The funding crisis in Forgotonia was not simply about transportation and taxes. Gamm frequently referenced the lack of funding Western Illinois University received, a major hindrance to an institution which could have brought people to western Illinois. As was reported in the Canton Daily Ledger Gamm said, “Western Illinois is granted ‘substantially less’ state and federal assistance per student than any other public institution of higher education in the state.”[1] This complaint was entirely in line with how western Illinois was treated as a region, and demonstrated the overall attitude policymakers had towards it. Rather than supporting a public university which could have helped to bring young people, accomplished academics, and general economic development, it was not deemed important enough to allocate funds to.
This also made it impossible for a medical school to develop, which stunted medical care as an industry in western Illinois. The absence of a medical school deprived the region of training for nurses and doctors, and Western Illinois University’s lack of funding and non-esteemed status in higher education, paired with the general region’s lack of development, made it so it was not a particularly desirable school to attend. It is not as though nobody accomplished or intelligent attended or taught there, but it was not a climate which encouraged others to come from outside the area. The lack of infrastructure also meant that there was no publicly accessible educational television, an advantageous tool for educating young children.
This ignoring of the school is why Neal Gamm proudly renamed Western Illinois University to Forgotonia University (FU). To show off this new name, Gamm made spirit wear (pictured to the right) that read “F.U.,” a not-so-subtle humorous message Gamm was sending to the state and federal governments.
Overall, from the bottom to the top, the education system was flawed and underfunded. Given the fact that Democrats and Republicans alike agree that education is formative and worth devoting state and federal resources to, it is unsurprising that Gamm, a Western Illinois student himself, and others around the area took such issue with the lack of attention that was being paid to that all-important institution.
[1] Canton Daily Ledger, September 11, 1973, Western Illinois University Archive, “Neal Gamm Collection.”