More Problems Concerning Ball State University and Intelligent Design

Questions have been raised regarding meetings between Jo Ann Gora, the current president of Ball State University, and Indiana legislators which concern her public stance on the teaching of Intelligent Design.  Christopher Stephens of Ball State Daily writes:

Ball State’s decision to meet in private with lawmakers to discuss concerns about teaching intelligent design is raising questions with some students and professors.

Dom Caristi, a professor of telecommunications, said Indiana’s Open Door Law dictates how accessible official government meetings must be, as well as those involving state employees. He said Thursday’s planned meeting between lawmakers and university officials falls into a gray area within this code.

Indiana code 5-14-1.5, called the Open Door Law, states that the official action of public agencies be conducted and taken openly. This is to ensure that people are able to fully be informed, according to the code.

At issue, apparently, is how representative these meetings actually are and whether they have bearing on the overall legislature in terms of any action. I think that neither party does themselves any favors by having these meetings in private, since the issue of ID at Ball State made the national papers.