CARLISLE, PA. Newspaper wants to have access to meeting

CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) -- A newspaper is seeking a court order to open to the public a two-day meeting of the governing board of Penn State University's law school, in case the board discusses a plan to move the school from Carlisle to State College.
A hearing was scheduled for Friday morning on a request by The Sentinel of Carlisle to open The Dickinson School of Law board meeting, which also begins Friday, according to Niles Benn, the newspaper's attorney.
If the newspaper's request cannot be granted immediately, it is alternatively seeking an injunction that would prevent the meeting from taking place until a ruling is made, Benn said.
What prompted action
The newspaper went to court after the law school issued a press release Tuesday saying that an "informational meeting" about the school's facilities and location would be closed because the state's open-meetings law does not apply to the board. The board is not expected to vote on the proposal.
The law school's attorney, Jack Stover, did not return a telephone call seeking comment Thursday.
The Sentinel reported Nov. 12 that the school's dean, Phil McConnaughay, was recommending that the school move to State College by the fall of 2008, citing a need to expand and concerns about its "languishing reputation."
The report was based on a confidential memo written by McConnaughay in preparation for the board meeting.