It seems members of the MSU Board of Trustees have forgotten how they landed their honorable political positions. They have forgotten they are elected officials charged with managing millions of tax dollars.
The State News on Thursday was denied access to a meeting of board members for the second time in two months.
MSU's governing body cited a 1999 Michigan Supreme Court ruling that exempts the state's constitutionally-created universities - MSU, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University - from Michigan's Open Meetings Act as justification for its actions.
But there is no justification for a public institution operating in the dark. Board members, along with any other elected official, are accountable to the taxpayers who vote them into office.
"It is morally right to remain open to the public when doing public business," said Henry Silverman, president of the Lansing branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and an MSU history professor emeritus.
"There shouldn't be anything secret about the finances of a public university."
Silverman's statement speaks to the heart of American government - the principle that it is an institution "by the people, for the people."
We agree the board's quest for secrecy is bad public policy - court decision or not.
By closing its meetings to the public, especially during harder economic times, the board gives the impression it has something to hide.
Some trustees say they are able to debate more "candidly and honestly" when media aren't present at work-session meetings such as Thursday's.
Those sentiments are enough to make us wonder just how honest board members are when they speak in an open forum. It's hard to put trust in elected officials who say they find it hard to be truthful on the record.
Secretary to the board Sue Carter said work sessions are used to obtain background information and discuss relevant issues.
Formal decision making is reserved for the governing body's regular meetings.
But, as any person who has attended a regular board meeting knows, trustees engage in little to no debate at their formal meetings.
Short of official votes, board decisions are made at the governing body's more informal work sessions.
It would do the board some good to let the public in on more of its decision-making process so people can better understand its resolutions.
The Board of Trustees could earn taxpayers' trust and respect by keeping doors open, instead of creating speculation and doubt by operating in the dark.
Trustees need to answer to citizens who pay the bill for the university's operation. That is the way government is designed to conduct business in the United States.
