Last week, Sunshine Week taught a dangerous lesson about government responsibility, and the public, especially students, must take note.
Sunshine Week is an event designed to periodically analyze government willingness to hand over public information and its adhesion to the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.
To perform the test, volunteers request information or documents from the government and report what the results were. This year volunteers sought the emergency response plans.
Out of 404 audits across 37 states and Puerto Rico, only 177 requests were filled. This means that only 44 percent of participants got the information they asked for. The remainder got either partial information or none at all.
Michigan, in particular, had an atrocious Sunshine Week, with only two of 10 requests netting a proper response. These paltry numbers are absolutely inexcusable, particularly for Michigan. Public records are public for a reason. Every citizen should be allowed access to these documents.
Just recently, The State News sued MSU in order to obtain the police report of an incident that the MSU police refused to release. The incident occurred last spring, when two nonstudents poured gasoline on a student in Hubbard Hall. MSU said the names of the suspects were subject to privacy protection.
This event happened right on campus. Students have the right to know what was recorded in the report. But even after the suspects have been tried in court, the university still refuses to release the report. What is it trying to hide?
After a ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals, the case must be reviewed by Ingham County Circuit Court, which originally ruled in favor of MSU. The appeals court said Judge Joyce Draganchuk must apply outlined protocol used in FOIA cases.
If the court still rules in favor of MSU, an alarming precedent will be set. Who knows how much more information will be suppressed in the future because of this case?
While the classification of some documents in the name of "national security" theoretically could be justified by the threat of terrorism, most cannot. The government has exploited a fearful public in order to counteract FOIA requests and throw up more walls between the public and the government in order to protect themselves.
Since 2001, the government's transparency and openness has steadily eroded, hindering our ability to question authority.
Accountability is key, and if the public is denied even the basic information the Sunshine Week volunteers were after, how much trouble do you think you would have if you were looking for a document that proves government wrongdoing?
Events like Sunshine Week are absolutely necessary to ensure that government officials, even here at MSU and in East Lansing, are accountable for their actions.
If we don't stand up and make sure the government is as forthcoming and transparent as possible, who will?
