Northeastern State University

Open Records Act (1985)

As the Oklahoma Constitution recognizes and guarantees, all political power is inherent in the people. Thus, it is the public policy of the state of Oklahoma that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government. The Oklahoma Open Records Act shall not create, directly or indirectly, any rights of privacy or any remedies for violation of any rights of privacy; nor shall the Act establish any procedures for protecting any person from release of information contained in public records. The purpose of this act is to ensure and facilitate the public’s right of access to and review of government records so they may efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power. The privacy interests of individuals are adequately protected in the specific exceptions to the Oklahoma Open Records Act or in statutes which authorize, create or require the records. Except as may be required by other statutes, public bodies do not need to follow any procedures for providing access to public records except those specifically required by the Oklahoma Open Records Act.

Dr. Amber M. Fite, General Counsel & Assistant to the President, is authorized to release public records. If Dr. Fite is unavailable, Mrs. Laura Boren, Dean of Student Affairs, may be contacted.

A copy of the entire Oklahoma Open Records Acts as amended by the Forty-Fifth Oklahoma Legislature in 1996 is available in the Office of Student Affairs, Administration Building 204.