This week is Sunshine Week — seven days dedicated to spreading awareness about the importance of the right to access public documents and the maintenance of an open government.

Citizens have a fundamental right to know how their money is being spent and why policy decisions are made.

At Central Michigan University, students might not have the time, resources or expertise to research public documents or attend an open meeting.

That’s where we come in.

Central Michigan Life’s biggest responsibility is keeping CMU students aware of how the university conducts business.

Our student media company exists to protect your interests and give you a voice. We monitor university operations on your behalf.

One of the tools we use is the Open Meetings Act, which allows any citizen to attend an official public meeting and witness the governing process take place in person.

This is what allows every CMU student or member of the community to attend each board of trustees or city commission meeting.

Another important tool we use to access documents and other public record is Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act.

FOIA allows for the full or partial disclosure of documents controlled by the United States government and other governing institutions.

FOIA is what allows us to access the contents of public university documents including employee personnel files, communication between university officials and police records.

This week, the CMU chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists unveiled a major project on the high financial cost of obtaining public documents.

Officials at the head of major institutions often opt for secrecy. FOIA forces a more honest assessment of reality.

These state laws promote accountability from officials and help us do our jobs. Any governing structure needs a watchdog. We are CMU’s.

Michigan’s FOIA laws have been in the news recently in relation to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s e-mails in the wake of the Flint water crisis.

Snyder has released some, but not all, of his e-mails regarding the worst public health catastrophe in the history of the state.

What’s unsettling is that Snyder and his cabinet is not required to hand anything over to the public through FOIA.

Michigan is one of just two states with shield laws that protect the state executive branch of government from FOIA.

This is a dangerous loophole.

Taxpayers should not be left in the dark while powerful politicians work in secret, sheltered by an ill-advised exception to a law that is supposed to promote transparency.

The press will continue to cover issues such as these, on your behalf.

Relentless investigative journalism on matters of public concern can shed light on the misdeeds of some of the world’s largest bureaucratic institutions.

Officially verified public documents should always serve as the standard for public judgment.

Public documents are the basis of public affairs reporting. Access to them ensures an informed electorate and honest political system.

Most importantly, it keeps control out of the wrong hands and the sun shining in our government’s darkest corners.