Courtesy of LinkedIn
The University of Michigan’s administration does not want me to show you a video of remarks made by Athletic Camp Administrator Katie Miranto[1] about the lack of background checks for coaches who conduct summer sports camps on campus and other gaps in the safety protocols for children on campus.
The University of Michigan School of Social Work is offering a seminar series on “The Safety of Minors on College and University Campuses”[2]. In large part this is a response to the Jerry Sandusky child abuse case at Penn State University and the Dr. Stephen Jensen child pornography case at the University of Michigan. The course organizers plan to develop a report to President Coleman on recommendations to improve the safety of children who attend events at the University of Michigan.
At the first seminar in September, 2013, Katie Miranto candidly expressed concerns about gaps in the safety protocols for UM summer sports camps for children. Those concerns were reported by a Michigan Daily reporter who attended the seminar[3].
“More than 9,000 campers between the ages of 10 and 18 participate in 24 summer athletic camp programs offered by the University. Participating on a panel Tuesday regarding the safety of minors on college campuses, Athletic Camp Administrator Katie Miranto expressed her concern that the Athletic Department doesn’t do enough to vet its counselors.
“I can’t even describe to you how many gaps there are and how nervous I get over the summer,” Miranto said Tuesday. “It’s very hard to sleep.”…
One issue Miranto pointed out was the thoroughness of the department’s background checks on counselors. At the panel, Miranto said the department runs ICHAT Michigan background checks on potential employees. However, ICHAT criminal history records provided by the state of Michigan include only crimes committed in-state, according to the state's website..
This means that crimes committed in staff members’ home states, including crimes that signify that they should not be around children, could be unknown to the University.
At the panel, Miranto expressed concern at this fact, noting that the majority of the camp staff are from outside the state of Michigan, but Ablauf later clarified that only 33 percent are from out-of-state.
Miranto said the department can’t afford to do a broader background check in the short time they have to vet counselors. The Athletic Department has a budget for 2013-14 year of $137.5 million and a projected surplus of $8.9 million.
“That is a huge area of concern right now, but the way the system is built, it’s really our only option for cost reasons, for how fast we need to turn the background check around,” Miranto said.
I attended the second seminar in the series, where the organizers expressed some concern that Ms. Mirano was in trouble with the athletic department over some of the remarks that she had made at the first seminar. They said that they had received a call from the Office of General Counsel and that, as a result, they could not give me a copy of the video of the first seminar. I then submitted a freedom of information act request for the video. In response, the UM FOIA coordinator has said that the request for the videos would cost $475[4]. This is largely for the review of the video and the deletion of exempt material. Eight hours of review is at a rate of an employee making more than $100,000 per year.
First is should be kept in mind that the seminar series is open to the public. Anything that was said at the seminar was heard by the public, including by a Michigan Daily reporter. Therefore, how is it possible that the video must be reviewed and exempt material redacted. If the FOIA office has concerns about whether any specific information such as telephone numbers, addresses or social security numbers were discussed, they can just ask the course organizers. If for example the FOIA office is concerned that “trade secrets” were discussed, they are no longer secrets since they have been discussed at a public meeting. In addition, the FOIA law requires that the public body charge only the cost of the lowest paid employee who can perform the required task. The University has not provided any justification as to what qualifications are needed that would require an employee who makes more than $100,000 per year to perform.
The real problem is that the University administration is embarrassed that these gaps in the safety protocols for children on campus have been revealed but that is exactly what the freedom of information act was designed for.
A Michigan Daily editorial by Zach Helfand expressed it this way[5];
“The problem isn’t that the Athletic Department has chosen to fund a skywriting campaign. The problem is that the Athletic Department has chosen to fund a skywriting campaign rather than pay to protect vulnerable children.”
[1] http://goldengriffinssoftball.blogspot.com/2011/05/michigan-hires-katie-miranto.html
[2] http://ssw.umich.edu/events/safety-of-minors
[3] http://www.michigandaily.com/news/athletic-camps-reflect-troublesome-safety-policy
The University of Michigan School of Social Work is offering a seminar series on “The Safety of Minors on College and University Campuses”[2]. In large part this is a response to the Jerry Sandusky child abuse case at Penn State University and the Dr. Stephen Jensen child pornography case at the University of Michigan. The course organizers plan to develop a report to President Coleman on recommendations to improve the safety of children who attend events at the University of Michigan.
At the first seminar in September, 2013, Katie Miranto candidly expressed concerns about gaps in the safety protocols for UM summer sports camps for children. Those concerns were reported by a Michigan Daily reporter who attended the seminar[3].
“More than 9,000 campers between the ages of 10 and 18 participate in 24 summer athletic camp programs offered by the University. Participating on a panel Tuesday regarding the safety of minors on college campuses, Athletic Camp Administrator Katie Miranto expressed her concern that the Athletic Department doesn’t do enough to vet its counselors.
“I can’t even describe to you how many gaps there are and how nervous I get over the summer,” Miranto said Tuesday. “It’s very hard to sleep.”…
One issue Miranto pointed out was the thoroughness of the department’s background checks on counselors. At the panel, Miranto said the department runs ICHAT Michigan background checks on potential employees. However, ICHAT criminal history records provided by the state of Michigan include only crimes committed in-state, according to the state's website..
This means that crimes committed in staff members’ home states, including crimes that signify that they should not be around children, could be unknown to the University.
At the panel, Miranto expressed concern at this fact, noting that the majority of the camp staff are from outside the state of Michigan, but Ablauf later clarified that only 33 percent are from out-of-state.
Miranto said the department can’t afford to do a broader background check in the short time they have to vet counselors. The Athletic Department has a budget for 2013-14 year of $137.5 million and a projected surplus of $8.9 million.
“That is a huge area of concern right now, but the way the system is built, it’s really our only option for cost reasons, for how fast we need to turn the background check around,” Miranto said.
I attended the second seminar in the series, where the organizers expressed some concern that Ms. Mirano was in trouble with the athletic department over some of the remarks that she had made at the first seminar. They said that they had received a call from the Office of General Counsel and that, as a result, they could not give me a copy of the video of the first seminar. I then submitted a freedom of information act request for the video. In response, the UM FOIA coordinator has said that the request for the videos would cost $475[4]. This is largely for the review of the video and the deletion of exempt material. Eight hours of review is at a rate of an employee making more than $100,000 per year.
First is should be kept in mind that the seminar series is open to the public. Anything that was said at the seminar was heard by the public, including by a Michigan Daily reporter. Therefore, how is it possible that the video must be reviewed and exempt material redacted. If the FOIA office has concerns about whether any specific information such as telephone numbers, addresses or social security numbers were discussed, they can just ask the course organizers. If for example the FOIA office is concerned that “trade secrets” were discussed, they are no longer secrets since they have been discussed at a public meeting. In addition, the FOIA law requires that the public body charge only the cost of the lowest paid employee who can perform the required task. The University has not provided any justification as to what qualifications are needed that would require an employee who makes more than $100,000 per year to perform.
The real problem is that the University administration is embarrassed that these gaps in the safety protocols for children on campus have been revealed but that is exactly what the freedom of information act was designed for.
A Michigan Daily editorial by Zach Helfand expressed it this way[5];
“The problem isn’t that the Athletic Department has chosen to fund a skywriting campaign. The problem is that the Athletic Department has chosen to fund a skywriting campaign rather than pay to protect vulnerable children.”
[1] http://goldengriffinssoftball.blogspot.com/2011/05/michigan-hires-katie-miranto.html
[2] http://ssw.umich.edu/events/safety-of-minors
[3] http://www.michigandaily.com/news/athletic-camps-reflect-troublesome-safety-policy
| response_to_foia_for_seminar_videos.pdf |
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