FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2006

The Student Environmental Action Coalition is continuing its push to stop Jay D. Bergman's reappointment to the Board of Trustees at Illinois State University. Members of the Student Environmental Action Coalition have called members of the Illinois State Senate Committee on Executive Appointment urging them to reject Governor Blagojevich's reappointment of Jay D. Bergman to ISU's Board. The next committee meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on March 9, but it is not clear whether or not they will vote on Bergman's appointment.

"When SEAC learned that the committee was meeting on Thursday, we rushed to send out information to Committee members and to Senator Bill Brady, who represents ISU's district," said SEAC member Amy Butterworth.

The members of the Committee on Executive Appointments are: Co-Chair Adeline Jay Geo-Karis (R-31), Co-Chair Rickey R. Hendon (D-5), Vice-Chair James A. DeLeo (D-10), Mike Jacobs (D-36), George P. Shadid (D-46), Louis S. Viverito (D-11), Kirk W. Dillard (R-24), David Luechtefeld (R-58), and Edward Petka (R-42).

Jay D. Bergman is owner and CEO of Petco Petroleum, which is responsible for numerous crude oil and salt-water spills in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. Most recently, the Illinois Pollution Control Board fined Petco Petroleum $135,000 for spills that occurred in Fayette County.

SEAC organized a petition drive asking Blagojevich to not reappoint Bergman to the ISU Board, eventually delivering over 1,100 signatures to the governor's office. In response to the petition drive, Bergman condemned SEAC as "radicals", telling the Pantagraph that "they make Jane Fonda look like Ronald Reagan." Bergman's action furthered angered many members of the ISU community who found his disparaging personal remarks against students whose best interests he is supposed to be looking after to be completely unacceptable.

"Governor Blagojevich chose to ignore ISU's mission and core values when he reappointed Jay Bergman. I hope the Illinois Senate will do what's right by ISU and the people of Illinois," Butterworth said.

To view the online petition, case documents and news articles please visit us the SEAC website at: http://www.isuseac.org.

Contact:
Amy Butterworth, 309-454-9229

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