For most people, doing the right thing comes naturally. But at Ohio University, honesty comes naturally only when an attorney gets involved.
In February, The Post requested faculty evaluations of the college deans. The university did not immediately release the surveys after they were completed in March, arguing that the documents might not constitute a complete record because the final step of the evaluation, a report by the provost that takes into account the dean's self-evaluation, had not been finished and would not be finished until late May.
Believing this act to be in violation of open records laws, The Post sought legal counsel. Upon receiving a letter from an attorney representing The Post, the university reconsidered and has pledged to release the evaluations tomorrow.
There is no reason that these documents should have been withheld from The Post, a fact the Office of Legal Affairs likely knew when it denied the request. The documents were created and were being held by a public institution, and OU's excuse for withholding them is flimsy at best. That all parts of the evaluations were not complete is irrelevant ' it's not likely that media coverage will change the outcome of the evaluations.
It is unfortunate that legal counsel had to be brought in before these records would be released. It is also very telling that the university legal department changed its mind so readily once an outside attorney was contacted. The most reasonable explanation is that the university knew that the documents were public and refused to disclose them despite that fact.
OU's actions also speak to the loyalty of the employees at the university legal department. Loyalty in itself is not a problem ' OU employees should be loyal to the university. But that loyalty should not supersede their loyalty to the law and to the public.
OU's decision to delay the release of these evaluations violated state law and put the wishes of the administration before the good of the students. It would be nice to believe that honesty doesn't need to be legislated, but as history shows time and time again, public figures can't always be trusted. Public records laws are necessary to keep the government accountable to the people it is supposed to serve.
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17 Archives
OU should release public records without needing a lawyerG
