Doug,
    I am not aware of any such request from Acme to UAkron. If I were to get such a request, I would pass it to the legal office before complying. I have little doubt that the request is legal, I would just be cautious in reporting the information.
dick

Doug Easterling wrote:

> The Vice President for Business Operations at my institution has received a letter dated 17Mar00 from Carolyn K Hall, Project Mgr, of Acme Research in Austin, TX, requesting "public spending information, including capital and operating expenditures, for payments made by the Sinclair Community College during your fiscal year 1998-1999."  Specifically, the request is for "the name, address, and total amount paid to any payee other than an employee to whom you have paid more than $10,000.00."  The letter further states that if my institution is "either unable or unwilling to do focus reports" that contain this information, Acme requests instead "electronic transmission of complete warrant record files" for FY99.  Ms. Hall indicates that Acme routinely requests this same information from "over 700 publicly-funded post secondary schools" and is willing to even reimburse my institution for any expenses incurred in complying with Acme's request.  The letter cites the Ohio Public Records Act
> as the basis for this request.
>
> My questions to all of you are:
> 1. Have any of you received this request as well either recently or in the past, or are you aware if any other official at your institution has received this request?
> 2. If so, has you institution either in the past complied with this request or will it be complying with it now?
> 3. Are any of you familiar with Acme Research, particularly with respect to how this firm might be using this requested information.  (A visit to the acmeresearch.com Web site referenced in the letter provides only the message that "This site will be up soon!")
>
> Thanks for any information that you can provide me.
>
> Doug Easterling, Director
> Institutional Planning & Research
> Sinclair Community College
> 444 W 3rd St
> Dayton, OH 45402-1460
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
> phone: 937.512.2352; FAX: 937.512.2049

--
Richard W. Stratton             http://www.uakron.edu/ips
Director
Institutional Research          Voice:  (330) 972-7897
The University of Akron         FAX:    (330) 972-5989
Akron, OH 44325-4712            e-mail  [log in to unmask]