The Government of the Student Body has tackled various senate and committee issues in closed executive session this term because, some GSB representatives said, the actions of public officials are not always public information.

GSB officials said executive sessions are necessary and legal under the Iowa open meetings and open records laws to discuss personnel and internal issues.

“Roberts [Rules of Order] says we should do it, and the open meetings laws say it makes sense,” said Alex Olson, vice chairman of the GSB Finance Committee. “So, we did it.”

Committee investigations have been conducted in executive session, and the GSB senate closed its debate Wednesday night of a senate order to remove Paul Duncan from the GSB Finance Committee.

“There are some things no one else needs to hear about when you’re in the senate, especially when you’re considering removing a member,” said Charlie Johnson, speaker of the senate. “That is a really serious thing to deal with.”

Although no votes can take place in closed session, some students are concerned elected officials would conduct business in executive session, which eliminates press coverage and public knowledge of the debate.

Alex Rodeck, off campus, left the executive session at the last senate meeting because he said he does not think “privatized” meetings are fair.

However, GSB Finance Director Steve Medanic said discussions dealing with personnel may be kept secret to protect the opinions of the senators and committee members.

“There’s no reason to drag someone through the mud unnecessarily,” he said. “This was an internal issue, and I feel it was fully justified.”

The finance committee, which has been conducting an investigation of the men’s hockey club, has called executive session to keep the interviews open and free of the fear of repercussions, Medanic said.

“I believe that executive session allows people to speak freely without worrying that this person or that person that is above them in an organization will hear about it,” he said.

Johnson, who is heading an internal investigation of the appointment committee by the rules committee, said executive session is used for “the protection of everyone who was directly involved.”

“Because of the sensitivity of the material that we are dealing with, executive session is usually used to protect the people who are testifying in front of a committee and to protect committee members’ opinions of things that are of a sensitive nature,” he said. “It hasn’t simply been a secrecy thing.”

Vice Speaker Greg Tew, who also is a member of the rules committee, said GSB has not abused its rights to hold executive session, although it has been called in at least three separate occasions so far this term.

“Often times, in any elected body, there are matters that are completely internal to the body and need to be discussed in a forum that allows only members of the body to be present,” he said.

Johnson said that although students have the right to know about issues in GSB that affect them, not all GSB business should be public.

“When you are in public service, you are a public person and most of what you say is public,” he said. “But, when it directly affects the lives of a certain person or group of people for conduct issues, then there’s really no reason for anyone else to be involved. I take issue with the fact that everyone has to know everything.”