Several state organizations have raised concerns about the University's request to maintain donor anonymity, despite laws that such information is to be made public.
At Monday's meeting of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, the University asked for the Council to make an exception concerning preexisting public policy, according to the Council's staff attorney Alan Gernhardt. Generally, he said, all public records are open, but the University wants certain exemptions to be made to respect donor requests.
According to University spokesperson Carol Wood, these exemptions would enable donors and potential donors to keep their information confidential if they so choose, such as their name and the amount of the donation.
She said there are three primary reasons why donors request that their information be kept private: They don't want to be contacted by other organizations asking for money; they have children currently attending the University; or they don't want their spouse to know about any donations.
About 1.5 percent of current donors, or roughly 1,400 people, have requested their names be kept private, Wood said. These 1,400 people represent $75 million in donations.
"It is our belief that if we could not guarantee them anonymity, we might be at risk of losing future gifts," Wood said.
The University's request comes as officials are in the middle of a $3 billion Capital Campaign. The money being donated towards the campaign is intended to fund new infrastructure, academic programs and professors' salaries.
Several groups including the Virginia Press Association, the Virginia Association of Broadcasters and the Virginia Coalition for Open Government have expressed opposition to the University's request to withhold some information from the public, .
"This is a public university," said Jennifer Perkins, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government. "We want to see transparency."
Perkins said the University is proposing two exemptions. One would keep private the large database of personal information that the University keeps on current and prospective donors. According to Perkins, the University keeps very detailed information about their alumni, such as their jobs and addresses. The other exemption would simply allow donors who request anonymity to have their names kept private from public access.
The University is already allowed to keep private the names and personal information of donors who give money to private foundations affiliated with the University, said Ginger Stanley, executive director of the Virginia Press Association. What makes the Capital Campaign situation different is that donations are being made to a public organization administered by public officials and are subject to public audit.
"Taxpayers should know," Stanley said. "They should see how these dollars are being spent."
The Council meeting was an opportunity for both sides to voice opinions and concerns, but no definitive solution was reached.
"The Council has not taken a position regarding the exemptions," Gernhardt said, noting that it instead advised the different concerned organizations to form a work group to try to determine a solution.
All groups involved expressed optimism that a solution would be reached before the next Council meeting Dec. 3.
"I feel that reasonable people can come to a good compromise," said Stanley.
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