For some, Chicago State a flawed but final shot at a degree

CHICAGO (AP) — Most of the more than 4,000 students at Chicago State University on the city's south side are black, have low incomes and, like their school, face often uncertain paths toward better futures.

A $600 million stopgap spending measure for Illinois public universities that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed last week helped put the campus on firmer financial ground, but even the $20 million for Chicago State wasn't enough to keep the school from laying off more than 300 employees, about a third of its workforce.

The list of the questions facing the school on Chicago's South Side has grown since last summer, when the state stopped providing money to its nine public universities due to the budget stalemate.

The school at one point talked about possible closure, declared a form of academic bankruptcy and sent layoff notices to all of its employees before it cut the 300 jobs on Friday.

Bionaz is among the many people on campus who roll their eyes about some of the campus' low-slung, tan buildings, many based on geometric shapes that can yield odd floor plans.

While Bionaz is a regular critic of school administration, he says measures like low graduation rates miss the point.