The Board of Trustees is the highest authority at CMU. The president answers to the trustees. They set your tuition. They set your room and board.

But too often, it seems, they move as one.

There are eight members, but you’d never know.

Only Chairman Jeff Caponigro speaks for them.

Chairmen and chairwomen of important committees do not take questions about their committees, directing them to public relations executive Caponigro.

We understand trustees are individuals who can speak or not of their own accord. When pressed, Caponigro said the reason for the unwritten policy of incommunicado is so the Board can speak with a unified voice and avoid any confusion from capricious or inconsistent statements.

But we also understand that trustees are individuals and were appointed individually to have individual opinions. There is no reason the Board has to speak with a unified voice; in fact when trustees do on occasion differ, it tends to save CMU money.

The only dissent, if you can call it that, in at least three years happened when Trustee Sam Kottamasu questioned a mandatory “donation” on a contract, something that certainly was unethical. CMU’s paid lawyers never questioned it, nor did other trustees. That contract had been rubber stamped twice before.

Once Kottamasu pointed out the problem, the rest of the board quickly agreed. That’s just what they do.

Even that vote was unanimous. They all are.

During Board of Trustee meetings, it is routine for trustees to say ‘like we talked about earlier’ when approving major issues. Why can’t the rest of us be in on that ‘earlier?’

We know that parts of meetings need to be closed for privacy concerns.

But entire meetings?

The important decisions are made behind closed doors, with almost nothing resembling a real debate or discussion happening in public.

Formal sessions (the only part open to the public except for Trustee-Student Liaison Committee) should not be clogged with hours of debate, but nor should they merely be rubber-stamp sessions for trustees who have already come to consensus decisions.

This is a public university, so it’s curious that there have been no public disagreements between board members in years, not because infighting or discord makes a great story, but because it shows that trustees are not all of the same mind.

We’re not asking for constant disagreement, please keep it respectful. But when it’s a committee you chair, keeping your mouth shut is disrespectful to the students you represent.

Caponigro said incommunicado policies curb confusing media reports.

But too often media reports are confused because of that very silence.

Trustee John Kulhavi, when he was board chairman, met with reporters before meetings to talk on and off the record about issues and background. This was a chance for our staff to relay to students that context.

The replacement for Kulhavi’s meeting is now a 15-minute Q & A with Caponigro and University President Michael Rao. There is no time for context or background.

Board members should be allowed – even encouraged – to share that information once again.

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