States have open-records laws for a good reason — to keep officials from doing things that might be unpopular with the public. The trouble is that those officials can find plenty of excuses for failing to comply with requests for information.
In today’s Martin Center article, Graham Hillard recounts the frustrating efforts the Center has had in trying to find out about a “diversity” committee at Appalachian State University.
Our interest stemmed from an article on Inside Higher Ed, stating that App State had formed a diversity working group that would evaluate the school’s use of “diversity statements.” We wanted to find out what it was doing, but as Hillard explains, that quest was frustrating.
He writes,
First, the Martin Center scoured the university’s labyrinthine website for any mention of the working group’s existence. No dice. Next, we submitted, via online form, an official media request with three questions: Did such a group exist, who were its members, and what was its specific remit? Silence. Following that, we emailed Dr. Jamie Parson, who had recently been named App State’s chief diversity officer, a cabinet-level position. No response. Finally, following existing law, we created a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in which we asked for “any work product from the 2022 ‘DEI in Faculty Hiring Working Group’.”
For months, the Center kept trying to find out if the university has a diversity committee and what it’s up to. Stymied at every turn.
Now, this might all become moot if, as we hope, the UNC Board of Governors issues a policy against the use of diversity statements, but nevertheless, university bureaucrats shouldn’t be able to play games when they receive valid information requests.
Hillard concludes, “App State’s refusal to share what its DEI committee is doing violates the spirit of the state’s public-records laws and prevents legitimate public oversight. All involved should be ashamed of themselves.”