Board of Regents session raises open meeting questions

The Kansas Board of Regents is convening virtually Wednesday afternoon to vote on the profile that will be used to pick the next president of Kansas State University.

But the only way to watch the 4 p.m. Zoom meeting is to drive to the board’s Topeka office, where it will be livestreamed.

Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, said in a joint statement with the Kansas Association of Broadcasters that the board’s decision to limit access to the public meeting is irresponsible.

“While the Kansas Board of Regents may not have to provide a link to the meeting to abide by [the Kansas Open Meetings Act], it begs the question why they are conducting the meeting via zoom for board members but requiring members of the public to travel to Topeka to observe that very meeting,” Mazzei wrote in an email.

KOMA states that “meetings for the conduct of governmental affairs and the transaction of governmental business be open to the public.”

The nine-member board of regents serve as the governing body for Kansas’ six state universities. In-person meetings can be attended by the public and are oftentimes livestreamed on the board website.

The Regents’ office is in Suite 520 of the Curtis State Office Building at 1000 SW Jackson in Topeka.

“Anyone is welcome to stop by the Board office and listen to the meeting,” Regents spokesperson Matt Keith wrote in an email. “KOMA doesn’t require us to stream virtual meetings as long as we provide the public with a place to view and listen to those meetings.”

Keith did not respond to a follow-up question about the safety of requiring interested members of the public to watch a virtual meeting in-person during a global pandemic. But Bradbury said the board could find a way to meet the spirit of the open meetings guidance.

“If the Kansas Legislature can conduct an entire session via online conferencing, then the Kansas Board of Regents should be able to as well,” she said.

Kansas State President Richard Myers announced his retirement in May.

This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 11:59 AM.