No such thing as halfway transparency: an editorial

Open forums in which students, faculty, and staff can see and ask questions of finalist candidates for WSU Vancouver’s next chancellor happen on campus this month: March 17, 19, 24, and 26. We urge everyone to attend these sessions for the sake of the future of our campus and this university. While the final selection will not be by popular vote, incoming WSU system president Elizabeth Cantwell, situated in Pullman, will take the forums into account in making her consequential choice for Vancouver.

This is good news from Cantwell, an unknown here who spent the last year navigating at times rough waters in the Utah State University system, and signals transparency. This is hard to do when the stakes are high and, in WSU Vancouver’s case, involves months of unpublicized work by a selection committee situated here to narrow the field of candidates.

But there’s also bad news: transparency has simultaneously been undermined in a weird breach of press freedom. The VanCougar in recent weeks repeatedly requested and was denied a telephone interview with Cantwell. Additionally, a directive was issued last week to the Vancouver-based selection committee not to talk to the press. That would be us.

Why the information shut-down? It could just be that folks are nervous. Or, more significantly, that a narrative around the chancellor selection process needs to be created and curated. At the very least, it’s a heavy hand in controlling conversation on campus.

That’s not OK. Members of the WSU Vancouver community can be trusted to handle the truth as it is fairly and accurately reported. Again, that’s where we come in.

We look forward to the upcoming candidate sessions in good faith, if with raised eyebrows, and hope a new administration will be fully transparent with the community as tough choices ahead are made.

— The Editors