On February 4, 2017, the Chicago Tribune revealed that Chicago State spent over $370,000 in tax money on planning activities for a second campus in the West Side of Chicago, including a feasibility study, purchasing property in Homan Square, and hiring an architect.[31] The New York Times reported four days later that Chicago State was considering adding a non-scholarship football team and marching band in order to attract more students from the Chicago public schools.[2] Then in March 2017, Chicago State settled a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former school attorney James Crowley for $4.3 million.