The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents has fallen under

legislative scrutiny once again.

Three Wisconsin lawmakers have called on state attorney general

Peggy Lautenschlager to investigate whether the Board has violated

the state’s open-meetings law for the second time.

The three legislators, Rep. Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, Rep.

Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, and Sen. Tom Reynolds, R-West Allis,

called for such an investigation after the Board’s Oct. 10 meeting,

which the legislators feel was conducted in a vague and

inconspicuous manner.

“The only policy the Regents seem to follow these days is

evasion. It’s clear they are not following open-meeting laws,”

Suder said.

If Lautenschlager concedes to their requests, the board will

fall under investigation for the second time within a two month

time span, after it was determined the Regents violated the law at

their Sept. 2 meeting regarding pay range adjustments for

University of Wisconsin System leaders and executives.

“It is clear to me that their notice to go into closed session

did not indicate the subject matter they eventually discussed: the

settlement they had reached with your office. I am respectfully

asking you to investigate this latest potential violation of the

open meetings law,” Kreibich wrote in a letter to

Lautenschlager.

As a result of the primary violation, Lautenschlager and the

board came to an agreement under which the approval of salary

adjustments was erased. The board also vowed to better publicize

its future meetings, especially those pertaining to salary

issues.

Despite this agreement, Suder does not feel the board is

complying with the newly adopted policies.

“[They are in] a habit of not giving enough information to the

public about meetings and in a habit of evading public scrutiny,”

Suder said, adding that the board dodges such criticism with its

oddly timed schedule. “Students deserve better.”

Regent President Toby Marcovich and Vice-President David Walsh,

however, do not feel they breached their agreement. Instead, they

counter that their current process of stating in notices whether

they plan to meet with legal counsel in order to tackle any

litigation matters is sufficient notice.

Suder feels it is important for the board to abide by these laws

because other governing bodies throughout the state follow similar

suit.

“Regents are not above the law, but their actions make them

think they are,” Suder said, adding that if convicted of another

violation, the board could “be subject to any number of punishments

by the attorney general.”