After pleading no contest last Friday in a Franklin County Municipal Court to charges of violating Ohio’s ethics laws, Brian Hicks was convicted and fined $1,000 Monday for his role in the Bureau of Workers Compensation coin scandal.
Hicks was charged with not fully declaring gifts he received when he stayed at the house of rare coin collector Thomas Noe while serving as Governor Bob Taft’s chief of staff. Although Hicks has taken responsibility for his role in the scandal, and momentarily escaped the limelight, he is still an active member on Ohio State’s Board of Trustees.
Appointed to a nine-year term by Gov. Taft in May 2004, Hicks serves on the Board of Trustees University Hospitals Board, and has said he will not resign his position. Taft is currently under investigation for his role in the BWC coin scandal.
It has become customary, if not obligatory, for public officials to resign all government positions when they are involved in, or convicted of, corruption or unethical conduct. Hicks’ situation is no different.
If Hicks remains adamant in his decision not to resign his position on the Board of Trustees, the Board owes it to the students, faculty and reputation of this university to pass a resolution to remove Hicks from his post.
Hicks shares deeply rooted ties within the OSU community – including service as a USG president – and it will undoubtedly take a community effort to resolve the situation. If USG wanted to start the year off on the right foot, and prove to the entering freshman class that it can be influential in areas that directly or indirectly affects students, it would come out against Hicks’ decision, pass its own resolution and recommend to the Board of Trustees that Hicks be removed from his position.
Since its creation, the Board of Trustees remains to this day an influential part of OSU policy. It is a governmental body that deals heavily with the day to day details of a billion dollar endowed university with a $3 billion annual budget. OSU cannot afford anything less than integrity and honesty from the officials who make these crucial decisions.
Although the Board of Trustees bylaws are somewhat unclear as to the process of removing a board member, it is very clear in outlining that officers can be removed for any reason at any time by a resolution approved by the Board of Trustees.
Hicks’ misstep could serve as a perfect situation to test the integrity of the board and how it chooses to deal with improprieties where they arise in relation to government appointed members.
Unfortunately, OSU once again finds itself associated with an individual convicted of unethical dealings.
Just as this page called for Blackwell’s name to be removed from the Blackwell Inn after he was convicted of felonious insider trading charges, it firmly believes the Board of Trustees should relinquish Hicks’ position appointed to him by a governor who is also under investigation for ethics violations.
Without question, Hicks should resign. If he chooses to ignore his responsibility, it is the Board of Trustees’ duty to approve a resolution removing him as a member.
