Case closed, leave it alone

In 2000, the trustees met in two groups of four to determine the status of Bob Knight's employment at IU. With a successful effort to avoid breaking Indiana's Open Door Law, which states that board meetings must have at least 48 hours advance notice to the public and have a majority of the board members present, the trustees voted to have Knight fired and were seconded by then IU president Myles Brand. The meeting took place one day before Knight was formally fired. \nThe finality of the Knight case involving the open door policy has left us relieved that it's over. We can be glad that IU won the lawsuit, but we cannot bring ourselves to condone how the trustees went about their meeting. A student voice on campus is very important in decisions that are made, and the proceedings in which they are determined. The trustees went behind everyone's back in making this decision, eliminating students from the process completely. \nWe believe all the university trustees had to do was deem it a private meeting and give 48 hours notice. The way they went about it makes us feel as though they knowingly did something wrong. \nWe can't help but feel embarrassed for what the trustees have done, and the example they set for students. The Open Door Law is designed to prevent loopholes in government proceedings and allow them to be open to the public and acknowledged by all. The acceptance of what the judges have set creates a precedent that could be dangerous within higher government. \nAnne O'Connor, Indiana's public access counselor during this ordeal, said, "It's not a violation of (the) letter of law, but it violates (the) spirit of the law. It hinders the stature (the board) has, in the eyes of who watch what they're doing: alumni, students, watchers of IU. Citizens certainly have a right to observe how government works."\nAs journalists, we know it's important for meetings like this to be open so we can check those in power and report it to the public. But it's even more important as students because decisions made by the president and board of trustees can greatly affect our daily lives. \nThat being said, this issue isn't worth all the fuss. Knight now has a successful career at Texas Tech, and we've had Mike Davis leading our program for five years. Like it or not, Knight is not coming back and extending these law suits will never change that. Knight has moved on, we've moved on. It's time this case is finally finished.\nThree of the nine trustees involved are still on the board and they need to know that actions like this can lead to dangerous consequences. But in the end, Brand and Knight, the principle players in this whole ordeal, are gone. This controversy should be too.