Open Meetings Policy
February 2, 2007

Request that the University institute a policy whereby, for all university standing committees, and for all college level meetings and committees where decisions are made, unless confidentiality attaches to those deliberations, that minimal requirements similar to the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act be followed,
These requirements would be:
1) Notice: that scheduled times and locations of meetings be made available to faculty,
2) Agenda: that an agenda for the meeting be made available at least 2 working days in advance, and that no decision be made on any item not on the agenda,
3) Minutes: that minutes of meetings, with the recorded votes of decisions made, be made available to faculty within a reasonable time.
"Available" would likely mean posting the information on the nsuok website
Rationale:
Adhesion to this policy would assure perspicuity, or transparency, of University actions.
I have heard (through reliable hearsay) recently of three separate examples where this policy may have provided important information to faculty.
It is alleged that:
a) Last fall, CEPC considered, and passed, a curriculum change, which did not come from an academic unit, which would increase the course "College Strategies" from one to two credits. The time/ contact requirement for this additional credit hour would be created through a weekend experience at or before the beginning of classes. Some of the "instructors" for this class do not have the educational qualification for an instructor as defined in 3.32 of the faculty handbook.
b) Last fall, a college curriculum committee, after having met, considered a proposed change not coming from an academic department. This "meeting" was held through e-mail vote, and no minutes of this "meeting" were distributed to the committee members.