Source: http://www.swcenter.edu/foia-information/
Timestamp: 2017-05-26 16:51:55
Document Index: 44403218

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2', '§2', '§ 2', '§2', '§2', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2']

The Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act
Making a Request for records from the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
Your request must ask for existing records or documents. FOIA gives you a right to inspect or copy records; it does not apply to a situation where you are asking general questions about the work of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, nor does it require the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center to create a record that does not exist.
You may choose to receive electronic records in any format used by the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in the regular course of business.
To request records from Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, contact:
Adam L. Tolbert, FOIA Officer
Email: atolbert@swcenter.edu
Phone: 276-619-4366
In addition, the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available to answer any questions you may have about FOIA. The Council may be contacted by e-mail at foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov, or by phone at (804) 225-3056 or [toll free] 1-866-448-4100.
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center’s Responsibilities in Responding to Your Request
The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center must respond to your request within five working days of receiving it. “Day One” is considered the day after your request is received. The five-day period does not include weekends or holidays.
The reason behind your request for public records from the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center is irrelevant, and you do not have to state why you want the records before we respond to your request. FOIA does, however, allow the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center to require you to provide your name and legal address.
FOIA requires that the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center make one of the following responses to your request within the five-day time period:
5) If it is practically impossible for the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center to respond to your request within the five-day period, we must state this in writing, explaining the conditions that make the response impossible. This will allow us seven additional working days to respond to your request, giving us a total of 12 working days to respond to your request.
You may have to pay for the records that you request from the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. FOIA allows us to charge for the actual costs of responding to FOIA requests. This would include items like staff time spent searching for the requested records, copying costs, or any other costs directly related to supplying the requested records. It cannot include general overhead costs.
If you owe us money from a previous FOIA request that has remained unpaid for more than 30 days, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center may require payment of the past-due bill before it will respond to your new FOIA request.
The following is a general description of the types of records held by the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center:
Personnel records concerning employees and officials of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
Records of contracts which the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center has entered into
Records related to meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
If you are unsure whether the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center has the record(s) you seek, please contact the FOIA Officer that is designated in the preceding “Making a Request for records from the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center” section of this document.
The Code of Virginia allows any public body to withhold certain records from public disclosure. The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center commonly withholds records subject to the following exemptions:
Personnel records. Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.1(1)
Scholastic records. Code of Virginia §2.2-3705.4
Records created for use in closed meetings of the Board of Trustees. Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.1 (5)
Letters of recommendation. Code of Virginia §2.2-3705.4(2)
Faculty proprietary information. Code of Virginia §2.2-3705.4(4)
Records subject to attorney-client privilege or attorney work product. Code of Virginia §§ 2.2-3705.1(2) and 2.2-3705.1(3)
Vendor proprietary information. Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.1(6)
Records relating to the negotiation and award of a contract, prior to a contract being awarded. Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.1(12)
Public safety, health and social services. Code of Virginia §§ 2.2-3705.2 and 2.2-3705.5