The basic tenets of a responsible modern government include open operations that both result in, and are facilitated by, a well-informed public. Under the direction of Student Association President George Pape, SA has decided to take a different and unacceptable route. By instituting a new policy that will clog the lines of communication between his administration and campus publications, he will limit the amount of information available to the student body.
The new policy, requiring all questions and answers between SA and The Spectrum to be done in writing, is an unnecessary drain on both the time and resources of both the media and the government. Interviews that should take a short amount of time have taken days, despite SA's insistence that answers will be given in a timely manner.
This decision not only slows the flow of information to both the media as well as the public, but it also cripples the principle of on-the-spot journalism. By doing this, SA is hindering its ability truthfully to express itself. There is no reason for SA to hide behind computers, carefully fleshing out a response when all its members need to do is take a few minutes and truthfully tell the people what is going on within the walls of 350 Student Union. SA should not have anything to hide, especially if they are truly working for the students.
Perhaps more troubling than the policy itself is the method by which it was decided and implemented behind closed doors. According to the New York Open Meetings Law, all public bodies are required to give advance notice of any meetings where public business is involved to both the public and the media. If a meeting is scheduled at least a week in advance, the organization must give the public and the news media at least 72 hours notice prior to the meeting. SA is no exception to this law.
SA failed to hold a public meeting to discuss these policy changes and finalized the matter behind closed doors. By doing this, Pape is damaging SA's reputation by breaking state law and promoting a closed government.
Another question raised by the new policy is its selective application for on-campus student publications. Despite claims by Pape that the policy is in effect for all of UB's campus periodicals, neither Generation nor The Reporter have received any notifications of a new policy as of press time Tuesday. It appears that the move is a calculated effort on Pape's part to harm The Spectrum's efforts at being an impartial check on the government. Pape may not like what The Spectrum has to say about SA, but he should not be able to limit and control the flow and content of news about SA to the students.
Pape's new policy not only hurts students, but also SA itself - the slower flow of information of government dealings will shine poorly on its efforts to disseminate information to the students. Due to the fluid nature of journalism, immediate answers are necessary for both political and journalistic reasons as well as simply to publicize upcoming events and meetings the readers may take interest in.
The students deserve to get answers as quickly as possible, no matter how good or bad the answers may be. SA should not promote a privatized government, because, as Thomas Jefferson so elegantly put it, "without a well-informed public, our liberty itself is in peril."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
