VMI Speakers
| Tracking # |
24-92 |
| Submitted | Dec. 2, 2024 |
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Communications
From: Anonymous
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
All records from April 2024 to the date of this request of communications, coordination, contracts, quotes, proposals, purchase orders, agreements or other arrangements for cadets, staff, and faculty training, workshops, presentations, instruction and/or other offerings from any outside person, organization and/or contractor that are or will be applicable for services provided during the 2024 – 2025 academic year. Scope is regardless if the services were provided or not. These records are between any member of the VMI Faculty or staff including, without limitation, the VMI Procurement Office, Superintendent’s Office, Human Resources Office, Inspector General/Title IX office, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office and/or any others involved in the identification, selection, coordination, acquisition and delivery of trainings, workshop(s), presentations and/or instruction regardless if they are purchased and/or provided at no cost. This includes and/or any coordination and/or procurements and/or sessions completed or ongoing regardless if agreements were reached or not and/or if training, workshops, presentations, instruction and/or other offerings were provided, not provided or are planned. The scope of this request includes, without limitation any and all speaker bios and proposed or provided presentations, trainings, workshop structures, topics and/or programs of instruction. A the minimum these should include, without limitation, BigSpeak Inc.,Campus Outreach Services Inc.,Kara Dixon Vuic,Raven Solomon Enterprises LLC,Rainbow Bridge,NewPoint Strategies,Modern Military Association,Passageways, Inc.,Visions,Woods Rogers PLC. For the purpose of this FOIA “Records” are defined as any public record subject to disclosure under the Va. FOIA including any writing or recording, paper record, electronic file, audio, video recording, or any other format. This term shall mean all relevant data and information in the Custodian’s possession defined in [a] Requester’s General Subject of Inquiry and [b] Specific Subjects of Inquiry including but not limited to letters, notes, drafts, legal instruments, proposals, marketing materials from vendors, contracts, telephone transcripts, email correspondence, drawings and tables. Includes, without limitation, any and all forms of memorialized information, whether written, graphic, computerized, or stored electronically or on tape. This definition specifically includes, but is not limited to, drafts, originals, copies, handwritten notes or comments, letters, correspondence, e-mails, records of discussions, memoranda, telegrams, telephone logs and records, teletypes, appointment books, meeting agenda or minutes, reports, briefings, presentations, studies, analyses, communications with government bodies, interoffice and intra-office communications with any party whatsoever, computer programs and printouts, social media communications, including, but not limited, to FaceTime, Instagram, FaceBook.com, text messages, and other records or voice records, films or tapes As well as any screenshots or other record showing calls of which there are no other records were made.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Tom Nash, a citizen of Virginia, in coordination with Anonymous.
From: Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
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From: Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
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Record request #24-92 has been published and is now available for public view.
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From: Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
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A message was sent to you regarding record request #24-92:
In accordance with Code of Virginia § 2.2-3704 (4.), it is not practically possible to provide the requested records or to determine whether they are available within the five-work-day period due volume of requests. As such, VMI will require up to an additional seven business days to respond to your request.
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From: Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
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A message was sent to you regarding record request #24-92:
After consultation with the individuals responsible for the information you requested, I have determined that the estimated cost of fulfilling your request is $578.16. As you may be aware, § 2.2-3704. F. of the Code of Virginia allows public bodies to charge for accessing, duplicating, supplying, redacting or searching for the requested records. This estimate reflects the following:
* Procurement Assistant Director: 1.5 hrs @$66.23 per hour
* Procurement Assistant: 8 hrs @ $26.52 per hour
* FOIA Assistant: 2 hrs @ $23.34 per hour
* Financial Services Specialist: 4 hrs @ $23.86 per hour
* Adams Center Administrative Assistant: 2 hrs @ $24.40
* Modern Languages and Cultures Admin. Asst.: 0.5 hrs @ $19.09 per hour
* FOIA Officer: 1.5 hrs @ $66.20 per hour
Please let us know if you agree to the estimated cost. If you do, we will send you an invoice and, once we receive payment, will begin to process your request.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at Virginia Military Institute.<br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href="https://www.nextrequest.civicplus.help/hc/en-us/categories/17720084172567-Requesters">help page</a>
From: Anonymous
Please provide your justification why this request teakes 2 hours of tiem from a FOIA assistant AND 1.5 hours from the FOIA officer him/herself (total of 3.5 hours) just to send out the request for the records, receive the responses, do a review of what should be routine files kept as part of doing business, and simply uploading them to the system? What specific tasks are being performed that result in what appears to be an excessive workload estimate?
Also, when contracts are automated in the eVA system and should be on the VMI Procurment website, why is there a requirement for 1.5 hours of a Procurment assistant director AND 8 hours (one full day) fir a procurment assistant? What specific tasks are each performing?
While I await your responses and justification to the questions above, I would like to initially scope my request to the following that should reduce or eliminate any costs.
Initiall scope the records to the period May 2024 to the date of this response for: Raven Solomon Enterprises LLC,Rainbow Bridge,NewPoint Strategies,Modern Military Association.
From: Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
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A message was sent to you regarding record request #24-92:
In addition to procurement records, your initial request asked for records related to "... communications, coordination..." of "... cadets, staff, and faculty training, workshops, presentations, instruction... " While contracts and other procurement records would be publicly available on the eVA website, the communications and coordination records would not. Since tracking down these records includes many offices around post, this is what constitutes the time of the FOIA assistant. The time for the procurement staff constitutes their estimate for searching for identifying contracts related to "training, workshops, presentations, instruction" and to search for communication and coordination of said contracts. The FOIA officer reviews all records prior to their release to the public.
Per your instruction, your request will be revised to include records related to Raven Solomon Enterprises LLC, Rainbow Bridge, NewPoint Strategies, and Modern Military Association between May 1, 2024, and January 5, 2025. A new estimate will be provided if the subject matter experts determine the request will cost more than $50.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at Virginia Military Institute.<br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href="https://www.nextrequest.civicplus.help/hc/en-us/categories/17720084172567-Requesters">help page</a>
From: Anonymous
Thank you.
From: Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
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Record request #24-92 has been closed. The closure reason supplied was:
Records responsive to your revised request are available at the link below:
https://vmi.box.com/s/ocrgzer2xzdv4cqbhbeszdfmh59rij6a
Other responsive records not included in the link could not be found or do not exist.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at Virginia Military Institute.<br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href="https://www.nextrequest.civicplus.help/hc/en-us/categories/17720084172567-Requesters">help page</a>
