In our efforts to cover Ithaca College, the writers and editors of The Ithacan frequently request information from the administration — from simple statistics to specific survey results. We believe it is in the best interest of the campus community to have access to information, and we aim to report it as a way to facilitate discussion and allow individuals to make their own judgments on critical issues. While the administration may not always see eye-to-eye on this, it is our job as journalists to always ask.

As often as not, editors are denied access to certain information. Earlier this semester we requested the specific results of the Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For” survey but were denied.

Rochon told our reporter in an e-mail: “We will not be releasing the ‘Great Colleges to Work For’ survey results at any time in the future. It was not envisioned that we would ever make public this information.”
In his Oct. 7 guest commentary, Rochon refers to his misreported quote, “the results will be kept from faculty and staff.” He went on to say that he did not say anything like it. But he did say something exactly like that — just not in the interview.

Rochon wrote that results, conclusions and actions of the survey will be “discussed.” By this he actually means faculty and staff will hear the results he wants to release. Discussing results is not the same thing as releasing them. Discussion gives people the authority to filter and choose what they want the audience to hear.

Once again, the college administration is urged to grant The Ithacan and greater college community access to the results of the “Great Colleges to Work For” survey, to allow all parties equal chance to make their own judgments. Faculty and staff are further urged to request this information on their own.

Faculty and staff are also encouraged to participate in The Ithacan’s survey of the workplace, which will be active at theithacan.org for one more week. Responses will remain anonymous, and the results will be released, in their entirety, to the college community.