Here's a look at
what has happened at colleges across the United States
and what could happen on your campus as a result
of the USA Patriot Act and other post 9/11 policies. Now’s
your chance to get the facts about
your school and community and take
action to
protect your civil liberties.
Your Privacy
Your school can collect a wealth of personal information about you, including
your medical records, your family’s financial records and your disciplinary
records. They are permitted to release this information to the federal government.
According to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions
Officers (AACRAO), about 200 colleges and universities have turned over student
information to the FBI, INS and other law enforcement officials.
In February 2004, the U.S. Army demanded
records from the University of Texas Law School about an
academic conference entitled, "Islam and the Law: The Question of Sexism.” Undercover
officers went to several UT campus offices, seeking videotaped
footage and a list of every person who attended the academic
conference. The agents had neither warrants nor subpoenas. 
The Campus Cops
The FBI is employing campus police on a part-time basis to monitor political
and religious activities on campus and investigate student, faculty and
staff backgrounds. Campus police cooperating in FBI investigations on terrorism
are prohibited from reporting to the head of campus police or any other member
of the university about their activities. Law enforcement agents may employ
video surveillance to track and record an individual’s activities on
campus.
According to the FBI, Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs)
are teams of state and local law enforcement officers, FBI
Agents, and other federal agents and personnel who work shoulder-to-shoulder
to investigate and prevent acts of terrorism. In Iowa, JTTF
officers issued four subpoenas to nonviolent protesters to
appear before a federal grand jury, and one subpoena to Drake
University to hand over records indicating who attended an
anti-war conference on the campus.
Free Speech on Campus
Universities may institute policies that restrict when
and where students, faculty and staff may rally, protest
or speak about a certain issue. Universities may sanction
students or faculty for written or spoken commentary.
Both the government and universities may institute policies
that prohibit the research and writing about certain
topic areas in the interests of “national security.”
Foreign and Exchange Students
Colleges and universities are required to compile records of all foreign
students and enter them into a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) database.
The database, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS),
is a registration system that collects, maintains and manages data on foreign
students and exchange visitors. The data collected -- including students'
names, dates of birth, countries of origin, passport information, fields
of study and employment information -- is used to identify immigration violations
and terrorist threats. The program is currently funded by the very students
that it targets: foreign and exchange students pay $100 a semester for their
own registration.
Other
Patriot Act Factsheets >> |
