Transparency comes into question

The Plymouth State University (PSU) Student Government reached out to Keene State’s student government to set up a meeting to “compare how each organization runs and issues that may be occurring,” according to the student government minutes from Oct. 10.

In an interview with the Student Body President of PSU, senior Devonte Gilmore, he said he reached out to the KSC Student Government to touch base with how they operate and how they differ from each other.

This meeting came to fruition after The Clock, the student-run media organization of PSU, brought up issues they had with how the student government of PSU conducts its meetings.

One issue members of The Clock have had is the PSU Student Government’s plans to limit recording during student government meetings, according to senior Jacob Downey, the editor and chief of The Clock.

Downey said this move limits transparency between the student government and the student body of PSU as they would have to rely solely on minutes or notes rather than a recording.

“It’s been very stressful. It’s made doing our job very difficult,” Downey said.

Regarding the issue, Gilmore said RSA91-A, New Hampshire access to governmental records and meetings statute, does not apply to the PSU student government per the guidance of the University System of New Hampshire legal team.

Gilmore added that since it does not apply to student government, the issue around recording falls under the usual New Hampshire recording laws, which state that a person recording needs all parties to consent to recording.

Downey said he protested this move by arguing that since they are elected officials, they forfeit a reasonable right to privacy.

“It doesn’t make sense that you say that you are both of those things then hold yourself to a different standing,” he said.

Even if RSA-91-A does not apply to student government, the members should still be held to the standards of it, Downey said.

“It’s difficult to show students who is doing good work when it is all self-reported,” he said. Previously, the student government of PSU would go into non-public sessions, which would not allow outside members and conflicts of interest to be in the room.

According to Gilmore, they went into these sessions when deliberating and voting on matters surrounding student activity fee dollars and when approving new clubs and student organizations.

Originally, the idea was that, “The meetings were closed out of respect for the club members making the proposal,” senior and Speaker of the PSU Student Government William Loughlin said.

He explained this has been largely passed down by word of mouth from the previous members to the next and has not been questioned.

As of Oct. 9, an amendment was passed, spearheaded by Loughlin, that would allow members of the public to be in the room during these deliberations unless the matter is deemed “sensitive.”

Matters that would determine if a session was nonpublic include internal issues, like filling a seat or impeachment, but also expands to issues deemed too personal, he said.

Entering a nonpublic session is determined by the members of the student government. Loughlin explained that if he wanted to keep the meeting open, a member could object and have the issue be voted on.

“I think ultimately we addressed the concerns that were brought up … I’m hoping it doesn’t lead to a more long-term, ‘We have to keep coming back to this,’ in our meetings,” Loughlin said.

According to an editorial written by the members of The Clock on Sept. 29, before the amendment was passed, members were concerned the student government violated RSA-91-A by removing members of the public from these meetings.

Since the resolution has passed, Downey said that he has not seen the resolution reflected in the bylaws.

According to the current PSU Student Government bylaws posted on its website, it has not been updated since Sept. 12, 2022. Student government at Keene State, however, has always been open to the public, according to junior Zachary Christie, university system student board representative, in his three years serving on student government, they have never entered a nonpublic session.

“It’s open to all of campus … we also have a forum where any student can raise an issue,” Christie said.

Similarly, President Treadwell noted that when she served on the KSC Senate during her time as faculty and Dean, she had never attended a meeting that had gone into a nonpublic session. She also noted she has not heard of it ever happening here. She compared student assembly to the Senate in the respect that anyone can sit down and attend the meetings.

Treadwell explained there are very specific situations when you can enter a nonpublic session: personnel matters, labor relations and matters that are being discussed that “could have significant strategic benefit for the enterprise.”

“So here at Keene State, I would need a clear justification of why any of our major governance bodies, whether it’s the Senate, student government and assembly would need to go into an executive nonpublic where guests would be removed and I would have to understand why.”

Tim Bruns can be contacted at
tbruns@kscequinox.com