Regents announce release of future meeting minutes

The Governance Review Task Force and the decision to post meeting minutes surround the Bears for Leadership Reform meeting, held on Nov. 10 and the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. Photo credit: Morgan Kilgo

By Gavin Pugh | Digital Managing Editor

Baylor Board of Regents chairman Ron Murff announced Tuesday that the board will begin releasing the minutes of all their future quarterly meetings as well as meeting agendas.

“We are committed to taking immediate action to increase transparency such as posting agendas and minutes of our quarterly meetings,” Murff said. “There will be more announcements in the near future toward achieving this goal.”

The statement was posted on “The Facts,” Baylor’s website in response to the sexual assault scandal.

The announcement comes just days after the Bears for Leadership Reform meeting took place. In the meeting, donors, former regents, alumni, faculty and staff held a discussion regarding necessary steps the board needs to make in regard to transparency. Former Texas Gov. Mark White was in attendance and spoke of an email interim President David Garland sent to faculty and staff on Wednesday announcing a new Governance Review Task Force.

“I think what we saw happen at Baylor is a result of this meeting,” White said. “They said they’re going to do something … It’s important we put urgency to this … We want change, and we want it now.”

Former head football coach Art Briles has been cast in public spotlight again as news surfaced that he was aware of at least one incident of sexual assault and did not report it to Judicial Affairs. The assault was a gang rape on a female student-athlete by five football players.

Briles spoke with ESPN in September and acknowledged his role in the sexual assault scandal.

“”There were some bad things that happened under my watch,” Briles told ESPN. “And for that, I’m sorry.”