Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State University is asking a Greene County magistrate to determine if the school should provide emails to the Dayton Daily News in response to a public records request or if the emails are exempt from release, as claimed by WSU’s former research funding arm.
Wright State’s administration wanted to release the records, but its former research funding arm, Wright State Applied Research Center, has gone to court to block the release of the records.
The records are copies of emails that the Dayton Daily News requested last year. The paper is seeking copies of emails to and from WSARC Executive Director Dennis Andersh, who was at the time both WSARC director and a WSU employee. The emails used Wright State’s email server.
Ohio law broadly states that documents — including emails — created by employees of state agencies and universities are considered public records and copies can be requested by any member of the public. Ohio’s public records laws are intended to make it easier for citizens to know about and understand the workings of their state government and its institutions.
“The records at issue, which just document WSARC’s activities, are not public records,” Tim Pepper, an attorney for WSARC, argued before Magistrate Stephanie Hayden on Thursday. “Is WSARC a public entity? No, it’s not.”
