The Student Government Association (SGA) of Plymouth State University (PSU) decided that it is up to the members of the PSU student government if they allow audio recordings of their meetings.
The SGA has decided to conduct “consent checks” if people are OK with being recorded.
With the New Hampshire state law recording is legal between two parties or more if all involved consent to being recorded. Essentially, if one person objects to being recorded, then no recording can take place.
The editors at The Equinox find this decision to be baffling as we see it as a blatant attack on the free press of students at Plymouth State. It is so shameful to see a lack of transparency being promoted. A student government that is not transparent is incredibly difficult to report on, making it hard for journalists to do their job properly and keep students informed.
While we recognize journalists can take notes and look at the minutes of the meetings, recording allows for the most accurate information possible.
Plymouth State’s newspaper, The Clock, is being denied its First Amendment right to free press with this decision. This leaves us worried for our fellow journalists who deserve to accurately report what they find.
According to an editorial by The Clock, the SGA’s advisor, Jessica Dutille, responded to the criticism by stating that members of the SGA are still learning and can’t be expected to be proficient early in the year. While this is a true statement, we see that it is not a great excuse to deny students the right to a transparent student government.
Those who are involved in a student government could potentially pursue jobs in their country’s government later. If the same people expect to be left alone by journalists in their professional careers, they are gravely mistaken. The SGA should want to get experience and learn from their mistakes instead of protecting their egos from being criticized by their own words. If they do not want their words to be made public, they should not state them publicly.
Not being able to record meetings will not stop journalists from reporting, but it will hinder their ability to report accurately. If a journalist can’t record a meeting on tape, they will still be able to take notes of the meeting. Letting journalists record the meeting will let them report more accurately, which means that keeping them from recording will only be doing a disservice to the journalists and the SAGA.
It’s not only a disservice; it is also legally gray. According to New Hampshire’s RSA-91-A, Access to Governmental Records and Meetings “Anyone, not just local residents, may attend, take notes, record and photograph the meeting.”
Plymouth State’s SGA meetings are open to the public, which means that students should legally be able to record them if they want to.
The SGA is abusing its power by not letting students get a transparent view of them. The students elected them, which means they have every right to know what the people they elected are doing. Plymouth State’s SGA should not be worried about potential backlash if they make mistakes, but learning from their mistakes to improve, not feel better.
We think that students of Plymouth State do not have enough incentive to trust their own student government. It is a shame it is that way when it doesn’t have to be. We hope there can be a resolution that will better promote transparency of the SGA.
