Kansas University charges student $1,800 for open-records request about Kochs

[Newsjock]

Source: Lawrence Journal-World

A student who was told by Kansas University it would cost $1,800 to provide records about the financial relationship between the school and the Koch brothers said Tuesday she has raised the money.

"We'll be submitting payment tomorrow," said Schuyler Kraus, president of Students for a Sustainable Future, which filed the request last month under the Kansas Open Records Act.

Much of Kraus' records request and an article she wrote that was published on the Journal-World's Opinion Page on Sunday seeks information on the financial relationship between Art Hall, the executive director of the Center for Applied Economics at KU's School of Business, and conservative activists Charles and David Koch, billionaires who own Wichita-based Koch Industries.

... "I feel like because we are tuition-paying students and taxpaying Kansans, there shouldn't be a fee or it should be minimal," Kraus said. Members of the Kansas chapter of the American Association of University Professors agreed with Kraus and donated $1,000 to her group's effort. ... Other donations came in and eventually put Kraus over the $1,800.

Read more: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/sep/23/ku-students-raise-funds-pay-records-request/

[think]

1. Charging $1800 for an open records request speaks volumes..... /nt

[malthaussen]

2. Called that bluff nicely.

Now, what roadblock will be put in their way next? "Ooopsies, we lost the records" is always a crowd-pleaser.

-- Mal

[louis-t]

3. I wonder what their next excuse will be.

The 'fee' was because they don't want to give out that info.

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. Wow ...

A fee for copies of public records which is equal to or less than $.25 per page shall be deemed a reasonable fee.

http://kansasstatutes.lesterama.org/Chapter_45/Article_2/45-219.html

That's like 7,200 pages ... or a University PR nightmare, when the University has to respond to the complaint for over-charging.

[Massacure]

5. The cost to print at the computer lab when I graduated four years ago

When I graduated four years ago, we were charged 7 cents per page for simplex (one sided) and 10 cents per page for duplex (two sided) printing. Color was 40 cents.

Assuming they pay someone $20 an hour in pay and benefits, they can spend 50 hours do the research and still break even.

[hvn_nbr_2]

6. Any bets on how much of it will be redacted? nt

[Thor_MN]

8. The extra charge is for the toner that thousands of blacked out pages is going to eat.

[Shrike47]

7. The student will next discover the documents have been heavily redacted. Very heavily.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. I hope she gets her money's worth

This should be good.

The Koch brothers can't buy lemonade from a neighborhood child without the money being tainted.