The discovery of several 2013 contracts given to “a prominent GOP consultant for polling and social-media services” by the University of Iowa has caused controversy and brings renewed emphasis on calls for transparency that have plagued current University President Bruce Harreld since his recent appointment.
The discovery was made by the Associated Press in a request for public records, and the findings hint at potential favoritism on the part of the university with influential Republican insiders. Several details surrounding the brokerage of the contracts have raised questions of ulterior motive or incentive for the obscure pretenses.
The contracts were given to Matt Strawn, a former chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, and in order to do so, the university diverged from the accepted practice of competitive bidding. Competitive bidding would guarantee the best rates for the services in question and prevent the distribution of contracts to business for motivations other than ensuring the most reasonable price for the university. Furthermore, several services were subcontracted and “coordinated through two vendors with prominent Republican Party ties,” which does little to quell suspicions of partisanship. Jim Anderson, a former executive director of the Iowa Republican Party, founded the company Wholecrowd, which has contributed software to Strawn’s service.
The rationale for awarding the no-bid contracts instead of competitively bidding them was that Strawn’s company offers a “unique service,” but the UI has objected to releasing the results of the polling service conducted across the state. The contract awarded to Strawn’s company fell just $100 below the cap that would have required other vendors to give quotes for their services. The polling requested by the UI was an “effort to understand and improve its image,” but questionable business maneuvers made to ascertain this information almost seems counterintuitive.
The reputation of the university is its most valuable asset. Regardless of whether favoritism is at play here, the mere implication is detrimental to the public standing of the UI. Unfortunately, the stakes are too high for a prestigious public university such as the university to allow for even the appearance of preferentiality; public opinion is just as influential to the maintenance as the inner workings.
Harreld has learned this the hard way so far during his term with statements he’s made, such as one in a Staff Council meeting suggesting professors “should be shot” if they come to their class unprepared to teach their curricula. We should hope the statement was made in jest, but it does speak to a larger issue that seems to have eluded the new president, and he has taken steps to try to resolve it, including paying for a media adviser out of his own pocket.
It is the responsibility of those involved in any degree in the university to keep in mind public opinion of their actions and statements. A university is not defined solely by the campus, resources, or students, but rather the meticulously curated appearance crafted around the aforementioned factors. Transparency, accountability, and responsibility are all pivotal elements in the smooth running of the UI and must remain at the forefront of the collective mind of those in power.