In an article published in Sunday's paper, David Holwerk, discussed a few interesting points about the audit made on the CSU system the past week. According to Holwerk, the $295,000 that CSUS president Alexander Gonzalez made did not bother him as much as loans given to Gonzalez for his mortage payments and the money given for his kitchen remodel.
Holwerk had read that the money given to Gonzalez did not come from the University, but from a non-profit University foundation. That foundation turned out to be University Enterprises Inc.
The University Enterprises is "a dynamic and innovative non-profit corporation. It creates and manages an array of programs and services, which support and strengthen the University's mission of teaching, scholarship and public service."
In an attempt to discover where the money came from and who decided to spend it the way it had been Holwerk tried to use California's open record's law to find out.
His attempt was unsuccessful, as was an attempt made by another bee reporter. They were told that University Enterprises Inc. was not part of the University.
I agree with Holwerk. The information regarding where and how the money was distributed to Gonzalez should be available for the public to view. If University Enterprises is working in strengthening the University's mission for public service, then the information and data should be public. It's the right of everyone to know why tuition continues to rise on campus, we have the right to know where and how that money is being spent.
Monday, November 12, 2007
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5 comments:
While the open records law is very beneficial in many cases at some point a line must be drawn. Because University Enterprises is a non-profit organizaton they sould have a right to some privacy. The organization is choosing to donate very generous amounts of money and should not be scrutinized because of the manner which the university chooses to disperse it. The reporter is right to seek out information but it is not wrong for University Enterprises to disclose some information. A non profit organization can be very helpful to any large organization and should be commended rather than probed for information.
In the SPJ code it states "The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues." People should find out facts when they read an article.
If there is some underhanded scandal going on I feel as though it is the people's right to know! It seems to me that the money has come from donations. If that is what the particular foundation is for then it is obviously legitimate. There are plenty of foundations and organizations that are waiting give out loans. Loans are supposed to get repaid, and hopefully CSUS president Alex Gonzalez pays off the loan. Perhaps the future will tell whether or not the loan that was given will get put to good use.
In all publicly-funded institutions, the taxpayers have the right to know exactly where their money is spent. This includes CSU, librarys, prisons, the military and all else. However, a non-profit may be granted different privacies becuase their money does not have strings on it from taxes. That being said, the UE should not have any worng to hide, so they should be able to comply with a Sacramento Bee investigation. The Bee can request the information of the EU, but they may not be required to comply because they are not publicly funded.
I agree with the first two comments left.
Clearly there is a story just waiting to be uncovered here.
Since the get-go, I have always had a feeling about Gonzalez!
I think that within a decade, the story will be completely brought to light.
There just needs to be a journalist to come along with a true passion for journalism.
Sadly, it seems like something fishy is going on! Gonzalez seems to be showing up in the paper more often! Unfortunately, he does not bring positive media to the campus at all. Even though there seems to be a scandal, University Enterprise is a non-profit organization. Therefore, their money comes from private donors, not from tax dollars. Technically, they do not have to make their records open to the public. However if you are a honest non-profit, why would you not make your records open to the public. What is University Enterprise trying to hide?
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