Editorial: Yes on ethics policy

Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005 | 9:06 a.m.

Asimple policy would be all that's needed for the Board of Regents to fix an ethics loophole that now gives its members the opportunity to land cushy jobs at the state's colleges and universities. But when a majority of the 13-member board throws up objections and introduces vague side issues, the loophole remains open, as does public cynicism about ethics in Nevada government.

The Board of Regents oversees the Nevada System of Higher education. College and university presidents, and the system's chancellor, answer to the board for all of their decisions. The members wield power over budgets, employee discipline, pay, hiring and firing and other important functions of higher education in the state. To say they have influence over the system's top staff is an understatement.

In April then-Regent Doug Seastrand announced he was resigning from the board to take a job with UNLV as a computer scientist. The university had conducted a national search to fill the position, which paid $105,000. This newspaper pointed out that it was wrong for a regent to apply for a staff position within the system. What college or university president is going to send a regent the dreaded form letter expressing appreciation for his interest in the job and stating that his resume will be kept on file for six months?

We called for a simple policy prohibiting regents from applying for system jobs, and, further, for that policy to extend for a year after the regent leaves the board. At a regents' meeting last week, that policy was discussed and tabled. A majority of the board either didn't like the year's cooling-off provision or tried to load up the policy with unnecessary and unenforceable companion provisions.

The regents are scheduled to discuss the proposed policy again in December. We hope they adopt the unencumbered policy and that a majority of them comprehend the ethical reasoning behind it.

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