-The following is an Open Records Request by Austin Van Zant on March 8, 2007 to the UT System. On March 29, the UT System argued against disclosure of certain documents in a brief to the Attorney General, so Austin Van Zant filed a seperate brief on April 10. The Attorney General made a final decision June 4, 2007 in favor of disclosure.

March 8, 2007

Mr. Barry D. Burgdorf
Vice Chancellor and General Counsel
The University of Texas System
201 West 7th Street
Austin, Texas 78701-2982

Dear Mr. Burgdorf,

Pursuant to the state open records law, Tex. Gov't Code Ann. 552.001 to 552.353, I write to request access to and a copy of any and all documentation of monitoring and/or surveillance and/or "information gathering" on the activist group, as well as each member of, UT Watch conducted by the University of Texas System, including but not limited to the Chancellor's Office, the Board of Regents, and other administration officials. This includes any files or dossiers kept by UT on the group or its individuals, such as myself, from February 2002 until the present. If any copies exist in an electronic format, I would request them at no cost to me. If your agency does not maintain these public records, please let me know who does and include the proper custodian’s name and address.

I agree to pay any reasonable copying and postage fees of not more than $10. If the cost would be greater than this amount, please notify me. Please provide a receipt indicating the charges for each document.

I would request your response within ten (10) days. (Twenty (20) days if my request requires substantial programming or manipulation of data.) If you believe this information is not public, the law requires that you notify me immediately and then seek a formal decision from the Texas Attorney General not later than ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of this request. Tex. Gov't Code Ann. 552.301.

If you choose to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you rely. Also, please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

Please be advised that I am prepared to pursue whatever legal remedy necessary to obtain access to the requested records. Litigation costs and reasonable attorney fees may also be assessed against you.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Austin F Van Zant
PO Box 7080
Austin, TX 78713-7080

[redacted phone number]