Yesterday’s WSC presidential search meeting yielded impressive feedback from the audience members. It also showed the tension between faculty and Nebraska State College System chancellor Stan Carpenter.

A tumultuous past between WSC faculty and Carpenter, peaking with salary issues in 2009 that wound up being settled in the Nebraska Supreme Court, has never quite been resolved.

The meeting, hosted by Carpenter and search consultant Chuck Bunting, consisted largely of an open discussion about the future president. While many audience members had great suggestions and comments about what they wanted to see in the new president, many kept coming back to the search process and where names were coming from.

Numerous faculty members stressed how students were at the forefront of the college’s agenda and should maintain that status.

Bunting, who was introduced by Carpenter and then held the floor for the rest of the meeting, avoided directly answering questions of where the names in the growing pool of candidates are coming from.

Many fear a “suit” will take up residence in the office that should be inhabited by an academically-oriented individual.

These fears are only growing as Carpenter has delegated himself the official media spokesperson for the search committee, restricting the 15-member search advisory committee from discussing matters with media.

According to the Nebraska Open Meetings Act, a public body meeting with the intent of debating and agreeing upon public policy is to be open to the public. Given that the search committee met on Jan. 27 without anyone from the public present, this is a violation of the law.

As a media outlet ourselves, we have no desire to make a circus of this extremely important decision, but we are obligated to cover it. We would rather be celebrating Curt Frye’s long service as WSC President.

The Wayne Stater has filed a request for the records of the meeting under the Freedom of Information Act and is waiting to hear back from the chancellor. Until then, the search continues, as do the concerns.