Editorial: Disclose the disclosure forms

Monday, Oct. 22, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.

In July Las Vegas Sun reporters Jeff German and Steve Kanigher discovered that UNLV administrators were not enforcing a rule requiring faculty members to file forms disclosing their outside employment.

Their discovery came when their requests for copies of the forms were denied.

The university system's policy is that the forms are confidential personnel records, not to be shared with the public. And, as German and Kanigher learned, even if the forms could have been released, no one at the university was collecting them.

After the news broke about the secrecy and administrative carelessness, Chancellor Jim Rogers ordered university officials to make an effort to comply with the Sun's request. And Neal Smatresk, UNLV's executive vice president and provost, followed up by ordering faculty members to complete the forms for administrative review.

The forms are important, as they bear on academic integrity. Faculty members conduct studies, write books, give lectures and prepare class lessons - all of which could be influenced by their off-campus employers.

As a result of the Sun's inquiries, UNLV has received disclosure forms from 1,350 faculty members. Smatresk estimated that after all the forms are tabulated, 320 professors will have disclosed outside income.

Smatresk also said the university has learned so far that 110 faculty members disclosed potential conflicts of interest - and that all of the potential conflicts have been resolved by college deans.

It appears the laxity in collecting the forms is on its way to being corrected. Now the university system has to correct the secrecy.

We believe members of the public, who pay the university-system salaries of the professors, have a right to know who else is paying for their time and expertise.

The Board of Regents, which oversees the Nevada System of Higher Education, is scheduled to discuss this issue next month. We believe it should reverse the current policy and make the forms open to public inspection.