U of Iowa Baseball Initiation FOIA Request Day 5 Update – Kind of a “good news, bad news” day for this story. We actually received a nice email from someone at UI on Monday, which read:
Mr. Reno,
University of Iowa Sports Information Director Phil Haddy forwarded me your public records request, which he received June 15, because I am the custodian of public records for the UI.
I am checking to see whether we have copies of the photos in question. Otherwise, it appears that the only document that we have regarding this incident is the memo to President Skorton from Prof. Altmaier and Associated Athletic Director Fred Mims.
If that is all there is, I will e-mail a copy to you and there will be no
charge. I should be able to respond fully yet this week.Steve Parrott
Director of University Relations
University of Iowa
The bad news is that we asked for more than just that final report: we also wanted any transcripts of interviews that the investigators did with the baseball team and either they didn’t take any notes, or we didn’t ask for the right thing. Damn! Now we wish we had finished law school . . . or college for that matter. We sent an email back asking for any documents related to the interviews, if any exist. Our guess is that they never put any of it in writing. Either way, we hope to get post that memo to the prez for you later in the week.
BONUS: Bridgewater State College Investigates Alleged Hazing, Uses “Iowa Defense” – The guy at the “Dirty 30” site linked to these pictures and we vaguely remember seeing them, but it’s interesting to see that the BSC athletic director is taking the same investigatory technique with its women’s soccer team that Iowa did with their men’s baseball team: ignore their own hazing policy and clear the team of hazing allegations because a) players weren’t forced to participate and b) the incident happened after the season was over . . . so it couldn’t possibly be hazing, right? Athletic Director John “See No Evil” Harper even went so far as to boast that, “I know hazing when I see it.” While that mildly reassuring and disturbing at the same time, it might help if you read your own policy there John, ’cause there’s nothing in there about when it occurs during the season and, in fact, the last line reads “An individual in alleged violation of the hazing policy may not use consent as a defense to any prosecution.” (Taunton Gazette)
