The SRA Symposium - College of Medicine

Symposium Futures
Abstract for Future Symposium Paper
2005 Symposium
Annual Meeting of the Society of Research Administrators International
Milwaukee, WI
October 16-19, 2005
Principal Author: Cindy Kiel, J.D., CRA
Author Affiliation: Director, Office of Sponsored Projects
University of Nevada, Reno
Author Email: ckiel@unr.edu
Author Address: Office of Sponsored Projects
University of Nevada, Reno
204 Ross Hall MS/325
Reno, NV 89557
Secondary Authors: None.
Title: FOIA and the FAR: Fear or Freedom
Abstract:
Symposium Future Proposals
The Federal Open Information Act “FOIA” was passed to provide the people of the United States
with the knowledge and information to govern themselves and to prevent government abuses.
FOIA excepted from disclosure information that had the potential to harm national security.
The chosen method to protect national security was via the classification system. However, since
September 2001, passage of the Patriot Act, promulgation of Homeland Security regulations and
simultaneous transitions in funding opportunities and funding priorities at the federal level, many
sponsoring agencies have been including data, publication, and foreign national restrictions in
their contract clauses and guidelines. These restrictions seem, on their face, to be in conflict with
the spirit and language of FOIA classification requirements. A paper is under development for
submission in 2006 that will discuss the conflict of freedom versus national security and delves
into the nature of security provisions for “unfoiable” information, the hierarchy of federal requirements,
and finally, the impact of these additional security provisions on research institutions and
academic freedom.
2005 Symposium Proceedings Book 279