April 7 marked the commencement of a new era for the College of DuPage (COD). In the wake of mounting corruption allegations, three new representatives promising reform on their “Clean Slate” platform were elected to COD’s Board of Trustees. Katherine Hamilton—a dissenter of the previous leadership—will chair the new board.

“[The board] will cooperate fully with law enforcement investigations,” Hamilton said. “Our job is to turn COD around.”

Following the introduction of COD president Robert Breuder’s $762,868 buyout to the public, questions regarding COD’s spending in other departments have surfaced. In response, federal prosecutors subpoenaed administrative expenses, contracts with the college’s fundraising foundation and credits awarded to police recruits from the law enforcement academy. COD later released the subpoenas to the public after the Chicago Tribune issued a Freedom of Information Act request.

“Tonight, they gave us a clear mandate to clean up the College of DuPage,” Clean Slate candidates Deanne Mazzochi, Frank Napolitano and Charles Bernstein said in a joint statement at the election. “To put an end to the attitude that has persisted there that taxpayers don’t count, and insiders rule. To finally stop the waste, fraud and abuse. To end business as usual and to truly put taxpayers, students and faculty ahead of the insider interests that have dominated this board and this school for too long.”

Recently, suspicion has surfaced over the alleged usage of COD Scholarship Fund endowments at the campus’s Waterleaf restaurant. A total of $352,000 of COD funds were allegedly spent there by administrators on food and alcohol since 2011, comprising one in every $9 of the restaurant’s revenue, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis.

“What I learn in the classroom is not being affected by the misappropriation of funds,” Jakub Dziza ‘14 said. “It is more so that students and staff alike are fed up by costs that have risen due to the fact Mr. Breuder has decided to run COD as a business and not an establishment for furthering one’s education.”

According to the Clean State Board, their first priority will be to curtail the lump sum previously promised to Brueder upon his retirement. In addition, they plan to encourage an abbreviated period of administrative leave in hopes Breuder will be gone before his scheduled March 2016 departure.

Under the new administration, the board has halted a $20 million payment on a construction grant and exposed $100 million in hidden spending transactions.

“COD is still a great school,” Dziza said. “I’m glad I made the choice to start my post high school education here. The class sizes are awesome, I have access to my teachers 24/7 and it has a positive and productive atmosphere around it. You can see the people here are really purpose driven.”