David Jesse of the Free Press looks at the business of the governing boards of the state's major universities and finds they have one unusual characteristic: Secrecy.
And it's legal.
He writes:
University boards are the only public bodies in Michigan that routinely meet in private, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the public. Only the formal vote has to be done in public, thanks to a university-friendly interpretation of the state Constitution by the Michigan Supreme Court 15 years ago that seemingly gives them immunity from the state’s Open Meetings Act.
Unlike city councils, schools boards and other government bodies, university boards finalize budgets, set policy and discuss just about anything they want in closed session.
That practice is reflected at the public meetings, where dissent and discussion are rare among university board members, a Free Press review of the past 14 months of formal board meetings at Michigan’s three largest universities shows.
