Copy of AAUP librarian pay committee findings mentioned in MOA
Dear Rowan University,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
1. A copy of the full findings of the Review Committee mentioned in section F number 3 of the following MOA: https://som.rowan.edu/documents/aaup_201...
2. A copy of the communications between Rowan University and AAUP-BHSNJ regarding the president's determination as mentioned in Section F number 3 subsection e.
Yours faithfully,
AAUP NJ Rep
Good afternoon,
I am in receipt of your OPRA request, which is due within seven (7) business days from today, February 16, 2022. Please be advised that our OPRA custodian is out on extended leave, and we are in the process of onboarding a temporary replacement this week. Therefore, I am requesting until February 28, 2022 to respond on behalf of Rowan. This would be an additional 12 calendar days.
Elyse G. Crawford, Esquire
Assistant General Counsel
Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Road
Glassboro, NJ 08028
Office: (856)256-5113
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail communication and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information intended for the designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify me immediately by replying to this message and deleting it from your computer. Thank you.
Dear Ms. Crawford
I do not believe this substantial increase in processing time is "reasonable". Looking through past OPRA requests submitted to Rowan University, it appears requests for extensions are unfortunately automatic and routine.
• OPRA says a record must be produced within that timeframe unless it is “not archived or in
storage.” N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(i). “If the government record is in storage or archived, the requestor
shall be so advised within seven business days after the custodian receives the request.”
• Extensions could be a way to “reasonably accommodate” a voluminous request, but otherwise
should be reserved solely for situations where a record is in storage or archived
While I am sympathetic to your employee being on extended leave, Rowan University certainly has the staffing, budget, and know-how to produce this very specific and clearly defined record('s) without an extension. My request is not "voluminous" or in storage or archived. It should be produced within 7 days despite a single employee being on leave.
Regardless of your ability to produce this document within 7 days as is required, we will be making a formal complaint to the NJ Government Records Council regarding Rowan University's sustained pattern of improperly delaying OPRA requests or not responding altogether.
Yours sincerely,
AAUP NJ Rep
AAUP NJ Rep,
While every effort will be made to get to your request, please be advised that Rowan is seeking a reasonable extension until Febraury 28, 2022 to respond to same. As discussed, Rowan's custodian of records, who works diligently on these matters is on an extended leave and we are in the process of onboarding a temporary replacement. While you may believe your request is routine and not voluminous, Rowan receives many OPRA requests that make responding within seven (7) days on your particular request difficult, given the lag in manpower available. It is a situation that we are working currently on resolving, but there is time needed to appropriately train and onboard the new OPRA employee. OPRA allows custodians to seek extensions of time pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.i. Specifically, OPRA states that, “the requestor shall be advised by the custodian when the record can be made available. If the record is not made available by that time, access shall be deemed denied.”
Your request requires an extension of time until February 28, 2022. If we are able to make it available sooner, we will do so. However, for the reasons stated above, it is the position of Rowan University that our request for an extension is reasonable under OPRA. Please feel free to reach out to me directly on the phone or via email should you have any further questions.
Regards,
Elyse
Elyse G. Crawford, Esquire
Assistant General Counsel
Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Road
Glassboro, NJ 08028
Office: (856)256-5113
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail communication and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information intended for the designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify me immediately by replying to this message and deleting it from your computer. Thank you.
AAUP NJ Rep,
Please accept this as Rowan's formal response to your February 7, 2022
OPRA request wherein you sought the following documents:
1. A copy of the full findings of the Review Committee mentioned
in section F number 3 of the following MOA:
[1]https://som.rowan.edu/documents/aaup_201...
2. A copy of the communications between Rowan University and
AAUP-BHSNJ regarding the president's determination as mentioned in Section
F number 3 subsection e.
Please be advised that Rowan does not have a finalized report and/or
findings responsive to request #1 above. Further, Rowan has no
communications between itself and AAUP-BHSNJ related to the president’s
determination. A complete and thorough search was done for any responsive
documents. Please reach out with any further questions. Thank you.
Regards,
Elyse
Elyse G. Crawford, Esquire
Assistant General Counsel
Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Road
Glassboro, NJ 08028
Office: (856)256-5113
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail communication and any attachments may
contain confidential and privileged information intended for the
designated recipient(s) named above. If you are not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this
communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination,
distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have
received this communication in error, please notify me immediately by
replying to this message and deleting it from your computer. Thank you.