In order to speak before the Board of Trustees, President Lee Todd, a committee and the full board must approve the request — all in a 30 hour time frame.

The agenda does not become available to the public until 9 a.m. the day before the BOT meetings take place. The request must be approved by the time of the meeting the next day.

After the Oct. 27 meeting, which decided upon the naming of the new Wildcat Coal Lodge, a large number of students and community members were denied a chance to speak due to the lack of permission.

The policy, Administration Regulation 1:2, has been in effect since September 1970.

“It’s been in place for 39 years, so obviously it’s working,” said UK spokesman Jimmy Stanton.

Since UK deals with a variety of issues that are placed on different levels of importance to different campus members, Stanton said all issues cannot be discussed.

“Without something like this in place, the board wouldn’t be able to do regular business,” Stanton said.

Finance professor Joe Peek attempted to revise the policy.  His request was rejected.

The request to revise the policy  was sent to the president via e-mail and was answered by Barbara Jones, general counsel in the UK Central Legal Office. In the response, Jones forwarded the request to the Regulations Review Committee, but warned Peek his request would have to go through several constituencies, including the University Senate, the Staff Senate and the Student Government Association, before a draft was sent to the President and the board.

“It’s a big, black hole, why would you think they would do anything about it, because they don’t need to,” Peek said. “Why do you think they’d change? They’ve got a cozy situation.”

In a later e-mail to Peek, Jones said everyone who wants to speak considers their personal or professional issue of utmost importance. Peek said the Wildcat Coal Lodge issue was not personal.

“That was a bigger issue, it wasn’t about a person … it was of general interest (to the campus),” Peek said.

Stanton and Jones said all board members are available by e-mail to the community.

However, Peek said if the board and President Todd “disappear into the back room and hide,” they would not care about any other issues from the community.

“The ones who proposed the new name … (are) the ‘Difference Makers,’ ”  Peek said.  “How would you refer to the trustees?  The indifference makers.

“Why is anyone going to care?”

Rules to appear before BOT:

— Request submitted to president.

— President determines if subject matter is relevant.

— President refers matter to a committee appointed by a chairperson of the board.

— Committee will fix a time for petitioner to appear before the Committee.

— Committee reports conclusions to the full board.

— The full board will then determine if they will hear the petitioner at a set time and place.