Examining ‘Doc’
Records request seeks insight, clarity
Published Saturday, July 19, 2008
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Stumble It!Seldom does a request for public records result in a quick release of public documents. Always, it seems, there is room for argument about what is and is not in the public’s best interest.
A records request of any substance usually goes straight to a publicly employed attorney. Newspapers then pay private attorneys to argue for what is in the public’s best interest. Ironic but true.
This is not to say that a denied records request indicates anything corrupt, is indicative of cover-up or even that the debate is unhealthy in the long run. There is plenty of room for debate.
But our position is and always will be that full disclosure is in the public’s best interest, and we would prefer to see public entities err to the side of transparency. Publicly funded attorneys are usually a little more protective of employers, however.
It is mid-July and the News-Miner is still in the process of working through a public records request with the University of Alaska Fairbanks that was first filed in April. It was denied at first. We appealed the decision in May, and the university has been sorting through the appeal — and keeping the newspaper informed of its progress — since June. A lot of time has passed but, comparatively, the folks at UAF have been forthcoming, and we can understand their position in this exchange thus far.
The request focuses on documents leading up to the departure of former UAF hockey coach Michael “Doc” DelCastillo. It requires a look into personnel-related correspondence and items related to the coach’s performance and dealings with those who supervised him.
His departure was one of a string of coaching changes that troubled UAF fans and others who care about our university. The coach’s announcement that he was leaving for family reasons seemed to fall short. A collegiate hockey blog hinted at more, and that drew a response from the university that led us to believe there was more than family concerns at the root of this departure. A search for better insight and clarity was warranted, and the news at that point went beyond something that could be cleared up with a simple statement from the university or the coach. Documentation was needed.
Athletics is of high importance to the success of our publicly funded university, the quality of life in our community and the success of our university and community. If the circumstances surrounding Doc’s dismissal ultimately shed light on the program or the university, then that will be of high public value.
This week Jake Poole, UAF vice chancellor for advancement, sent a letter to UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers and copied the letter to the News-Miner. It contained a list that described some documents that were considered for release. Some were marked as recommended for release, and some were marked as items Poole thinks are protected. The decisions were based upon regents’ policy (which we believe may run contrary to state open records law), what the university considers protected under DelCastillo’s constitutional right to privacy, and what is “in the university and public’s interest.”
Further, the letter states that recommended items should be released “unless Mr. DelCastillo initiates court action to block release.”
A records request process is not always a simple one, and it comes with no guarantee of immediate satisfaction, but this search for clarity will continue.
Community Discussion
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"Athletics is of high importance to the success of our publicly funded university, the quality of life in our community and the success of our university and community."
I am a moron - for I always though that education was of primary importance to an institution of higher learning....my college didn't have many sports teams and I turned out ok...but i guess that can be debated...
Maybe UAF will dump all the sports now and concentrate on preparing our kids for the future...
I'll bet the people at the DNM are salivating at the opportunity to find some scandal or another in this
I agree but I don't think the university has ever had education as a top priority. The school is sub-standard and, in my opinion, it is on-par with a community college level.
When I attended most of the profs were more interested in hunting, flying and being done for the summer. I could barely understand most of the others because their English was so poor. Lots of credentials but few teaching skills overall. Really poor labs as well .... but the sports did seem to have their share and then some. Maybe it would be a good move to invest all the $$ spent on the sports and apply it to education and labs ... not salaries and administration.
UAF, as a state funded university, cannot deny the request and prevail through the appeal process. This is well traveled legal ground, an area that was clearly defined by the FoIA request placed by a fan to the University of Arkansas regarding Houston Nutt.
The real reason for Doc's resignation is the worst kept secret in Fairbanks. I look forward to the whole story, with all the evidence contained in the emails and memos, finally coming to light.
He purportedly mistreated the players and he's gone. Who cares?! It's over, lets move on. I agree - the purpose of the university is EDUCATION and the purpose of the News-Miner should be NEWS, not scandal.
The truth shall unearth a major scandal which will of course include former Chancellor Jones, President Hamilton, probably some top aides to the Palin administration, and probably destroy the very foundation of the UA system. We'll just have to start a new university rather than fix the old...
Or maybe they're just trying to protect 'Doc' 's personal image and dignity. I don't know him, I'm not involved in the athletics at UAF at all, but I personally wouldn't want my life under a microscope. Maybe he did screw up, maybe he did mistreat some players, demand too much. I suppose if I were under the microscope, I might make some mistakes too.
Maybe a records release isn't so bad, the news seems to think there's big news to report.
One more thing, what is the new chancellor up to anyway. I've heard good things but...Doc's been taking up my front cover.
Let it all out. It's not the university's fault if one of its employees crossed the line. There's been enough barroom talk about why the coach left and whether or not it was truly voluntary. In my lifetime I've seen a few situations where someone was presented with the option of: "Either resign or be fired." And, since this universtiy is a large, large part of this community, I think its fair to put the rumors to rest on this matter.
This university has many strong points. Its graduates are accepted in graduate programs all across the country. I know kids from here that have gone on to medical schools, law schools and other leading graduate programs. They continually tell me they are as well founded as graduates from other schools all across the country. But, I know one thing for sure and that is that all my life it seems like the quality of my results were equall to the efforts I put out. So, to be fair, I've also met a lot of kids who didn't make it at the University - most of whom wouldn't have made it anywhere because of their lack of effort.
"He purportedly mistreated the players and he's gone."
This has nothing to do with how he treated the players and everything to do with how he allegedly treated the females around him.
Speculation, speculation, cha cha cha.
Btw...the conditions at the University aren't nearly as bad as James claims.
If they were able to dodge FOIA on Kip Harmon, why wont they be able to dodge FOIA on Doc?
Lots of questions when Kip left that included him pleading to a Class A misdemanor. Yet the University and specifically were able to bury what was on his computer and other testimony.
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