Legal Adviser Protects Rights Of Students, Staff and Faculty Administratiue Directors Although many faculty and staff members could lay claim to advising som on as part of the ir daily regimen , Donald Kee had only one sp c ific duty-advising th univ rsity in all of its legal affairs. In a tim of extr me I gal sensitivity, Harding needed a p erman nt , full-time lega l adviser to represent the schoo l. Kee, a general practic family lawyer in Houston , Texas, and a Harding alumnus , came to Harding in 1990 to assume th rol e o f general legal counse l. The rol e led him to ca rry a wide load of responsibilities to m aint a in lega l safe ty for Harding and its staff , students and faculty . "I do a myriad o f things," Kee sa id. Bes ides advis ing people such as President David Burks, Vic President for Finance Lot Tucker and Vice Pr sident for Advancement Gary Elliott on a regular basis , Kee worked c lose ly witl1 several offices on campus . Because of the intrica te list offederal and state regulations and laws. legal advice was needed cons tantly to keep up-to-date in ar as of financ ial a id for student s, student ser ices, fund-raising and other matters. Also among the long list of K e's r sponsibilities. and within the list of regulations and laws, lay routine dec is ions about giving and se lling property , collecting bills and pledges, proper handling o f per onne l, and responding to subpoenas. Kee spent about half of his time tl1is year preparing wills . But his energy was focused on protecting the rights of Harding's faculty , staff and students. Kee played an important role in protecting students . 'There are certain things I do to protect the ir interests," he said . Th major concern re la ted to requests for informa ti on abou t a s tud nt. Under the Family Educa tion High ts and Privacy Ac t, Kee de termined what info rma tion to disclose. Oftentimes , Kee's work w as unknown to the s tudent , bu t his lega l advise made th syst em run smoother. Kee's day usua lly began in a meeting with Or. Burks to discuss lega l matters . Lat r. he may have advised someone concerning a s tudent issue or a lega l ques ti on pert a ining to tl1c school. In be tween such d iscussions, he caught up on paperwork. revi ewing major contra ts int o which the schoo l entered and r vising documents . ·There are a lo t o f things I mus t do to s tay current ." Kee sa id . A member o f severa l natio na l associa tions . Kee sp ends 30 to 45 minutes a day brushing up o n his knowledge o f the law. "The most frustrating aspect o f m y job is the overwhe lming amount of work to be done," he sa id . In addition to lega l discussions and paperwork , he spent much o f his time on the te lephone and comput r. Kee ra re ly set foot in a courtroom. however . b ecause he was not invo lv din litiga tion that ca lled for court app arances. Kee is p lensed to b a t I larding . Although it lrns the advan tage of be ing a private schoo l and. there fore. not under many o f the fed ra l laws . care ful s teps had to be taken to ma inta in lega l harmony . Thoug l1 Kee·s ma in goal has been considerati on for the legal w e ll-be ing o f everyone invo lved a t Harding, Kee said, "We w ant to make sure w e're doing what's right from a Christian perspective." - Stacey Haywood John ,\!unnal/y works on the L 'nillersit!J~" compt1wr sysiem. ·'-'UllllCl ll!J lwuckcl o support swff w l1ich ouersaw I !ar<iings compwer neccls and problems I '/Joto by James A ll en. Hwxly Lam1Je1l1 t •is its tt •irll Dr. Glenn B lue. an 1\ ca<ie1 ny porenr. one ninh1 clurinn L<'crt1rcsl1ip. LwnlJeth wore lllWl!J hws as superinren<ient 01 1l1e Acaclemy. l'lloro lJy Joson l3t1n . Ac Cl cl e Ill i cs 14 A ct m i 11 i s 1 r Cl 1 i t • e n i r e c 1 o r s
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