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Idaho, Minnesota universities stonewall public records requests for controversial course syllabi | The College Fix

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Idaho, Minnesota universities stonewall public records requests for controversial course syllabi | The College Fix


Key Takeaways

  • The University of Idaho and University of Minnesota denied requests for course syllabi from the American Accountability Foundation, claiming syllabi are protected as intellectual property or trade secrets under state laws.
  • The AAF argued that the universities’ justifications for withholding the syllabi misinterpret state laws and the definition of trade secrets, which require economic value and reasonable secrecy efforts.
  • Both universities offered limited alternatives, such as in-person inspection of the documents, which the AAF deemed insufficient based on previous court rulings affirming the public’s right to access such records.

The University of Idaho and the University of Minnesota refused to provide class syllabi to a conservative research group that submitted requests under the respective states’ public records laws. 

In the case of UI, the American Accountability Foundation requested syllabi for Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and four Ecology of Health & Medicine–Foundations courses. In its demand letter to the university, AAF said the courses were “related to how the University of Idaho has changed its practices to comply with Idaho anti-DEI laws.”

The university “denied the request with respect to the syllabi on the grounds that they are ‘trade secrets’ exempt from disclosure under the Idaho Public Records Act. The university is wrong,” the demand letter to the school’s chief compliance officer states. 

UI spokesperson Jodi Walker told The College Fix that the university’s “Board of Regents has outlined in policy that syllabi are intellectual property.” 

“U of I policy is written to follow that state policy. Therefore, we do believe syllabi are protected under patent, trademark, copyright or other laws and are not subject to disclosure as a public record,” she said. 

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However, the foundation urged the school to pay closer attention to the state law’s definition of a trade secret, which requires it to derive “independent economic value” from “not being readily ascertainable by proper means” and to be protected by reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy.

The foundation also requested syllabi copies for University of Minnesota’s courses of Human Sexuality; Justice, Law, and Medicine; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health; and Sexual and Gender Health in Clinical Practice.

According to the foundation’s demand letter to UMN, the school refused the request “because the syllabi ‘are copyrighted and protected intellectual property.’” 

However, it did offer to “‘provide [AAF] with an opportunity to inspect the data in-person.’”

The research group called this response “inadequate.” 

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It pointed to a Minnesota Court of Appeals case in which the State Colleges and Universities system was barred from denying a public records request for syllabi solely on copyright grounds. In that case, the system had similarly “offered to allow the plaintiff to ‘inspect’ the syllabi in person—a mirror of [UMN’s] response.” 

The court “breezily rejected that unsupported argument,” the foundation noted.

The College Fix reached out to the University of Minnesota’s media relations team twice to ask the university’s thoughts on the relation between this case and their own, but received no response.

Matt Ehling, treasurer for Minnesotans for Open Government, told The College Fix in an interview that UMN’s offer for inspection but refusal to copy is “frustrating” and “suspect” since the university owns the copyright.

Ehling said that while there would have been some merit to the university’s claim if the copyright were owned by another, there is no excuse for the current state of affairs. 

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Ehling said “they absolutely have the right to waive their copyright claim to produce copies of their own material.”

He also pointed to a 1995 opinion from the Minnesota Attorney General, which states that a department cannot use copyright as a reason to block the public’s right to inspect and copy public records “at reasonable times and places” under Minnesota law.

The foundation gave both universities a hard deadline of June 12 to provide the requested documents. If the universities persist “in violating [their] statutory obligations” under the states’ respective laws,” the foundation reserves its rights to seek all appropriate relief [in] court,” the group wrote.

MORE: ‘BIPOC’ language scrubbed from geoscience fellowship after College Fix questions

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Vandals smash car windows in St. Louis Park neighborhood

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Vandals smash car windows in St. Louis Park neighborhood


Neighbors along a three-block stretch in St Louis Park, Minnesota, say vandals smashed car windows early Sunday morning along Quentin Avenue.

A spokesperson for the City of St. Louis Park said officers took 18 reports of vehicle tampering and stolen property around 5 in the morning. The city wouldn’t confirm how many cars were hit, but said the investigation is ongoing.

“I was just pulling out and I had to swerve and avoid all the glass on the street because most cars on this block had their windows smashed,” said Nachshown Fertel. 

While Fertel’s car wasn’t damaged, a car parked across the street was smashed across the windshield. Two others were missing windows. 

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“Obviously, it’s expensive to repair and we don’t know who did it,” Fertel said. “We all have Ring cameras, but since most of them were on the street, only a few people caught glimpses of it.”

Two blocks away, WCCO talked to a man with four damaged cars sitting outside his home. He said all the windows on his family cars were smashed early in the morning, but no one got away with anything valuable. He called the whole ordeal upsetting.

Aharon Harkavy spent part of Sunday cleaning up shattered glass in his driveway. He said neighbors have had issues with stolen cars and some break-ins in the past, but this string of damage felt like an escalation. 

“This needs to stop, the police need to really do something about it,” he said. 

Back in May, Minneapolis police were investigating a string of break-ins on the southwest side of the city.  That followed 30 cars hit by vandals in April over an 8-hour span. Last summer in Minneapolis, there were roughly 475 vehicle break-ins in 30 days between July and August. 

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Fertel said many of his neighbors in St. Louis Park attend the same synagogue and the community came together to help with repairs. 

“I went over to the rabbi and I said, ‘Can we start a fund?’” Fertel explained. “I got a few people to donate. We pulled together some funds to help people pay for the damage.”



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Twins 6, Yankees 1: A new morning in Twins Territory

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Twins 6, Yankees 1: A new morning in Twins Territory


Yesterday, Americans attended barbecues, tore around on jet skis, and partied under fireworks for the country’s 250th birthday. Or, they took their sister’s Goldendoodle on 12 miles worth of walks, then got takeout supper and continued a Star Trek: The Original Series re-watch (& checked in on the Rocky & Twilight Zone marathons). Freedom, and all that.

But as was once said about President Ronald Reagan, it’s a new morning in America. What would the sunrise bring for MN? Well, how about 250 years of Minnesota Twins dominance over the New York Yankees!

After boat-racing the Yanks yesterday, the Twins got off to a fast start in this contest too when New York SP Ryan Weathers’ first offering was slapped into RF by Austin Martin for a double. This was quickly followed by a newly-minted-All-Star Byron Buxton single and it looked like MN would never make an out against NYY again—until Kody Clemens K’d and Buck was caught stealing for the first time since 5/1/24. Ugh. You also won’t hear Buxton’s name again in this recap until the Duds (double ugh).

Fortunately, Josh “Liberty” Bell saved the rally with a ringing (heh, heh) single that NY RF Max Schuemann couldn’t quite reel in. 1-0 MN.

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As also-newly-minted-All-Star SP Joe Ryan looked sharp foiling Yankee bats in the early goings, the Twins went back on the attack in T4: a Royce Lewis walk led to his advance to 2B on a wild pitch which led to his coming around to score on a Brooks Lee base knock. 2-0 MN.

Right back on the attack in T5: the Twins loaded the bases with two outs and Lewis didn’t fall into the trap—instead knocking a solid single up the middle to drive two visitors across home plate! 4-0 MN.

Then, some circus baseball in T6: an Anthony Volpe error at shortstop…a horrible Luke Keaschall bunt that someone resulted in a hit…a bases-loaded walk to Martin…a well-struck Clemens sac fly. Boo birds were echoing through Yankee Stadium 3.0. 6-0 MN.

Meanwhile, the reason no Yankee offense has been discussed heretofore is because Ryan continued his Bronx brilliance. New York put a couple runners on base with two outs in B7, but our oh-so-much-more-than-average Joe made Amed Rosario look foolish on a filthy slider for this final line: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K.

Andrew Morris hurled a crisp, clean 8th inning, followed by Yoendrys Gomez losing the battle (shutout effort) but winning the war (ballgame) in the 9th.

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Your Final: Minnesota Twins 6, New York Yankees 1

The Twins exorcised some demons by winning road series against the Astros & Yankees (the latter of those the first time since 2014). A new morning, indeed! Time for Goldendoodle walk number two on the day—with a smile on my face all the way.



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Summer heat and humidity continue in Minnesota with low storm chances midweek

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Summer heat and humidity continue in Minnesota with low storm chances midweek



Sunday will feature more sunshine in Minnesota, but it stays hot and humid with highs staying in the mid 80s.

Sunday through Tuesday will be dry. The start of the next workweek will feature slightly humid conditions, and high temperatures will be closer to 90.

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WCCO


There’s also a chance of storms between the middle and end of the coming week.



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