University of Texas, Austin - April 24, 2024 demonstration

Dear Adam Steinbaugh:

Thank you for your interest in the public records of The University of Texas at Austin.
Your request has been given the reference number R006478-042424 for
tracking purposes. Your request is being processed in accordance with Chapter
552 of Texas Government Code, the Public Information Act. We will respond to
you on or before 5/9/2024. Records Requested: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. Any draft (in its native format) of the April 23, 2024 letter to the Palestine Solidarity Committee from the Office of the Dean of Students ("Re: Notice Cancelling Planned Event").

2. Any draft statement by the UT Division of Student Affairs, whether or not made public, drafted on or in preparation for the events of April 24, 2024.

3. Any communications, including text messages, sent or received by the following individuals on April 23 or 24, 2024, which relate to the demonstration on April 24, 2024:
a. Jay Hartzell
b. Sharon L. Wood
c. Nancy Brazzil
d. Emily Reagan
e. Andrea Sheridan

4. Any communications to or from Jay Hartzell, any person employed by the Office of the President, or any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, between April 15, 2024 and April 24, 2024, inclusive.

5. Any communications to or from any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, on or after October 1, 2023, which concerns or mentions "Israel", "Palestine", "anti-semitism", "antisemitism", "anti-semitic", "antisemitic", or "IHRA".

Please also note that this request seeks public records wherever they may be found, including on devices or networks owned or operated by private parties. For example, if an employee uses a personal cell phone or social media account to conduct public business, records created, maintained, or held on the phone or account are public records subject to this request.

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 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Adam Steinbaugh

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
PLEASE NOTE: The Public Information Act, found in Chapter 552 of Texas Government Code, does not require a governmental body to create new
information, to do legal research, or to answer questions.

You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed. Again, thank you for using The University of Texas at Austin Public Information Portal.
The University of Texas at Austin

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST # R006478-042424


Dear Adam Steinbaugh,

The University of Texas at Austin received a public information request from you which provides as follows:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. Any draft (in its native format) of the April 23, 2024 letter to the Palestine Solidarity Committee from the Office of the Dean of Students ("Re: Notice Cancelling Planned Event").

2. Any draft statement by the UT Division of Student Affairs, whether or not made public, drafted on or in preparation for the events of April 24, 2024.

3. Any communications, including text messages, sent or received by the following individuals on April 23 or 24, 2024, which relate to the demonstration on April 24, 2024:
a. Jay Hartzell
b. Sharon L. Wood
c. Nancy Brazzil
d. Emily Reagan
e. Andrea Sheridan

4. Any communications to or from Jay Hartzell, any person employed by the Office of the President, or any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, between April 15, 2024 and April 24, 2024, inclusive.

5. Any communications to or from any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, on or after October 1, 2023, which concerns or mentions "Israel", "Palestine", "anti-semitism", "antisemitism", "anti-semitic", "antisemitic", or "IHRA".

Please also note that this request seeks public records wherever they may be found, including on devices or networks owned or operated by private parties. For example, if an employee uses a personal cell phone or social media account to conduct public business, records created, maintained, or held on the phone or account are public records subject to this request.

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 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Adam Steinbaugh

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Section 552.222 of the Texas Public Information Act permits a governmental body to ask a requestor to clarify or narrow a request for information if the request is unclear or if a large amount of information has been requested. The purpose of this letter is to ask that you clarify or narrow your request by providing us with more information about the particular records you seek. The following paragraph highlights the aspect of your request that we find to be unclear or overly broad.

Regarding the second part of your request, please clarify what you mean by “the events of April 24, 2024”. Are you referring to the protests that took place on campus?

Regarding part 3 of your request, initial searches indicate that the responsive information would be voluminous. The time required to process this amount of information would result in a high cost for you and would likely take months to process. As such, we wish to discuss how the scope of your request might be narrowed to target some smaller set of records.
First, if there is some specific information that you are looking for that may have been included in emails sent or received by the listed individuals, please describe that particular information so that we can conduct a targeted search for it. The more specific you can be about what you are looking for, the more quickly we can determine whether it exists and release it to you.

If there is not some specific information that you are looking for, then we ask that you consider providing more detail regarding the subject matter of your request. There are many aspects of the recent protests that these individuals communicated about (examples include student safety, safety of the public, free speech issues, University rules related to protests, student conduct matters, the involvement of people unconnected to UT Austin, etc.). Is there some specific aspect of the protests that you are looking for communications about? You can either provide a description of the subject matter in which you are interested or provide some keywords that we can search for within his emails.

Regarding parts 4 and 5 of your request, please confirm whether “elected official” includes federal officials in addition to members of Congress. If so, please specify so that we can locate those communications. Any additional detail you can provide about which “elected officials” you intend to be included would be appreciated. Since we do not have a comprehensive list of them, they may be difficult to identify.

Please let us know how you wish to proceed. Upon receipt of your response, we will resume work on your request.  You may deliver your response by replying to this email or by any one of the following means:

By U.S. Mail:
Attn:  Open Records Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box R
Austin, Texas 78713-8918
By Hand Delivery:
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs
Peter T. Flawn Academic Center, Suite 438
2304 Whitis Avenue
Austin, Texas 78712
By Fax:
512-471-1255
Please note that, in accordance with section 552.222 of the Texas Government Code, your request will be considered withdrawn if you do not respond to this request for narrowing and clarification in writing within 61 days from the date of this letter.
If you have any questions, please contact my office at 512-471-8300. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,


Bob Bonner-Davis
Chief Public Information Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs

To view the full details of this request please log into the Public Information Portal. (https://utexas.mycusthelp.com/WEBAPP/_rs/CustomerIssues.aspx)

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RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST # R006478-042424
Dear Adam Steinbaugh,
Following your most recent clarification, we assigned this request to departments and heard back from our Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives regarding parts 4 and 5 of your request. Since these parts of your request ask for all communications between their office and with staff members of Texas elected officials and members of Congress, they anticipate that a substantial percentage of their daily communications will be responsive, since most of their work consists of communicating with those staff, regarding a large variety of issues. In particular, since part 4 of your request isn't limited to communications that include certain keywords or are regarding particular subject matters. Would you be willing to (i) limit parts 4 and 5 of your request to seeking communications with Texas elected officials and members of Congress, excluding their staff, and/or (ii) provide some subject matter to which the communications responsive to part 4 of your request should pertain?
Please note that, in accordance with section 552.222 of the Texas Government Code, your request will be considered withdrawn if you do not respond to this request for narrowing and clarification in writing within 61 days from the date of this message.

If you have any questions, please contact my office at 512-471-8300. Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,
Bob Bonner-Davis
Chief Public Information Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs

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RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST #R006478-042424

Dear Adam Steinbaugh,
Thanks. We believe that those two additional modifications have alleviated their concerns. We'll be in touch!
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact my office at 512-471-8300.
Sincerely,

Bob Bonner-Davis
Chief Public Information Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs

Attachments:
Cost_estimate_-_6478.pdf (https://u8387795.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.PYICgxP3kfgZjR-2B4e9nPlIINUwGHfNi-2BPp9-2BCN-2FY609fo4G9js8yUu0knFxma-2BOtgMBilrP5dVsfGPPTO4YKR-2BA9m3BWhBRHGeHr-2FEbJy-2FwRJLiBxP3n7uiL1LefCJ3HfgTAhMNh-2BHMkSyK1qzpR5a5Mx-2Fq8TBBHb2MdutCBOB6gWhi0HqsdTfI3VMYJU13dyjH4BLhwsvUSlm4olrajiA-3D-3Db8kP_HZlYXJIR1TUwd-2BAaDcKl11vba67PKNtGf3tXVlNdLL6-2F81UyIiex4DEIzNUxxfOTwkfnVWetFAcaNJfdsGnthYFNsrgjYEOmgYFzvqtNMzUj-2FrpoUcmv3K3d77Ft0mCpuFCDzPZF1JD2e-2FuYoj4JtBrktpoqxONWH191kRTfjgKdlAV-2B8Ye3g5K-2FiNXwA8oUfmJZPDXb5aKVyGUJ9g6Bl6SLnRk0RsAmbpv63gcXoTr3SobA-2FvgfKZN1Un1VFYr7LKq5E5DCs-2BVD-2FsJZ9gtUC73wZvMiMNDTNP-2BDiNxve1UGx-2F5b1NQd9BRoatmaxuPBN3DGjm-2BtLWb8pjdq-2FCZm2nghGhzfBmxM19IwCc9iZl3amx2tP45NSDkA-2F89b85Rr)

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RE: Estimation of Costs to Fulfill Request; UT Austin ORR No. R006478-042424

Dear Adam Steinbaugh,

This letter relates to your request for information that was received by The University of Texas at Austin  which provides as follows:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. Any draft (in its native format) of the April 23, 2024 letter to the Palestine Solidarity Committee from the Office of the Dean of Students ("Re: Notice Cancelling Planned Event").

2. Any draft statement by the UT Division of Student Affairs, whether or not made public, drafted on or in preparation for the [protest] events of April 24, 2024.

[NOTE: part 3 of this request was withdrawn] 3. Any communications, including text messages, sent or received by the following individuals on April 23 or 24, 2024, which relate to the demonstration on April 24, 2024:
a. Jay Hartzell
b. Sharon L. Wood
c. Nancy Brazzil
d. Emily Reagan
e. Andrea Sheridan

4. Any communications to or from Jay Hartzell, any person employed by the Office of the President, or any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, between April 15, 2024 and April 24, 2024, inclusive. [Clarification: part 4 limited to communications concerning the demonstrations, police response, or anti-semitism]

5. Any communications to or from any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, on or after October 1, 2023, which concerns or mentions "Israel", "Palestine", "anti-semitism", "antisemitism", "anti-semitic", "antisemitic", or "IHRA". [Clarification: part 5 limited to communications with elected officials themselves; staff excluded]

[NOTE: parts 4 and 5 were limited to communications with Texas officials and members of U.S. Congress.]

Please also note that this request seeks public records wherever they may be found, including on devices or networks owned or operated by private parties. For example, if an employee uses a personal cell phone or social media account to conduct public business, records created, maintained, or held on the phone or account are public records subject to this request.

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 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Adam Steinbaugh

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
We have determined that fulfilling your request will result in the imposition of a charge that exceeds $40.  Therefore, we are providing you with the attached cost estimate as required by section 552.2615 of the Texas Government Code.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bob Bonner-Davis
Chief Public Information Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST # R006478-042424

Dear Adam Steinbaugh,
The University of Texas at Austin received a public information request from you which provides as follows: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. Any draft (in its native format) of the April 23, 2024 letter to the Palestine Solidarity Committee from the Office of the Dean of Students ("Re: Notice Cancelling Planned Event").

2. Any draft statement by the UT Division of Student Affairs, whether or not made public, drafted on or in preparation for the [protest] events of April 24, 2024.

[NOTE: part 3 of this request was withdrawn] 3. Any communications, including text messages, sent or received by the following individuals on April 23 or 24, 2024, which relate to the demonstration on April 24, 2024:
a. Jay Hartzell
b. Sharon L. Wood
c. Nancy Brazzil
d. Emily Reagan
e. Andrea Sheridan

4. Any communications to or from Jay Hartzell, any person employed by the Office of the President, or any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, between April 15, 2024 and April 24, 2024, inclusive. [Clarification: part 4 limited to communications concerning the demonstrations, police response, or anti-semitism]

5. Any communications to or from any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, on or after October 1, 2023, which concerns or mentions "Israel", "Palestine", "anti-semitism", "antisemitism", "anti-semitic", "antisemitic", or "IHRA". [Clarification: part 5 limited to communications with elected officials themselves; staff excluded]

[NOTE: parts 4 and 5 were limited to communications with Texas officials and members of U.S. Congress.]

Please also note that this request seeks public records wherever they may be found, including on devices or networks owned or operated by private parties. For example, if an employee uses a personal cell phone or social media account to conduct public business, records created, maintained, or held on the phone or account are public records subject to this request.

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 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Adam Steinbaugh

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Your payment was received via mail on June 24, 2024. As noted in our estimate, we estimate it will take approximately twenty business days from that date to produce the responsive information. As such, pursuant to section 552.221(d) of the Texas Public Information Act, this email is provided to certify that The University of Texas at Austin does not yet have the information you requested ready for release. At this time, we estimate that The University will have the information ready for you on or before 5:00 p.m. on 7/23/2024. Thank you for your patience in awaiting this information.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact my office at 512-471-8300.
Sincerely,

Bob Bonner-Davis
Chief Public Information Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST Reference # R006478-042424

Dear Adam Steinbaugh,
The University of Texas at Austin received a public information request from you which provides as follows:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

1. Any draft (in its native format) of the April 23, 2024 letter to the Palestine Solidarity Committee from the Office of the Dean of Students ("Re: Notice Cancelling Planned Event").

2. Any draft statement by the UT Division of Student Affairs, whether or not made public, drafted on or in preparation for the [protest] events of April 24, 2024.

[NOTE: part 3 of this request was withdrawn] 3. Any communications, including text messages, sent or received by the following individuals on April 23 or 24, 2024, which relate to the demonstration on April 24, 2024:
a. Jay Hartzell
b. Sharon L. Wood
c. Nancy Brazzil
d. Emily Reagan
e. Andrea Sheridan

4. Any communications to or from Jay Hartzell, any person employed by the Office of the President, or any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, between April 15, 2024 and April 24, 2024, inclusive. [Clarification: part 4 limited to communications concerning the demonstrations, police response, or anti-semitism]

5. Any communications to or from any person employed by the Office of Governmental Affairs and Initiatives, on the one hand, and any elected official (including Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, any member of the Texas legislature, or any Member of Congress) or any member of the staff (such as aides, secretaries, or assistants) of an elected official, on the other hand, on or after October 1, 2023, which concerns or mentions "Israel", "Palestine", "anti-semitism", "antisemitism", "anti-semitic", "antisemitic", or "IHRA". [Clarification: part 5 limited to communications with elected officials themselves; staff excluded]

[NOTE: parts 4 and 5 were limited to communications with Texas officials and members of U.S. Congress.]

Please also note that this request seeks public records wherever they may be found, including on devices or networks owned or operated by private parties. For example, if an employee uses a personal cell phone or social media account to conduct public business, records created, maintained, or held on the phone or account are public records subject to this request.

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 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Adam Steinbaugh

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
The information that is responsive to your request is now available for download on our Public Information Portal. Please login to the Public Information Portal at the following link to retrieve the appropriate responsive documents. Public Information Request - R006478-042424
Note that we have redacted these records under the following provisions of Texas and/or federal law:

The home address, home telephone, cellular telephone, family member, and/or social security number information of employees who elected to withhold their information under Texas Gov’t Code § 552.024;
Email addresses of members of the public as required by Texas Gov’t Code § 552.137 and Open Records Decision No. 684 (2009);
Identifying information of students as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), 20 U.S.C §1232g; and
Information that is subject to the attorney-client and deliberative process privileges under Texas Gov't Code §§ 552.107 and 552.111, respectively.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact my office at 512-471-8300.

Sincerely,
Bob Bonner-Davis
Chief Public Information Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs