I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere on DU...
http://www.news.wisc.edu/19196April 1, 2011
Stephan Thompson
Republican Party of Wisconsin
148 East Johnson Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Dear Mr. Thompson:
I am writing on behalf of and as legal counsel for the University of Wisconsin-Madison in response to your records request e-mailed to me and dated March 17, 2011. By that request, you seek various e-mails written or received by UW-Madison Professor William Cronon through his university e-mail account beginning on January 1, 2011. You specifically seek e-mails that reference 20 words, terms and names of individuals that all appear to be related to current political events in Wisconsin.
At our request, Professor Cronon immediately undertook a search of all of his accumulated e-mails for the specific words, terms and names as you stated them in your request. The university’s legal staff then reviewed all of the identified e-mails to determine which ones must be made available to you pursuant to the Wisconsin Public records law. Those determinations have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate university officials. Copies of the records determined to be available to you under the law are enclosed.
<Snip>
You should further note that the e-mails that we have reviewed contain absolutely no evidence of political motivation, contact from individuals outside normal academic channels or inappropriate conduct on the part of Professor Cronon. The university finds his conduct, as evidenced in the e-mails, beyond reproach in every respect. He has used his university e-mail account appropriately and legitimately. He has not used his university e-mail account for any inappropriate political conduct. In fact, none of the e-mails contained any reference whatsoever to any of the specific political figures that you identified (except Governor Scott Walker), nor do they in any way reference the proposed recall efforts.
The university is not producing the following categories of records for the following reasons:
1. Records related to students. snip
2. Records related to potential students. snip
3. Records related to professional organizations. snip
4. Personal communications. snip
5. Intellectual communications among scholars. snip
6. Communications related to personnel matters. snip
The university is required to inform you that to the extent that this amounts to a denial of your request, it is subject to review by mandamus under sec. 19.37(1), Wis. Stats., or upon application to the Attorney General or District Attorney.
Sincerely,
John C. Dowling
Senior University Legal Counsel