Some things never change.

When I was a student journalist at Oklahoma State University, we had nothing but difficulties trying to pry information from the bureaucrats running the show at the school. They would obsfucate, delay, do whatever it took to block public access to their records. The only place I’ve ever seen such an institutionalized “screw you” toward public records law is throughout the city government of Norman.

Sidenote: Norman should definitely be on the list for this award.

These clowns at OSU — and I am a proud graduate — always thought the records belonged to them and how dare anyone question what they do with student tuition or taxpayer dollars. But before you think I’m just picking on OSU, the situation is also bad at OU. Throughout my years working at a newspaper in Oklahoma, the situation at the universities never improved.

Needless to say, someone needs to shine some sunlight on the people running these institutions.  Someone needs to start filing lawsuits for the blatant disregard these universities have toward the public’s right to know. They need to start dragging the institutions through court and then collect attorney fees. Then write a story about how taxpayer/tuition dollars were doled out to the *insert media outlet here* because the idiots running the institution couldn’t/wouldn’t follow the law.

And the good people at FOI Oklahoma are taking a big-time step toward shining some light on the problems at OSU. Take a chance to read this.

The highlights:

— The award was given to OSU for “routinely conducting the public’s business outside the public’s view. Regents secretly discuss proposals among themselves and with college officials prior to public meetings.”

— The group also faulted administrators for claiming public business conducted on personal smart phones is secret, in contradiction to interpretations by attorneys general in several states.

You’ve got to be kidding me, OSU. As one employee of the Texas Attorney General’s office once told a conference of bureaucrats trying to figure out how they could get OUT of following sunshine laws (and I’m paraphrasing here): “What part of public service do you not understand?”