Editor's note: This story corrects the original version, which said students would not be told what goes on during closed-door Student Senate meetings.
The WSU Student Senate is the representative organization of the student body, working together with students to improve the university. But in the senate’s recent closed meetings, students have been left on the outside.
On Jan. 21 and Feb. 4, students were asked to leave senate meetings, which are typically open to the public, making them closed sessions.
According to the Student Senate bylaws, the senate may close a meeting with a two-thirds vote, guided by Michigan’s Open Meetings Act.
Dean of Students David Strauss said the senate recently went into a closed session to discuss the university’s budget. According to Strauss, “budget matters” and “issues of personnel” are grounds to close meetings.
“If they’re going to be discussing budget matters that may have an impact on a particular unit or staffing, then they go into closed (meetings) because it’s being discussed, and it’s not something for public review,” Strauss said.
Strauss said the purpose of the closed-session budget talk was to educate the senate on the topic “so that if they are asked to give input or make decisions on that topic it is a closed and confidential matter.”
Professor Ben Burns, director of Wayne State’s journalism program and co-author of the book “Michigan Media Law,” said this was a violation of Michigan’s Open Meetings Act, holding that budget discussions are not means to close a meeting.
The Open Meetings Act prohibits public bodies from having closed sessions except when consulting with an attorney on an issue, considering material exempt from state or federal statute or when discussing personnel matters.
Burns said personnel matters, as classified in the Open Meetings Act, include “hiring someone, firing someone or disciplining someone.”
The Open Meetings Act does not list budget concerns as a permissible purpose to close a meeting.
“I don’t think they understand the Open Meetings Act,” Burns said.
Student Senate Treasurer Anthony Leo said senate members just discuss ideas in closed meetings, and that students have nothing to worry about.
“We’re not behind closed doors conspiring or anything,” Leo said. “In these closed meetings we discuss things that are in the first stages and eventually we come to a final decision on where we stand, and that’s all that we want people to hear.”
Leo said senate members do not vote in closed meetings and the information discussed will be revealed to students.
“We are a very transparent organization,” he said. “We’re just going into these closed meetings because we’re trying to use that time to channel discussion without people pulling what was said out of context.”
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