Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/), Illinois State University is committed to providing transparency through the request of public records. A public record, as outlined by the Act, “means all records, reports, forms, writings, letters, memoranda, books, papers, maps, photographs, microfilms, cards, tapes, recordings, electronic data processing records, electronic communications, recorded information and all other documentary materials pertaining to the transaction of public business, regardless of physical form or characteristics, having been prepared by or for, or having been or being used by, received by, in the possession of, or under the control of any public body” and is subject to appropriate exemptions under the Act.

The University has numerous departments throughout campus, which hold documents that are all subject to FOIA. Due to variations in record keeping practices throughout the University, it is unlikely that all offices will organize their files in the same manner. Additionally, some types of information may be available in more than one office.

Prior to submitting a formal FOIA request – Searching online records

1. An appropriate first step for requesters seeking information is to visit the records management webpage. The University’s records management webpage lists categories of documents maintained by various departments on campus. Although this does not contain a comprehensive list of records, and because records retention practices provide for periodic destruction or archival transfer of information, a listed record may not be in a given office at a particular time.
2. Requesters may also find many readily available documents through an online search of the University’s website or by following the links below.

Documents not found through an online search can be requested by sending an email to publicrecords@ilstu.edu.

Pursuant to Section 3.5(a) of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, the University is required to provide a list of documents or categories of records that are immediately available to the public without filing a formal FOIA request.  

 Some of these public records can be found online on the following webpages:

• Archives
• Board of Trustees Meeting Materials
• Campus Safety and Security Reports
• Current Operating Budget
• Data Center: Reports and Dashboards, Peer Groups, External Data, and Data Archives
• Facilities
• Financial Aid
• Financial Statements
• Giving/Endowment
• Government Relations
• Health Services
• Human Resources
• Metrics of Excellence
• Office of General Counsel
• Police Records
• Policies and Procedures
• Publications
• Purchasing
• Redbird Voter Guide
• Records Management
• Research
• Salaries
• Shared Governance
• Social Media
• Strategic Plan
• Telephone and Email Directory

The Illinois State University FOIA Officer responds to all FOIA requests for the University.

 Submit a FOIA request via:

• Email (preferred) to:
  PublicRecords@IllinoisState.edu
• Postal mail to:
  Molly Hartrup
  FOIA Officer
  Campus Box 1000
  61790-1000
• NOTE: Phone requests are not accepted.

The FOIA Officer manages and processes requests specific to Illinois State. If you seek records from another public entity (for example, Western Illinois University, University of Illinois, or Illinois State Police), you must submit your request directly to them.

Due to volume, we are unable to acknowledge receipt of each FOIA request.  See “Response Time” for processing timelines.

We encourage you to send an electronic copy of the request via email to PublicRecords@IllinoisState.edu. Please note that requests submitted via postal mail may take additional time to be received, therefore delaying the timeline and processes.

Required information when filing

A request filed with Illinois State University should include: 

• The requestor's name
• Complete contact information (name, address, email address that can be used for communication and responsive documents, phone number)
• A clear description of the document(s) being sought
• A statement that you are requesting records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act
• Whether you are a commercial requestor
• If you are requesting records without charge or at a reduced charge
• If you are seeking procurement documents, please specify a vendor name or bid number in your request. If you are unsure of a vendor name or bid number, please search the Illinois Public Higher Education Procurement Bulletin. 

Requests filed under the Act, response letters, and responsive documents are, themselves, public records.

The Freedom of Information Act is designed to allow you to inspect or receive copies of records. By law, Illinois State University is not required to respond to questions submitted by FOIA request.

Illinois State University is committed to providing information in an accessible way. If you have a disability and the format of any record provided in response to a FOIA request interferes with your ability to access that information, please contact the office at (309) 438-3806 or PublicRecords@IllinoisState.edu.

The response period for processing a FOIA is initiated only when a request is received by the Illinois State University FOIA Officer. The first day of the initial five-day period starts the day after a request is received, during regular business hours. 

Due to volume, requests are not acknowledged. The FOIA Officer will respond to the requester within five (5) working days, by providing documents, denying the request, or extending the deadline in accordance with the Act.  The FOIA Officer will respond to commercial requests within 21 working days from receipt of the request.

The response will:

1. Provide the requester an estimate of the time required to comply and an estimate of the fees;
2. Deny the request if the record(s) requested is/are exempt from disclosure;
3. Provide the records requested; or
4. Inform the requester that the request is unduly burdensome and ask the requester if he/she wants to reduce the request to manageable proportions.

Note: It is a violation of the Act for a person to knowingly obtain a public record for a commercial purpose without disclosing it as such.

Any responsive documents may be viewed free of charge in person at a pre-arranged time, or a copy may be obtained for a minimal charge for photocopying (not to exceed $.15/page, no charge for the first 50 black and white copies). If the copies are in color or in a size other than letter or legal sizes, the requester will be charged actual cost for reproducing the records. If the documents are to be sent by postal mail, there will be a charge for reimbursement of postage costs. The FOIA Officer may request pre-payment before printed copies of records are provided in response to a request.

Charges for Commercial Requests

In addition, commercial requesters will be charged $10/hr after the first eight hours of search and retrieval of records.