UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees Calendars
| Tracking # |
21-328 |
| Submitted | June 18, 2021 |
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Communications
From: Brooks Fuller
Clayton D. Somers
Assistant Secretary, Board of Trustees & Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Secretary of the University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
clayton@unc.edu
June 18, 2021
Dear Mr. Somers,
Under the North Carolina Public Records Law, G.S. §132-1, we are requesting copies of the following:
All records documenting schedules for the following individuals, including print and online publications of calendars, itineraries, and individual calendars that exist in either electronic or hard copy/paper, from June 1, 2020 to the present. Please include any sticky notes, notations, or any other notes that may be affixed to aforementioned calendars.
* BOT member Richard Y. Stevens
* BOT member R. Gene Davis Jr.
* BOT member Teresa Artis Neal
* BOT member David L. Boliek Jr.
* BOT member Jefferson W. Brown
* BOT member G. Munroe Cobey
* BOT member Haywood D. Cochrane Jr.
* BOT member Charles G. Duckett
* BOT member Kelly Matthews Hopkins
* BOT member Allie Ray McCullen
* BOT member Ralph W. Meekins Sr.
* BOT member John P. Preyer
* BOT Ex-Officio Member Lamar Richards
* Former BOT Ex-Officio Member Reeves Moseley
* BOT Assistant Secretary Clayton D. Somers
Because North Carolina law specifies requesters can obtain public documents "in any and all media in which the public agency is capable of providing them," please send the information in electronic form, and specifically in Excel (.csv) format where possible. As the law requires, please release all reasonably segregable nonexempt portions of documents.
We request a waiver of all fees for this request because this request is made as part of the process of news gathering and not for commercial use. Disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of government, namely the University of North Carolina.
State law requires that you respond to and fulfill this request "as promptly as possible." If you expect a significant delay of over three working business days in responding to and fulfilling this request, please contact me with information about when we might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records. Please provide records as they are processed.
If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific statutory exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available to me under the law.
If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact us at 336-278-5506 or reply to this email address.
Thank you in advance for your facilitation of this request.
Best,
Brooks Fuller, Director, N.C. Open Government Coalition, Elon University
Bill Adair, Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy, Duke University
Shannan Bowen, Executive Director, N.C. Local News Workshop, Elon University
Neal Caren, Associate Professor of Sociology, UNC-Chapel Hill
Paul Cuadros, Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Victoria Smith Ekstrand, Associate Professor & Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Distinguished Professor for Graduate Education, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Jordan Green, adjunct faculty, Journalism Program, Wake Forest University and staff reporter at Raw Story
Calvin L. Hall, Department Chair & Associate Professor, North Carolina Central University Department of Mass Communication
Pam Kelley, freelance journalist and former higher education reporter, The Charlotte Observer
Daniel Kreiss, Edgar Thomas Cato Distinguished Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and Principal Researcher, Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life; Faculty Affiliate, Information Society Project at Yale Law School
Mandy Locke, adjunct faculty, Journalism Program, Wake Forest University
Trevy A. McDonald, Julian W. Scheer Term Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Erin Siegal McIntyre, Assistant Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Kate Murphy, Higher Education Reporter, The News & Observer
Kate Sheppard, Senior National Editor, HuffPost, and Teaching Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Melanie Sill, founder, N.C. Local News Lab and former executive editor of The News & Observer
Praveena Somasundaram, Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Tar Heel
David Squires, Adjunct Lecturer, Journalism, N.C. A&T University
Ryan Thornburg, Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Kyle Villemain, Editor-in-Chief, The Assembly
Barry Yeoman, freelance journalist, Adjunct Instructor of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University and Adjunct Instructor of Journalism, Wake Forest University
Phoebe Zerwick, Director of the Journalism Program, Wake Forest University
From: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Good morning -- All communications and requests are now being processed at https://nextrequest.unc.edu/ and the Public Records Office e-mail account is no longer being used for requests or monitored on a regular basis. Please submit all requests and correspondence at https://nextrequest.unc.edu/.
Sincerely,
The Public Records Office
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Begin forwarded message:
From: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Good morning -- All communications and requests are now being processed at https://nextrequest.unc.edu/ and the Public Records Office e-mail account is no longer being used for requests or monitored on a regular basis. Please submit all requests and correspondence at https://nextrequest.unc.edu/.
Sincerely,
The Public Records Office
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Begin forwarded message:
From: Brooks Fuller
Dear Public Records Office,
Thank you for your prompt reply.
You appear to have sent this reply on behalf of Clayton Somers, the public official to whom we sent the request and who we believe to be a custodian of the records we requested. Please confirm that Clayton Somers is the custodian of the records subject to this request. If Mr. Somers is not the custodian of these records, please inform us promptly of the name and contact information for the correct custodian.
We would appreciate a clarification around your statement that all public records requests must be filed at https://nextrequest.unc.edu.
The reason for our confusion is that your assertion that all public records requests must be filed at https://nextrequest.unc.edu is not grounded in North Carolina law.
This requirement introduces an unnecessary step in the records request process that, in our view, prevents government agencies from producing records "as promptly as possible” (see NCGS §132-6).
In 1999, a superior court in North Carolina found that state law does not permit “the interposition of a ‘gatehouse’ or ‘overseer’ between members of the public who desire access to public records and the custodians of public records.” (Dawes v. Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, 99 CVS 03497)
Although North Carolina law does not require citizens to make public records requests through a public agency’s preferred platform or medium (see NCGS §132-6.2(a)), we're happy to follow this process for the sake of expediently receiving the records.
So that we understand what will happen to our request after we submit it via the UNC NextRequest portal, would you be willing to describe to us your process for fulfilling this request after it appears in the portal system?
Thank you again for your quick reply, and for helping us understand your response.
From: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Thank you for your e-mail. Mr. Somers forwarded your request to our office and we have responded on behalf of UNC-Chapel Hill. Using the NextRequest portal allows the University to process requests more promptly and allows for easier communication between the public and the Office of Public Records. Since we introduced the NextRequest platform, we have significantly increased the number of public records requests the University is able to process each year with a reduced turn-around time.
Once submitted, the University processes requests as promptly as possible and, generally, in the order they are received. Because of the large volume of requests and a legal mandate to review every page to protect confidential information, it often takes time before we can start processing a new request. The broader and more vague the request (for example, “all documents,” "all names," or “all emails” covering an indefinite time period), the longer it takes to identify and collect potentially responsive records.
For more information about the public records process at UNC-Chapel Hill, visit https://nextrequest.unc.edu/faqs
From: Brooks Fuller
(This request is being redirected through the portal)
Clayton D. Somers
Assistant Secretary, Board of Trustees & Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs and Secretary of the University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
clayton@unc.edu
June 18, 2021
Dear Mr. Somers,
Under the North Carolina Public Records Law, G.S. §132-1, we are requesting copies of the following:
All records documenting schedules for the following individuals, including print and online publications of calendars, itineraries, and individual calendars that exist in either electronic or hard copy/paper, from June 1, 2020 to the present. Please include any sticky notes, notations, or any other notes that may be affixed to aforementioned calendars.
* BOT member Richard Y. Stevens
* BOT member R. Gene Davis Jr.
* BOT member Teresa Artis Neal
* BOT member David L. Boliek Jr.
* BOT member Jefferson W. Brown
* BOT member G. Munroe Cobey
* BOT member Haywood D. Cochrane Jr.
* BOT member Charles G. Duckett
* BOT member Kelly Matthews Hopkins
* BOT member Allie Ray McCullen
* BOT member Ralph W. Meekins Sr.
* BOT member John P. Preyer
* BOT Ex-Officio Member Lamar Richards
* Former BOT Ex-Officio Member Reeves Moseley
* BOT Assistant Secretary Clayton D. Somers
Because North Carolina law specifies requesters can obtain public documents "in any and all media in which the public agency is capable of providing them," please send the information in electronic form, and specifically in Excel (.csv) format where possible. As the law requires, please release all reasonably segregable nonexempt portions of documents.
We request a waiver of all fees for this request because this request is made as part of the process of news gathering and not for commercial use. Disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of government, namely the University of North Carolina.
State law requires that you respond to and fulfill this request "as promptly as possible." If you expect a significant delay of over three working business days in responding to and fulfilling this request, please contact me with information about when we might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records. Please provide records as they are processed.
If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific statutory exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available to me under the law.
If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact us at 336-278-5506 or reply to this email address.
Thank you in advance for your facilitation of this request.
Best,
Brooks Fuller, Director, N.C. Open Government Coalition, Elon University
Bill Adair, Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy, Duke University
Shannan Bowen, Executive Director, N.C. Local News Workshop, Elon University
Neal Caren, Associate Professor of Sociology, UNC-Chapel Hill
Paul Cuadros, Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Victoria Smith Ekstrand, Associate Professor & Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Distinguished Professor for Graduate Education, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Jordan Green, adjunct faculty, Journalism Program, Wake Forest University and staff reporter at Raw Story
Calvin L. Hall, Department Chair & Associate Professor, North Carolina Central University Department of Mass Communication
Pam Kelley, freelance journalist and former higher education reporter, The Charlotte Observer
Daniel Kreiss, Edgar Thomas Cato Distinguished Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and Principal Researcher, Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life; Faculty Affiliate, Information Society Project at Yale Law School
Mandy Locke, adjunct faculty, Journalism Program, Wake Forest University
Trevy A. McDonald, Julian W. Scheer Term Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Erin Siegal McIntyre, Assistant Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Kate Murphy, Higher Education Reporter, The News & Observer
Kate Sheppard, Senior National Editor, HuffPost, and Teaching Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Melanie Sill, founder, N.C. Local News Lab and former executive editor of The News & Observer
Praveena Somasundaram, Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Tar Heel
David Squires, Adjunct Lecturer, Journalism, N.C. A&T University
Ryan Thornburg, Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Kyle Villemain, Editor-in-Chief, The Assembly
Barry Yeoman, freelance journalist, Adjunct Instructor of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University and Adjunct Instructor of Journalism, Wake Forest University
Phoebe Zerwick, Director of the Journalism Program, Wake Forest University
From: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNC-Chapel Hill
************************************************************************
Hi there
Your first UNC-Chapel Hill record request (request number #21-328) has been submitted.
It is currently unpublished and is not available for the general public to view.
The University processes requests as promptly as possible and, generally, in the order they are received.
Because of the large volume of requests and a legal mandate to review every page to protect confidential information, it often takes time before we can start processing a new request. The broader and more vague the request (for example, “all documents,” "all names," or “all emails” covering an indefinite time period), the longer it takes to identify and collect potentially responsive records.
We post all public records requests to nextrequest.unc.edu. For more information about the public records process at UNC-Chapel Hill, visit https://nextrequest.unc.edu/faqs.
Sincerely,
The Public Records Office
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
From: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNC-Chapel Hill
************************************************************************
Hi there
Record request #21-328 has been published and is now available for public view.
************************************************************************
<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at UNC-Chapel Hill.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://www.nextrequest.com/support'>help page</a>
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following North Carolina Public Records Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on June 18, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #21-328.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNC-Chapel Hill
************************************************************************
Hi there
Documents have been released to you for record request #21-328:
* 2021.07.02 _ Fuller _ Response 10.12.2021 (Encl 1).pdf
* 2021.07.02 _ Fuller _ Response 10.12.2021 (Encl 2).pdf
************************************************************************
<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at UNC-Chapel Hill.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources'>help page</a>
From: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
UNC-Chapel Hill
************************************************************************
Hi there
Record request #21-328 has been closed and published. The closure reason supplied was:
New documents have been posted to your request. The documents are being provided to you in accordance with the North Carolina Public Records Act. Additional information can be located here: https://bot.unc.edu/. This request has been fully processed and is closed.
Sincerely,
The Public Records Office
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
************************************************************************
<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at UNC-Chapel Hill.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources'>help page</a>
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