Hocking College may be facing a showdown with its professional staff union about the destruction of public records related to a search for a new president.
The college is wrapping up a presidential search, and brought three candidates to campus for open forums. Faculty, staff and students were invited to turn in evaluation forms of the candidates after each visit. But when the union president requested copies of those evaluations, she was told the forms for one candidate had been destroyed by Alan Geiger, a Hocking board member who previously served as secretary to the Ohio University Board of Trustees and assistant to the president.
She is still looking into possible action against the college over the destruction of public records.
If there's any action to take
I will take it said Cheryl Mansky, president of the Hocking College Education Association.
Mansky said the secretary to Hocking's Board of Trustees told her a trustee leading the search committee had gotten rid of the records.
I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked Mansky said. That's the last thing I expected.
Hocking spokeswoman Judy Sinnott acknowledged that Geiger destroyed the records after he summarized them for the college's board.
Geiger, who retired from OU in 2007 after 40 years with the school, did not return phone calls for comment.
But Mansky said she found Geiger's actions suspicious because the candidate whose evaluations are gone seems to be the faculty and staff favorite.
Geiger discarded the records after he summarized them and had no further use for them, Sinnott said.
Mansky received all three summaries yesterday as part of a separate public records request.
Following a dispute with administrators over access to those records, Mansky, who has headed the predominantly faculty union for nine years, was also notified that there would be no opportunity for her to make a presentation at today's board meeting, when trustees could make a choice for president.
She said her union is entitled by contract to time before the board if members request it. Mansky made a formal request at the end of last week and received confirmation yesterday morning that the union is on the board agenda.
Obviously the union was planning on presenting the results of its evaluation (of the candidates) to the board before they voted
Mansky said.
Current President John Light remains under investigation by the Ohio attorney general, the state auditor, the Ohio Ethics Commission and the FBI for possible fraud and theft. He is accused of using college funds for trips abroad for himself, his wife and the Hocking board members.
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Emily Grannis
