The Board of Regents that governs NIU is sure to be asked about the firing of CHANCE counselor Martha Palmer during its meetings at NIU today and Thursday. Hopefully, the questions will not fall on deaf ears.

When protesters interrupted a meeting in September, Regent members said they had not been informed about Palmer’s dismissal, which will take effect in December. And that was probably true. But the Palmer incident has received much more attention since September.

By now, the Regents should be fully informed of the Palmer situation. Regent members should have sought information about it prior to this meeting.

Regent members should not say that they have not heard about the situation, and students should not accept that as an answer.

Throughout the incident, the NIU administration has not commented. The issue involves the performance about a specific employee, and it is customary to keep such information confidential.

However, Palmer has brought the issue to the public eye on her own accord. She and her supporters have challenged the credibility of NIU, and as a result, she has effectively forfeited any right to privacy.

NIU officials say Palmer has been informed of the reason for her dismissal. It is no longer an issue between NIU and Martha Palmer. Now it is time the public be informed of the reason as well.

NIU administrators and the Board of Regents have the right to keep the matter closed. But their failure to respond has cast doubts on them. And it is to the benefit of the university community to respond to the allegations.