Starting this Friday, the public comment period at regular Penn State Board of Trustees’ meetings will no longer be live streamed. The university announced the decision last week in a news release, but at the time offered no explanation for the decision.
Penn State spokesperson Lisa Powers said Monday that the decision was made by board leadership and made known to all trustees in September. According to Powers, board leaders believed speakers had too often strayed from the ‘public expression guidelines’ set for the comment period.
‘Unfortunately, individuals have frequently misrepresented their purpose with the intent to disrupt the agenda in violation of board rules — which explains the decision to eliminate the live feed,’ Powers said.
The board limits public comment to 10 speakers who must submit a request to speak and the topic they are addressing by 8 a.m. the Wednesday before the meeting. According to the guidelines, permitted topics include ‘Current agenda items and other topics.’ However, the board ‘will not hear presentations on the following topics: issues under negotiation as part of the University’s collective bargaining process; the employment status of any specific individual; statements concerning the private activities, lifestyles or beliefs of any individuals; grievances specific to individual students or employees; proposals or bids for contracts; or pending or threatened litigation involving the University.‘
The initial news release stated that the session also would no longer be recorded. Powers, though, said it will be recorded and that the board ‘will post comments that are in compliance with the board’s Standing Orders.’
It’s not the first change made to the visibility of the public comment session.
In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the period was incorporated into the board’s regular meeting on Friday afternoon. That later shifted to a separate session at 11 a.m. Earlier this year it was moved to 8 a.m.
In an email to Board Chair Ira Lubert that was posted on Facebook and Twitter, alumni-elected trustee Anthony Lubrano expressed his displeasure with the decision.
‘Ira, this is very, very bad policy and I for one stand in opposition to this change,’ Lubrano wrote.
‘Penn State is a public institution,’ he added. ‘If we learned anything over the past five years it’s that openness and transparency should be our guiding principles.’
Powers said trustee leadership believes the decision does not diminish the openness of the board.
‘All board meetings are open to the public and televised,’ she said. ‘The committee meetings are open to the public as well. The media covers the meetings. So, the public is fully and openly engaged in board matters.’
The board will hold committee meetings beginning at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Public comment is at 8 a.m. Friday in the Senate Suites at the Penn Stater. The full board meets at 1 p.m. Friday in Dean’s Hall of the Penn Stater, with the meeting streamed live at wpsu.org/live.
