Allegations of sexual assault and drug and alcohol abuse during football recruitment plagued the University of Colorado last year, leading lawmakers and state officials to eye the University of Colorado Foundation, which held key documents that would indicate how some funding for recruitment was spent.
Apple alleges student Web publisher misappropriated trade secrets on site
CALIFORNIA ? Harvard University student Nick Ciarelli created ThinkSecret.com in 1998 as a way to showcase his enthusiasm for Apple products. Seven years later, he is fighting to keep the site online.
Court: Cornell records open
In an open-records battle spanning more than four years between the Cornell University School of Agriculture and a radio talk-show host, the highest state court ruled partly in favor of each side in February.
Public university foundation cannot conceal donor records, courts rule
KENTUCKY ? The University of Louisville foundations? records were opened by the state courts for good in December 2004, joining a series of other public universities who were recently dealt similar rulings.
The Louisville Courier-Journal sued the University of Louisville Foundation, the school?s fundraising arm, in May 2003 seeking the names of its 45,000 donors.
Open and shut
With frequent tuition hikes and steep taxes comes a desire from thoseconcerned with the use of tax dollars to know how money is allocated at publicuniversities across the country.
Iowa State University Foundation is public, Iowa’s highest state court rules
IOWA ? After a four-year battle against the Iowa State University Foundation, retired Des Moines businessman Arlen Nichols, 75, came one step closer to obtaining foundation documents that could prove his suspicion that university funds were mishandled.
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled in February that the ISU Foundation?the fundraising arm of the university that denied Nichols an array of records?was performing a government function as a result of its contract with Iowa State University.
Anti-Hazelwood campaigns launched in 3 states
As a growing number of high school students find themselves facing legal battles regarding censorship, legislators are trying to establish or change existing laws regarding student expression and student press rights.
Legislators aim to shield foundations from public scrutiny with Georgia law
GEORGIA ? A bill that allows public universities to withhold documents and records from the public to protect donor confidentiality was passed in the Georgia House of Representatives and the Senate in April, bucking a nationwide trend of openness.
Public colleges and universities, Republican legislators in favor of the bill argued, are at a disadvantage because foundations at private universities are not required to release information about their donors.
Crumbling foundations
University foundations are non-profit entities that receive donations from private citizens and corporations to benefit the public, taxpayer-funded schools with which they are associated.
Enemies of the State
The story was eye-catching and provocative. The headline