CUNY needs to stop hiding its investment record. CUNY owes transparency to the students who choose to attend and pay tuition and the taxpayers who fund the institution.

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed an Article 78 lawsuit against CUNY on Nov. 1 over the school’s refusal to release investment records. Article 78 proceedings are lawsuits mainly used to challenge an action or inaction by agencies of New York State and local governments.

In April, CUNY rejected a Freedom of Information Law request made by a CUNY Law student on behalf of CUNY Law Students for Justice in Palestine and CUNY for Palestine. Sarah Southey, the plaintiff in the suit, is currently a CUNY Law student.

CUNY refused to release records regarding its investment funds, bonds and private equity holdings, as well as any contracts it may have with certain companies such as Dell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrup Grumman.

Not only should CUNY have granted the request, it should also have an established policy of releasing financial and investment records regularly and unprompted. This information is relevant to the public both as a general matter of practice and in the context of current questions about investment and divestment.

Other public university systems — like the University of California and University of Texas — have published information on their investments as recently as last year. There is no reason why CUNY should deny the public access to this information.