The MSU Board of Trustees has passed more than 80 recommendations since January 2005, and fewer than five of those decisions were approved with a divided vote.

A review of the board's minutes, which can be found on its Web site, reveal only four instances of disagreement between members.

In January 2005, Trustee Scott Romney voiced the sole dissent against the approval of a new investment manager. In February, Trustee Melanie Foster voted against the approval of the parking ramp behind Morrill Hall, and in September, board members Donald Nugent and Dorothy Gonzales voted against serving alcohol in the Spartan Stadium addition.

Gonzales was also the only board member to vote against the 13.5 and 9.3 percent tuition hikes in July.

This pattern of almost complete conformity has some feeling that the issues, which appear before the full board, are thoroughly discussed before the public Friday meetings and might violate the spirit of Michigan's Open Meetings Act.

"It's pretty clear to anyone who goes to board meetings regularly that some decisions were being made ahead of time," said Jeremy Steele, president of the Mid-Michigan chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, who has attended about 10-15 board meetings in the last four years. Steele also served as editor in chief of The State News in 2002.

Board members usually meet in private, "closed-door" work sessions before their formal Friday meetings. The publicly elected trustees differ on why the board does not have to follow the Michigan Open Meetings Act but maintain that keeping the meetings closed to the public makes them more effective.

The act is a Michigan law requiring public bodies to conduct their official business — including deliberations and decision making — in meetings open to the public.

When asked directly why the trustees were able to hold their work sessions behind closed doors, Gonzales said that was a perfect question to bring before the full board at one of its Friday meetings.

"You know, be kind and courteous, but ask it at the full board," Gonzales said. "This is a publicly funded university, and anyone has a right to address the board."

She said sometimes the board is discussing "tenuous issues not ready to go before the public" in the Thursday meetings.

State Rep. Michael Murphy, D-Lansing, who has expressed interest in running for the board in 2007, said public input is vital to the legislative process.

"Meetings should not be confidential," Murphy said.

Teacher education Professor Mary Kennedy said she had no problem with the board's closed sessions.

"Some things should not be part of public discussion," Kennedy said.

Foster defended the board's right to hold closed sessions, because no votes are taken.

"They are just work sessions," Foster said. "To a large degree, it's a lot of conceptual talk, not things we will actually be voting on."

She said the board should probably get more detailed presentations at their Friday meetings, but regarding how little discussion takes place, she said the members trust each other's judgments.

"To some degree, we have a lot of respect for each other," Foster said. "We are willing to accept their recommendations."

Chemical engineering freshman Kristy Davey said the board should be more open about their business, regardless of whether they can legally keep their work sessions closed.

"If it has to deal with what's going on in the community, we should have a say in what's going to happen," Davey said.

If students have questions about how the board conducts its business, Gonzales said addressing the issue at a full board meeting was the best solution.

"I always tell the students they underestimate the power you have," Gonzales said. "The public forum is the best way to do that."

Board minutes can be downloaded at trustees.msu.edu/meetings.html.

Staff writer Kristen Daum contributed to this report.