A Wisconsin college student tests the willingness of private colleges to release their IRS forms

A reporter for the student newspaper at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has tested the willingness of private colleges in the Midwest to release copies of their IRS Form 990.

The tax return forms are required to be filled out by nonprofit organizations and they're public records. Nathan Giebel decided to request the forms from Luther College in Decorah; Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois; Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois; North Central College in Naperville, Illinois; Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Giebel said he received the forms from Luther College and Elmhurst College without any problems or delay. It took him more than a month to receive the forms from Carthage College. Wheaton College, North Central College and Carroll University did not respond to his requests.

A legal consultant for the Student Press Law Center, Mike Hiestand, said when student journalists request the form from a private school, it is often the first time any one has ever done so. "It's not always a matter of them not being willing to comply with the law, it's a matter of them not knowing the law and knowing what the requirements are. So sometimes a part of obtaining access is successfully educating school officials on what their responsibilities are," Hiestand said.

The IRS Form 990 discloses information about the amount of money the organization has made in a year; a listing of where the money was spent, how much and for what; a detailed balance sheet with the assets and liabilities of the organization at the end of each fiscal year; information on the sale and purchase of the organization's investments and how they have fared; the identities and salaries of the top organization employees making more than $30,000 a year and any legal fees paid by the organization. Federal law requires tax-exempt organizations, such as private schools, college foundations, charities and non-profit corporations, to provide the form upon request.