EAST ST. LOUIS - Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard called allegations of political clout being involved with acceptance at the University of Illinois an "unfortunate incident" but said it shouldn't diminish public perception of Illinois' higher education system.

Gov. Pat Quinn has formed a commission to investigate allegations raised by The Chicago Tribune that a number of subpar applicants were admitted to the university after involvement by politicians and university trustees. About 800 students had landed on this "clout list" in the past five years, the Tribune reported.

"I don't think it creates a problem for higher education as a whole," Poshard said, speaking after an SIU Board of Trustees meeting. "These are very difficult situations for universities."

Poshard explained that SIU's policy when it receives an inquiry from a legitimate outside source is to tell the person that officials cannot make recommendations for acceptance but they can ascertain a status report of the student's application process. If the student is not accepted, they will be invited to speak with university counselors about how to have better chances on a second attempt, he said.

"That's been our policy forever, and that's the way we'll carry it forward," Poshard said, noting issues like this would primarily relate to SIU's professional degree programs including the medical school and law school, rather than undergraduate studies.