This page contains information on NYS Open Meetings Law, as well as the Freedom of Information Act, which together entitle students and the public the right to be notified of, attend (without voice or vote), and receive the minutes of meetings of public bodies. In addition, it summarizes opinions on which committee meetings count as meetings of public bodies and provides background on Robert’s Rules of Order, which governs all meetings of the DGSC and Graduate Council.
- NYS Open Meetings Law (http://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/openmeetlaw.html). These laws apply to all public bodies in NY and protect the public right to information and participation in government. In addition, CUNY Legal has issued the following advisory memo regarding OML and Perez v CUNY, which suggests that all meetings in the University except search committees and P&B meetings may fall under OML: http://www1.cuny.edu/forums/vc_la/?p=2. The Committee on Structure of Graduate Council has issued a statement [missing link] that all program executive committee and standing committee meetings are open to students and faculty, without voice or vote.
- NYS Committee on Open Government (http://www.dos.ny.gov/coog/index.html). The COOG offers a wealth of information on OML and Freedom of Information Law, including new regulations that instruct agencies to scan records in response to information requests when scanning will not involve additional work.
- Robert’s Rules of Order (http://www.robertsrules.com). These rules govern all meetings of the DGSC and Graduate Council. A free copy of the 1915 edition is available on Google Books. (The language has been made more accessible in successive revisions, but the core procedures remain the same.)
