether donating time, blood or money.

Regardless of age, Naperville has residents who are always volunteering to help. While it’s nice to be able to donate money or time, for many people those are not always options. If you are looking for another way to help out, how about giving blood? Earlier this year, the winter storms took a toll on blood donations; causing many blood drives to be cancelled, according to the American Red Cross, yet the need for blood never stops. Some areas of the country have an extreme shortage. And, according to the American Red Cross only three out of every 100 people in the United States actually donate blood. If you are ready to take the next step and to become a member of that select group, The College of DuPage Office of Student Life will host a …

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Naperville Neighbors

Freyda Libman Focuses on Following her Passions

The Naperville resident seeks adventure and has proved she can succeed in finding it.

From teaching at a local college to opening a bridal shop, Freyda Libman has done it all. The 62-year-old resident reflected last week on the time she's spent in Naperville—a 30-year road she said had lots of curves and U-turns she never expected. A renown city girl, Libman moved to Naperville from Chicago during her first of two marriages. She was more than eight months pregnant with her oldest child. "There was no civilization," she said, of Naperville at that time. "I knew no one. … There was nothing to do, nothing to see, no one to know." Libman eventually made neighborhood friends who she both raised her kids with and started Congregation Beth Shalom. Libman's family was among the original five matriarchs of the local synagogue. "It …

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Witnesses to History: End of the Space Shuttle

As NASA counts down to the final launches, three area residents - two from Naperville - play a role in documenting history through "The Last Shuttle" project.

Jeffrey Ross grew up in the shadow of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. His father worked for NASA, and he was fascinated by space and the space program. But Ross was no rocket scientist. For years his fascination was just that, and he never imagined he would have the opportunity to work at NASA. As freelance photographer in Naperville, Ross made a connection that would send his spirit soaring and give him the opportunity of a lifetime. Ross is a member of The Last Shuttle team, a group of 12 people working to document the end of the Space Shuttle Program. The team has unprecedented access to document the end of the shuttle era and the last few remaining launches. "This is something I have to do," Ross said. "I grew up right next to …

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Mary Ann Lopez

9:53 am on Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Thank you Russ. I hope that we continue to explore and expand our technology.   more ›