Finance Board closes meeting to public but denies wrong doing
The University of Colorado Student Union Finance Board did not follow Colorado state Sunshine Laws by keeping the public out of a budget hearing on Feb. 10.
The Sunshine Laws were created to ensure citizens have access to all forms of public policymaking.
Board members were called on the possible violation at Thursday night’s meeting by fellow student legislators. The Board meeting in February, in addition to Thursday’s meetings, was held to discuss the budgets of CU cost centers.
Ryan Keane, former Finance Board chairman and UCSU chief of staff, said board members were within their rights to close the meeting.
“We felt that it was considered an executive session,” Keane said.
However, the meeting may not have followed the guidelines for executive sessions required by Colorado state law. The 1973 Colorado Sunshine Laws states: “An executive session is permitted only during a regular or special meeting and must follow this formula: Topic for executive session, with as much specificity as can be provided without compromising the reason for the executive session, must be announced to the public. A vote to go into executive session must then be taken. A state public body can go into an executive session only after two-thirds of the entire body vote in favor.”
According to the Colorado Sunshine Laws, a state entity is defined as: “Any board, commission, or other advisory decision-making body of the state; state college or university board; the General Assembly; or any entity that has been delegated the governmental decision-making function.”
James Rachlin, Finance Board co-chairman and senior political science major, said the Finance Board did not vote to go into executive session.
“Essentially, there was a talk of having an executive session, which would basically close (the meeting) off,” Rachlin said. “We talked about it, but it wasn’t officially voted on.”
According to the official UCSU minutes for the Feb. 10 meeting, considerable discussion took place regarding the respective budgets of the UCSU cost centers.
“Executive session is something that is used when you want to discuss something in private and have the board discuss amongst the board,” Rachlin said. “Discussing other cost centers’ budgets with a lot of other people there, that’s something that should be to the courtesy of every cost center. It’s private.”
Jon Tsuda, director of the Student Organizations Finance Office, said the board didn’t follow the Sunshine Law because members did not initially think they were subject to it.
“Finance board didn’t hold the executive session accurately,” Tsuda said, admitting an error had been made.
Program Council director Stacey Hammond was denied access to this meeting. During earlier budget hearings, Hammond asked about the time and place of the Feb. 10 executive session and was told she would not be allowed to attend, Hammond said.
“I was discouraged by people from going,” Hammond said. “And I was told that I wasn’t allowed to go by people in Legislative Council specifically, and the Finance Board chair. I was told that it wouldn’t be in my best interest, and it wasn’t allowed.”
During Thursday’s meeting, Veronica Lingo, a senator from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, voiced concerns over the actions of Finance Board.
“It was a rigged game from the start, and it always has been,” Lingo said. “The members that were sitting on Finance Board and the members that appointed the members on Finance Board were already sympathetic to the mind-frame that we need to cut everything.”
However, Keane feels that no wrong-doing took place.
“I am confident that all policy was followed,” he said.
The Colorado Sunshine Laws also explain that a vote to make a meeting an executive session must be voted on during the scheduled meeting; this decision cannot be made beforehand.
Contact Campus Press staff writers Vanna Livaditis at vanna.livaditis@thecampuspress.com and Brandon Springer at Brandon.springer@thecampuspress.com.
