Sunshine Laws: Not Just For the Press
In yet another blatant disregard of Florida's Sunshine Laws, top Boca senate officials have been erasing each week's minutes after they are transcribed to paper. Boca Senate Speaker Peter Torres' response to this: "We don't have the recording because after it's transcribed there isn't enough space to hold it all."
With a budget of $6.5 million someone might think that a CD could be purchased to hold the audio recordings, or they could be transferred to a computer. But no, instead SG officials simply erase the records.
Another SG official said he wasn't responsible for keeping the recordings so it's not his fault. But doesn't each member of the senate bear some responsibility for the actions of its leaders? If no one speaks up, are they not just as guilty of allowing the abuses to continue?
Contrary to popular belief Florida's Sunshine Laws were not created for the press. They were created for the public, because the public has a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent. And in the case of Student Government, the students have a right to know how their A&S fees are being spent. In order to create an atmosphere of trust all documents should be readily available for the public, especially such documents as minutes. But they're not. Many cities post these documents online, but no one will ever find updated minutes and agendas on SG's Web site.
With a budget of $6.5 million someone might think that a CD could be purchased to hold the audio recordings, or they could be transferred to a computer. But no, instead SG officials simply erase the records.
Another SG official said he wasn't responsible for keeping the recordings so it's not his fault. But doesn't each member of the senate bear some responsibility for the actions of its leaders? If no one speaks up, are they not just as guilty of allowing the abuses to continue?
Contrary to popular belief Florida's Sunshine Laws were not created for the press. They were created for the public, because the public has a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent. And in the case of Student Government, the students have a right to know how their A&S fees are being spent. In order to create an atmosphere of trust all documents should be readily available for the public, especially such documents as minutes. But they're not. Many cities post these documents online, but no one will ever find updated minutes and agendas on SG's Web site.
posted by J.P. at
11:13 PM
14 Comments:
I'd like to see how the $64,000 was spent on the Keys To Success seminar. If someone has the link to that budget, I'd like to see it.
K2SS expenses
$6,500 for motivational speaker (Mr. Nelson)
$13,608 for food
$20,057 for promotional items and giveaways
$650 for etiquette class
$3,000 for busses from partner campuses
$770 to rent palm trees
Additional money was spent to pay the University Center and there are some other expenses besides these.
busses should read bus transportation
Thank you.
Just as ridiculous as I had imagined.
Thankfully, Hallenstein cleared up the backstory behind it in another UP blog, so I don't hold all of SG accountable for this gross misuse of funds.
$770 to rent palm trees ... did someone forget where we live? Theres fucken palm trees everywhere.
Student Government Senate pays a secretary to sit through the meetings and take minutes of the meeting. These minutes are then approved at the next meeting, and should be available for any student to see. They should publish these to their crappy website. But if they are not keeping minutes, then the speaker should be impeached, and the secretary should be removed.
But they weren't the RIGHT KIND of palm trees needed.
Technically Jason is right.
Since the recordings are made, they are public property and record. Once they are deleted, it is the same as destroying public property...
Just something to think about.
How hard would it be to have enough cassette tapes for the entire year?
50 C-90 cassette tapes with each meeting date written on the label.
If we move forward with the cassette tape idea, I would like to posit that the recordings be put on 8-tracks as well.
Just to cover all of our bases.
Youre missing the point...Student government ALREADY uses cassette tapes...the key here is keeping the tapes instead of erasing over them, and trusting the "diversity" group to keep an accurate record of their own history.
I thought the typed minutes were the recordings. From what I understand the Sunshine Laws say that records have to be kept of what occurs at meetings. That doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be the recordings themselves.
He had a wife buddy!
Then she turned 21 and he kicked her ass out to the curb.
Shows what you know.
What's a "college news paper bulbs"?
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home