Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Tim Davis, Jamey Hansen, Tim Frerking, Chris Mende and Keesia Wirt.

The Daily’s agreement of understanding with the university has finally been signed and made public. For many months, members of the local media (including this editorial board) have been requesting that information about the agreement be made public. But it remained in closed session until this week.

We are happy that it’s been made public, but we still question the secrecy. As many of you know, the Daily and the university have been having some legal entanglements with the Ames Daily Tribune — our closest competitor. Business-wise, it makes sense to try to keep them from learning about the agreement. But they weren’t. The university allowed them to view the agreement and comment about certain provisions.

If it wasn’t hidden from the Tribune, why was it hidden from the Daily editorial department, the rest of the media and the public? As has been said all along, it only formalizes the traditional relationship between the Daily and the university. The specifics of the agreement are not all that controversial or even important to the average student.

To our knowledge, the Daily Publication Board didn’t break any rules by keeping it secret. But it wasn’t necessary to do so. Had it been in the open, we — the editorial board — wouldn’t have had a problem, and most likely, neither would the Publications Board.