1. Do you believe Baylor should disclose to the Baylor Family the facts uncovered in the Pepper Hamilton investigation while taking appropriate steps to protect the privacy of victims and confidential witnesses, and that the Board of Regents should provide an accounting of its subsequent decisions and rationale?

Answer: Above all, the dignity and privacy of victims and confidential witnesses should be protected. Yes, increasingly more open communication and transparency from the University and its Regents are what most alumni expect. If there is more information that exists that helps cast greater insight so that the victims and Baylor family can heal, it should be discussed openly.And, let me be very clear my heart breaks for any victim of sexual harassment and assault. It takes an immense amount of bravery to come forward and to seek assistance and justice. They deserve nothing short of the utmost care and respect.

2. Pepper Hamilton made several recommendations that strongly suggest problems with Board governance. For example, Pepper Hamilton recommended corrections to unspecified “governance issues,” “actual or perceived conflicts of interest” on the board, and a failure by some regents to “remain within appropriate reporting protocols and lines of communication when addressing members of the administration and the Athletics Department.” Do you believe Baylor should disclose to the Baylor Family the fact upon which those recommendations were based?

Answer: Transparency and accountability are realities that most alumni want from the University and its Regents. It is reasonable and right to clearly communicate details how conflict of interest can be stopped and where and how governance can be improved. In the absence of information, alumni and non-alumni are left to speculate and make assumptions.

3. Do you believe regent meetings should be conducted in open session with limited exceptions for private discussion of legal advice and other sensitive matters?

Answer: I am not an expert on governance. Nevertheless, there are many examples where governing bodies have executive sessions for sensitive and confidential matters and then have open sessions for constituents and where the agenda and mechanisms for dialogue are communicated and established. A model like this might satisfy the need to handle confidential matters and increased transparency.

4. Do you believe Baylor should provide a full accounting of the financial impact that the sexual assault scandal has had on the university?

Answer: A full accounting of the financial impact is nearly impossible to calculate when one considers the effect of the scandal on both the bottom-line, top-line and in perception costs. Looking forward, I trust there will be increased openness to the financial health of the University as well as open communication about how it is investing to support all students and administration to increase the academic excellence of Baylor and to ensure nothing like the sexual assault scandal happens again.

Steve Mitchell replied: