The Chronicle's View: U bites its nose to spite its image
Staff Editorial
The Daily Utah Chronicle - Opinion
Issue: 09/17//04

An independent committee is considering Jeremy Beckham's request to waive a fee for public records. They supported the U's price tag of $300 for copying and legal fees.

Beckham, U student and president of Utah Primate Freedom, requested records for the testing of animals for research conducted by the U. He claims the testing constitutes torture and wants it to end. After winning the dispute over whether he could have access to the records, the U charged him $300 to review them before their release.

Beckham requested that the U waive the fee because he is a U student and he wants the information for what he believes is in the public's best interest.

It is easy to understand why the U is dragging its feet on this request. Most likely, the nature of animal testing conducted at the U would greatly alarm people. That is the reason Beckham wants the information.

It is easy to understand why the copy and legal fees are so high. The amount of information and its nature would require those costs. The committee was justified in agreeing with the administration. The problem is that the U is being very petty. Beckham does have a legal right to the information. While the U has the right to charge for it, it is attacking one of its own. Beckham is a student requesting information. This is no different from a student who requests a book from the library. The information will likely give the U a poor public image, but so is the petty way its resisting Beckham's request. Whether he raises the money himself or gets donations, the information will come out. And no matter what the documents contain, animal testing will continue. The positive outcomes of animal testing ensure the practice's future.

There is nothing to be gained from resisting Beckham other than additional bad press. The U is between a rock and a hard place, but this is no excuse to put its self-image above the needs of a student.

Animal rights protesters are not going away. Animal testing is not going away. So why sacrifice the trust of students and come out as the bad guy in this ordeal?

If a student group who promoted a positive image for the U wanted expensive records, the U would waive the fee. The money is not the issue. Spiting and resisting Beckham is the issue. Mater in alma mater means mother. We are the children of the U. What does the administration have to gain by spiting its own child?