For Sunshine Week, Erasmus Baxter, Asia Fields and Julia Furukawa share their story of reporting on university misconduct cases at Western Washington University.
Winning a public records lawsuit against our alma mater
Tag: Sunshine Week
Sunshine Week shines light on transparency
Last updated March 23, 2025 This week, we all celebrate and shine a light on the importance of public records and open government. Transparency is critical to understanding how our public institutions function, and student journalists are often the only ones in their community regularly holding school and college administrators accountable. We hope you'll join… Continue reading Sunshine Week shines light on transparency
Sunshine Week brings award applications, FOI fun
The Student Press Law Center is here all year long to help students obtain needed records, but in honor of Sunshine Week, we are excited to announce the nominations for the Student Freedom of Information Award, as well as several terrific (and fun) resources.
Sunshine Week Roundup: Government transparency dustups abound in the Sun Belt
With a storm brewing in Arkansas and an effort to further open records exemptions in New Mexico, more and more states are working to move government further into the shadows.
Sunshine Week 2016: Shining a light on private campus police departments
For Sunshine Week 2016, the SPLC launched a new campaign to "stop secret police" by holding private universities' police departments accountable to public records laws.
SUNSHINE WEEK: University of Kansas responds to “Let’s Break FERPA” letter
"You can't have that, that's protected by FERPA" is one of the most common refrains we hear at SPLC.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Journalists requesting public records from colleges are being treated like dogs. This Sunshine Week, it’s time to unleash some shame.
A federal privacy law meant to safeguard student grades, transcripts and disciplinary files continues being misapplied to obstruct public accountability, even where no legitimate privacy interests are at stake.Exhibit A is the University of Oklahoma's stubborn insistence that parking tickets are "confidential education records" under FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Join SPLC’s Sunshine Week campus safety audit
In just a little over a month, journalists across the country will celebrate open government in action. Held annually in March, Sunshine Week is a chance for journalists to demonstrate to lawmakers and the public the importance of open government and easy access to public records.In the past, the Student Press Law Center has teamed up with student journalists across the country on public records projects.
SUNSHINE WEEK: Examining how school districts spend money
A citizen's right to know and journalists' rights to report are threatened every day, say the organizers of Sunshine Week, who planned the weeklong program to highlight freedom of information issues and emphasize the importance of open government.
SUNSHINE WEEK: When requesting campus crime records, responses vary widely
Campus safety has become an important concern in the wake of high-profile school shootings, abductions and murders of young collegians across the nation.