Want to go to the University of Illinois? All it seems to take is the right kind of letter of recommendation:

The Chicago Tribune has prompted an outcry in Illinois with a series of articles reporting that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign bowed to political pressure in admitting several unqualified students. … Most notably, the university admitted a relative of Antoin (Tony) Rezko, the now-convicted influence peddler tied to the scandal-tarnished former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who had recommended the student. The relative was accepted even though admissions officials had determined that his academic credentials were “pretty low” and had written that they planned to deny him admission, according to the Tribune.