The top news stories of 2019: the year of scandal and change at Elmhurst College
2019 was the year of scandal and change at Elmhurst College. From lawsuits to historic name changes, here are The Leader’s top stories of the year that illustrate major changes and scandal on campus so far.
1. Leader lawsuit (March 8)
Music business professor Tim Hays filed a lawsuit in DuPage County against The Leader and Elmhurst College, alleging false accusations regarding a reported Title IX investigation regarding a controversial seating chart.
2. Higher Learning Commission Accreditation (March 12)
Elmhurst College received “a clean bill of health” for its accreditation and met all five of the organization’s criteria such as for mission and responsible conduct, as well as the Federal Compliance requirements.
3. First female athletic director (April 15)
Wendy McManus is announced as the first female athletic director in Elmhurst College athletics history.
4. April Edwards resigns (May 24)
April Edwards, vice president of Academic Affairs for only two years, abruptly resigned to take a teaching position at the U.S. Naval Academy. Connie Mixon was appointed as interim vice president of Academic Affairs.
5. Board of Trustees vote to change Elmhurst College’s name (June 15)
After 95 years as Elmhurst College, EC will have a new name as Elmhurst University by June 30, 2020.
6. Walter Street (July 1)
Elmhurst College purchased Walter Street, the street between Mill Theatre and the Alexander parking lot—a move that would create almost 150 new parking spaces.
7. New Majors Started in the Fall (August 26)
Elmhurst College faculty voted on the approval of several new majors and minors, including a digital media initiative and environmental studies program that was implemented into the curriculum starting in the fall.
8. Hate Incidents (October 21-29)
A series of incidents of hate speech and threatening messages occurred on campus. As of November 17, they are still under investigation, involving the FBI and the Elmhurst Police Department.
