Miami Student

Issue date: 4/18/06 Section: Editorials

Media Credit: Eric Frey

With recent revelations by a Youngstown lawyer about the process behind the decision on the Western College Program (WCP) future, the student body should consider whether the university administration is being completely honest with them. The lawyer, Timothy Matune, requested documents from the university related to the decision making process for the WCP's future under the Ohio Public Records Act. This act provides for disclosure of all public records from state agencies, including universities.

The results of Matune's investigation demonstrate the importance of seeking access to information that, by law, is accessible to citizens. This law, in addition to the Federal Freedom of Information Act, is a critical tool by which citizens can monitor governmental action. When these laws are utilized by citizens or other governmental watch organizations, the threat of exposure is often enough to keep officials honest.

Newspapers in particular are important institutions that should utilize these laws and report on the actions of government. The press is considered the fourth branch of government, the watchdog that investigates the shenanigans of officials and ensures that violations of the law are punished.

While some may criticize the new findings as a distraction from the real issues at hand, namely the future of WCP, it is important to keep in mind that the documents cited by Matune are more than 1,500 pages. He likely picked the most relevant documents that proved his point and left out others. It is clear from what Matune did release, though, that the process of determining WCP's future has not been as open as the administration has presented it to be. Matune cites the fact that in Provost Herbst's e-mails to Carolyn Haynes, Herbst refers to promoting Haynes to the position of dean of the Western Honors College as if it were an inevitable event. This brings into question Miami's supposed commitment to listening to the university community when coming to a final decision on WCP.

In the end, these events are all in the past. How and why the process went forward the way it did is irrelevant at this point. A decision on WCP's future will be made and students and faculty must decide where to go from here. If the community has valuable input on how to change WCP, that is what should be focused upon rather than the process. The university has a responsibility to tell faculty and students whether community input will be taken seriously or if the claims of openness are just that - claims.

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