[Vision2020] Lewiston Tribune: It's back to the shadows for the UI

[Rosemary Huskey]

Amen and amen.  I made three public records requests recently.  Actually, it
was only one but it was modified three times to try to meet the parameters
that would pare the cost down to a reasonable level.  I wanted to know the
names of the fraternities and sororities who had been charged with alcohol
violations. I was not interested in the names of the miscreants.  I just
wanted to look at the pattern of offenses and the UI or national chapter
headquarters response to them.  Well, that's not going to happen.  The
response to my first request was this:

 

"Your request meets at least one of the criteria discussed above, will have
costs associated with it, and we will require advance payment of the costs
as described above. 

Below is the estimate provided by the Greek Advisor, whose hourly rate is
$29.95, of the amount of time and cost associated with gathering up all the
requested records:

 

 


Task

Hours

Notes


Viewing  4yrs of chapter emails individually to identify which are related
to discipline and/or investigation

13

4,521 emails (10s p/email)


Going through paper files in Director's filing cabinet

5

estimated 1,850 records (25 groups * 70 pages per group + other folders)(10s
p/page)


Going through paper files in Assistant Greek Advisor's filing cabinet

1.5

estimated 500 records (10s p/page)


Viewing potentially relevant electronic files on the Greek Advisor's hard
drive space from past 4 years

3.5

1,196 files (10s p/file)


Reading through electronic files from before the current Greek Advisor
started on previous Greek life hard drive

17

4,076 Files (15s p/file)


Going through relevant files in additional Greek filing cabinet in DOS

7

2,500 files (estimated 50 files that may contain relevant info, 50 sheets
per file)(10s p/page)


Going through DOS Archive in Library from 2005

5

unknown amount of files, estimating 2,000 potential files to sort through


TOTAL

52

 


SUBTOTAL COST (52 hrs x $29.95/hr)

$1,557.40

	

 

SUBTOTAL:                                         $1,557.40 

Minus First 2 hours free                $59.90

TOTAL                                                   $1,497.50

 

The university will not expend the time and resources necessary to locate
and acquire the requested records at the risk of taxpayer funds;
consequently, you will be required to deliver advance payment in certified
funds in the amount of $1,497.50 prior to the University commencing the
process necessary to locate and acquire those records. If the estimated
funds are insufficient to complete location and acquisition of the full
scope of requested records, you will be informed of our estimate for funds
necessary to complete the process and we will await advance payment of that
sum prior to proceeding further. )"

 

I amended my request, which was, arguably, far to global in nature (not
really) according to the Greek advisor (a worthless position funded by the
citizens of Idaho NOT members of the Greek community who would be the only
people in Idaho interested in his services)  I asked that the Student
Conduct Board records, minus any identifying personal information (except
for campus living arrangements), with offenses related to alcohol offenses
be made available.  I needed only a simple table covering seven years.
After 10 days (and a nudge) UI attorney Costa responded with this financial
estimate

 

 

"The Coordinator for Student Conduct and Community Standards estimates that
it will take 20 hours at an hourly rate of $25.74 to review the records and
identify responsive records, and an additional 2 hours at the same rate to
redact personally identifiable information from such records.

20 hours x $25.74 = $514.80

2 hours x $25.74 = $51.48

Minus first two hours free ($51.48)

Total Estimated Cost $514.80"

 

My third request led Mr. Costa to send me an internet link (which didn't
work) to a campus document that I had previously told Mr. Costa  I had
already seen and didn't  answer my questions.

 

I  gave up at that point.  Just as a side note - Mr. Costa is a Notre Dame
law school graduate who apparently missed the class in law school that dealt
with professional communication.  I was quite surprised when he responded to
my emails addressing me by my first name i.e., "Dear Rosemary."  We
certainly are not on a first name basis, but perhaps he felt that taking
that initiative gave him a privileged advantage in our communications.  It
didn't.   his responses were obstructive, rude in tone, and patronizing.
What a load of hooey. 

 

In sharp contrast, it took one short note to Moscow Police Chief and
literally an overnight response to learn at least a part of what I wanted to
know.  He didn't have access to particular houses involved in alcohol
offenses but at least he had the numbers and knew how to write a
professional response - and the internet link he included worked!

 

"Since we contract law enforcement services with the University of Idaho we
track mandatory Clery reportable offenses.  Alcohol violations are listed on
the annual reports and those at fraternities/sororities are listed in the
"NON- CAMPUS NC" section. Below is the link to our records. Click which year
you would like to review on the left side of the window and the number of
alcohol violations for fraternities/sororities is listed for you.

 

 <http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/police/campus/Pages/ui-statistics.aspx>
http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/police/campus/Pages/ui-statistics.aspx

 

LIQUOR LAW VIOLATIONS (Except Driving Under the Influence and Drunkenness)
(Crimes Against Society)

Definition: The violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture,
sale, purchase, transportation, possession, or use of alcoholic beverages.
This would include minors in possession, open container, serving alcohol
outside designated hours, providing alcohol to a minor, etc."

 

It is no wonder that the flagship institution is rapidly taking on water and
sinking into the cesspool they have created.  The captain is abandoning the
ship and storms of discontentment are swirling around.  It is hard to
imagine a happy future on the hill.

 

Rose Huskey 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Saundra Lund
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2013 11:53 PM
To: 'Vision 2020'
Subject: [Vision2020] Lewiston Tribune: It's back to the shadows for the UI

 

A friend shared the below editorial with me - I'm surprised and disappointed
there was no Daily News coverage  L

 

What on earth is wrong with the UI?!  And, that question applies to more
than just the reprehensible and anemic response highlighted in the editorial
below.

 

Since Kent Nelson was brought onboard, the UI has become incredibly
secretive, particularly with respect to public records requests.  Indeed,
I'm perfectly comfortable saying that it has added extortion to its bag of
shady tricks.

 

For those who depend on the Daily News - as I do - and don't subscribe to
the Lewiston Tribune, I found this article that provides more detail about
the Williams scandal than does the editorial:

http://media.spokesman.com/documents/2013/03/2472_001.pdf

 

 

Saundra 

 

It's back to the shadows for the UI

Posted: Friday, March 8, 2013 12:00 am 

University of Idaho administrators act much differently when the spotlight
is glaring upon them.

And the lights were blazingly hot during the summer of 2011, when former UI
psychology professor Ernesto Bustamante gunned down graduate student Katy
Benoit and subsequently took his own life in a Moscow motel room.

Chastened by criticism that its response to Benoit's appeals for help had
been inadequate, UI responded with a mixture of contrition and transparency.
Rules governing relationships between faculty and students were tightened.
Sexual harassment allegations would be aggressively pursued.

Most vital of all, the public would see for itself how well UI conducted its
affairs. In the Bustamante case, that meant UI would join news organizations
in seeking release of the late professor's personnel file.

Some of the details that emerged embarrassed UI, such as a student
evaluation that reported Bustamante tossed around the idea of killing
students while in the classroom. Nonetheless, it telegraphed the
institution's commitment to public disclosure.

Now the lights are off.

What's happened since?

With the Benoit case still in the courts during 2012, the university had
been looking into claims that law professor Alan Fitzgerald Williams
sexually harassed at least two female students.

Based upon almost a year of the Tribune's Joel Mills' reporting, Moscow
police reports and the university's own acknowledgements, we know College of
Law Associate Dean Benjamin Beard accompanied one of the students to the
police interview.

When requested by Carmen Suarez, UI director of Human Rights, Access and
Inclusion, police provided her additional security.

Williams was placed on administrative leave during the fall 2012 semester
and was about to be terminated when he committed suicide at Gig Harbor,
Wash., on Dec. 30, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

As far as UI is concerned, that is all you need to know.

Never mind the precedent of 2nd District Judge John Stegner's ruling in
opening Bustamante's files. Because Bustamante was deceased, Stegner found
he had no right to privacy. The judge then found a compelling public
interest in releasing the documents.

What's different this time? Only the university's rejection of the Lewiston
Tribune's request to see Williams' personnel file. In response to the second
request - filed after Williams' death - UI said the public interest in
releasing the file was "nonexistent."

Never mind a 1996 2nd District Court ruling declaring student evaluations of
faculty to be public documents. Says UI, the law school holds itself apart
from the rest of the university. But it is merely a graduate school, an
extension of the university, not some government entity responsible for
licensing lawyers. During the Benoit-Bustamante episode, UI President Duane
Nellis was ubiquitous, frequently granting interviews assuring a statewide
audience of his intent to remedy the situation.

Today, Nellis is nowhere to be found. He's on his way out the door to lead
Texas Tech in Lubbock. The voice of UI is lead attorney Kent Nelson.

Outside the glare of statewide publicity, the Williams case still matters.
This marks the first time the reforms devised after the Benoit-Bustamante
case were tested. How are we to know if the system worked, where it failed
and what refinements are needed if the key players insist on hiding behind
closed doors?

What secrets do UI officials want retained within Williams' files and
student evaluations?

And how genuine was this UI commitment to transparency in the first place?
In all likelihood, the courts were going to order the university to turn
over Bustamante's records. UI could resist, get out of the way or appear to
cooperate.

Under no such pressure this time, UI has retreated behind its moat of
secrecy. In the background, you can hear the faint echo of an unmistakable
phrase: "Trust us. 

 

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