Another voice has been added to the cry for an open university budget. That voice belongs to Gov. Robert P. Casey.

Casey recently announced his support for Senate Bill 1075, which would require state-related universities -- including Penn State -- to open their budgets to the public.

His action supports a claim that students have been making for a long time -- the University should be responsible to the state, students and people of Pennsylvania for how it spends taxpayers' money.

Casey's call should be heeded by University administrators and state legislators. Both should be willing to recognize the responsibilities that state-related univeristies have to the public they serve.

Bill 1075 has already passed in the state House of Representatives. Now it is up to the Senate to pass the bill.

The bill would extend "right-to-know" laws to the four state-related universities -- the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, Lincoln University and Penn State.

Casey avoided the trap of the Rhoades Bill, which would open the budgets of state-related schools only partially, allowing universites to continue to hide financial information like salaries. Instead, Casey called for full disclosure through Bill 1075, recognizing that the Rhoades Bill is a watered-down alternative.

By calling for full disclosure, Casey let it be known that half measures will not do.

University administrators should support the bill, as Casey asked them to in a letter to the presidents of the four state-related schools.

But University President Joab Thomas has already fallen back to defending the Univeristy's closed budget on the grounds that Penn State will be unable to attract faculty if salaries are known.

If the University is really a lean and efficient institution, as Thomas has said in the past, it should not be afraid of disclosing its finances. The University should be willing to be competitive with other schools and be accountable for how much it pays its employees.

Casey's call for an open budget should encourage those who have worked for it for years with little success. Now that Casey has recognized the need for universities to be accountable, maybe the collective cry will no longer fall on deaf ears.