Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Transparency and accountability are priorities of Chicago State University and the State of Illinois. As a state institution, the University is subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which provides public access to most government documents and records.

The Chicago State University FOIA Officer processes all requests for records received by the University in accordance with FOIA. The FOIA Officer may be reached as follows:

Kendra N. Moore, Esq., MPA
FOIA Officer
Office of Legal Affairs
9501 S. King Drive, ADM 318
Chicago, IL 60628
Email: kmoore60@csu.edu
Office: (773) 995-3582

FOIA Requests

CSU Employee FAQs about FOIA

Tips for making a records request to Chicago State University under FOIA:

As permitted by law, for administrative and environmental purposes, we prefer but do not require FOIA requests to be submitted via email to FOIA@csu.edu.
Oral requests, whether submitted by telephone or otherwise, are not accepted.
Requests not submitted via email should be directed to the address of the FOIA Officer listed above.

Every FOIA request, regardless of submission method, should include the following information for Chicago State University:

The requestor’s preferred name.
An address to which the requested records may be sent.
Contact information with which Chicago State University may reach the requestor with any questions
A clear description of the record(s) being sought.
A statement that the records are being requested under FOIA.
A statement whether the request is being made for a “commercial purpose” as defined under FOIA.
If applicable, a request for a reduced or waived fee as described in FOIA.

Chicago State University, through the FOIA Officer or their designee, will respond to all records requests received under FOIA in writing as prescribed by FOIA.

Fees

In accordance with FOIA, Chicago State University reserves the right to charge fees and costs to a requestor as follows:

If paper copies of records are requested, the first 50 standard sized, black and white pages are free, and any additional pages are 15 cents a page. For color copies or unusually sized copies, the University charges the actual cost of copying.
For copies of records requested on CD or other recorded medium, the University charges for the cost of the media used.
For more information about the Illinois Freedom of Information Act in general and the enforcement thereof, please visit the Illinois Attorney General’s webpage.

Pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Illinois FOIA statute, CSU may charge reasonable fees associated with the production of responsive records in fulfillment of records requests.

Paper Records

The first 50 pages of responsive records are provided at no charge. Every black-and-white page thereafter is $.15 per page. Color copies are charged at their actual cost per page. Color copy charges are not fixed by statute and are set by each public body. Please check on this cost prior to requesting color copies. Charges apply to both non-commercial and commercial requests.

Other Media

Records produced using other media, such as CDs or flash drives, are charged to the requester at their actual cost. Electronic documents may be produced by email or via a Google folder at no charge.

Fees for Voluminous Requests

For voluminous requests for electronic records and those records that are not in a portable document format (pdf), the University may charge up to $20 for not more than two megabytes of data, up to $40 for more than two, but not more than four megabytes of data, and up to $100 for more than four megabytes of data. If a voluminous request is for electronic records and those records are in a pdf, the University may charge up to $20 for not more than 80 megabytes of data, up to $40 for more than 80 megabytes of data, but not more than 160 megabytes of data, and up to $100 for more than 160 megabytes of data. If the responsive electronic records are in both a portable document format and not in a portable document format, the University may separate the fees and charge the requester under both fee scales.

Mail Charges

There are no additional charges for records mailed to requesters.

News Media Requests

Charges/fees are waived for records requested by members of the media.

Certification Charges

Certification of records is $1 per page.

Personnel Charges

Fees for personnel time spent collecting and reviewing records in response to requests will be up to $10 per hour after the first 8 hours.

Assessed Fees for Records

If the University determines that fees will be assessed in connection with a FOIA request, requesters will be notified of the fees and responsive records will only be released to requesters once the fees have been paid. Failure of requesters to accept or collect the responsive records, for which fees have been assessed, the University may still charge you for its response pursuant to Section 6 of the FOIA. 5 ILCS 140/6. The requester's failure to pay will be considered a debt due and owing to the University and may be collected in accordance with applicable law.

Questions about fees and charges, please contact the FOIA Office at foia@csu.edu.