W E D N E S D A Y
October 21, 2020 Vol. 40, No. 12 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Virginia Cassin A monumental passing
Sample ballot, page 32
Ken Trainor, page 26
Dominican’s Carroll on the imperfect timing to retire ‘A gift’ to leave with university thriving By MARA MAXHAM Staff Reporter
Patient, passionate voters
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
More than 150 early voters lined up outside Oak Park Village Hall Monday for the first day of early voting .The line stretched along Madison Street and then down Lombard Avenue. Stacey Sheridan reports on page 10.
OP police to get mental health services Goal is to promote a “culture of wellness” in the department By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
The Oak Park Village Board voted to enter a $20,000 agreement to provide one-on-one mental health sessions for every sworn Oak Park police officer. During the board’s Oct. 19 meeting, Police Chief LaDon Reynolds said the department was “trying to establish a culture of wellness, not only physical but mental wellness.”
The police department has a force of 106 officers but an authorized strength of 121 officers, according to the request for proposal. Clinicians within the chosen provider, First Responders Wellness Center (FRWC), are former fire and police first responders. “There’s also evidence that officers are more likely or more inclined to open up to someone who understands the profession,” Reynolds told the board. The one-year agreement began Oct. 20, the day after the board meeting. The village has the option to renew the agreement for two additional one-year terms. Licensed See MENTAL HEALTH on page 12
Early on in her 27-year tenure as president of Dominican University, which was still Rosary College when she started, Donna Carroll made an important change. She took down a wall within her office that blocked vision to the hallway outside the office, and she moved her desk so when sitting at it, she could see who was passing by. “I wanted to see students walking past. I wanted to see who was dating whom,” Carroll said with a laugh. But the significance of the minor remodel can’t be underscored enough. The new president wanted to be part of the community, to do far more than sit alone in an office making decisions. Over the years, she said, she’s had an open-door policy, inviting students, staff and faculty to stop by. She gives parents of first-year students her personal cellphone number. Pre-COVID, she attended sports contests and arts performances. She was never content to “just” be the leader of a growing and lauded school. She became an involved member of the Dominican University community. Her accomplishments speak for themselves. During her 27 years at the university, tremendous growth occurred, with full-time faculty doubling, new schools and programs established, operating budget increasing four-fold, and campaigns raising over $165M in new assets. Among other accolades, she was named as one of the 20 Chicago “Women to Watch” by Crain’s Chicago Business and “100 Women of Influence” by Today’s Chicago Women. She has doctoral degrees in higher education administration and counseling psychology. She saw the institution through the transition See CARROLL on page 18
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