Judge tells Rutgers to hand over details on athletic spending to union [View all]

A Superior Court Judge ordered Rutgers University to turn over information about how much money they are spending on athletics programs after a faculty union went to court to get detailed financial data under the state’s Open Public Records Act.

Judge Alberto Rivas said that Rutgers improperly denied a request by a union representing full-time faculty members and other graduate workers and postdoctoral associations that could offer insights over the financial implications of athletics on the rest of the university.

“Rutgers is a public institution and should freely share information about its finances with the Rutgers community and the people of New Jersey,” said Rebecca Givan, the president of AAUP-AFT. “Nobody should have to sue to get basic transparency from their own public institution.”

According to the union, Rutgers athletics had an estimated shortfall of $57.2 million during the last school year and those losses are covered by academic programs and mandatory student fees.

Read more: https://newjerseyglobe.com/education/judge-tells-rutgers-to-hand-over-details-on-athletic-spending-to-union/