2008 Woodie Awards
Speeches on Main Hall Green
Mark Johnson: "Transparency at Lawrence" Delivered May 22
Issue date: 5/26/06 Section: Opinions & Editorials
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Right now we are not allowed to view the faculty and trustee handbooks, bylaws, minutes from their meetings or voting records. Right now we are not allowed to see how the trustees are spending the endowment or their conflict of interest statements, among other things.
Last term, student concerns about transparency led to the trustees committing to hold more Trustee Committee on Student Affairs meetings and to release their committee structure and membership lists.
Only until the editorial "Transparency at Lawrence" came out in The Lawrentian last week did they seem to make a strong effort to follow up on these promises. This makes me feel like increased transparency will only come with ongoing pressure from students.
When former LUCC president Pete Snyder asked some of the trustees when they were going to make their actions more transparent, they just asked him why he wanted to know. Many students show interest in the release of information about the trustees and they respond by putting us on the defensive. "Why do you want to know?"
Well, here's an answer for them: If releasing documents is just a matter of linking them to a website, the only reason the trustees should need is the existence of one interested and concerned person.
If there is just one LUCC representative who feels like he would be able to do a better job if he knew how faculty meetings operated and could look at their minutes, that information should be available. If there is just one Lawrence student who wants to see how the faculty has voted on issues she cares about, she should not be left in the dark.
If there is just one donating Lawrence alum who is interested in seeing trustee conflict of interest documents because apparently the chairman of the construction company that received no-bid contracts amounting to $88 million over the past 10 years and seems likely to receive another $30 million for the new student center was a voting member of the Trustee Finance Committee, this information should be available.
Last term, student concerns about transparency led to the trustees committing to hold more Trustee Committee on Student Affairs meetings and to release their committee structure and membership lists.
Only until the editorial "Transparency at Lawrence" came out in The Lawrentian last week did they seem to make a strong effort to follow up on these promises. This makes me feel like increased transparency will only come with ongoing pressure from students.
When former LUCC president Pete Snyder asked some of the trustees when they were going to make their actions more transparent, they just asked him why he wanted to know. Many students show interest in the release of information about the trustees and they respond by putting us on the defensive. "Why do you want to know?"
Well, here's an answer for them: If releasing documents is just a matter of linking them to a website, the only reason the trustees should need is the existence of one interested and concerned person.
If there is just one LUCC representative who feels like he would be able to do a better job if he knew how faculty meetings operated and could look at their minutes, that information should be available. If there is just one Lawrence student who wants to see how the faculty has voted on issues she cares about, she should not be left in the dark.
If there is just one donating Lawrence alum who is interested in seeing trustee conflict of interest documents because apparently the chairman of the construction company that received no-bid contracts amounting to $88 million over the past 10 years and seems likely to receive another $30 million for the new student center was a voting member of the Trustee Finance Committee, this information should be available.
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