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A joint project with the Student Volunteers Council and other groups
As of October 14, 2001, some 220 colleges and universities had reported law enforcement requests for student information in the aftermath of September 11. These investigations have targeted students from Middle Eastern countries, securing information about their academic performance, personal activities and place of residence. At present, more than fifty students from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other Arab countries have been questioned on subjects varying from their plans after graduation to their views on Osama Bin Laden. No arrests have been made, no subpoenas have been issued, and no evidence has been provided linking the students to terrorist activities.
On November 28th, Princeton University issued a statement regarding how the University would respond to requests for information from federal investigators regarding foreign students. The full text of this announcement may be found at
University issues statement on release of student records to government agencies, Nov. 28
As members of the Princeton community, we are encouraged by the University's attention to these important issues, but feel a need for more detail. The tremendous import of these issues require great clarity. Moreover, we hope that Princeton University can take a position of ethical leadership by refusing to comply with investigations that target students for investigation solely upon the basis of their national origin, ethnicity or religious affiliation.
Below is a letter that will be directed to the administration of Princeton University addressing these concerns, asking for additional information and urging Princeton University to adopt a position of non-compliance. Several student groups have endorsed this letter. If you are part of a campus group, we hope you will consider joining the list of signatories.
For more information, or to have your group added to the list, please email Todd Parsons at parsons@math.toronto.edu.
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We applaud Princeton University for its commitment to protecting the rights and privacy of its students, and support the University's decision, announced on November 28th, to monitor requests for disclosure. It is vitally important that educational institutions take great care in ensuring that requests for information are not being made solely on the basis of national origin.
We have strong objections to the practice of investigating persons on the basis of their country of origin, ethnicity, race or religion. No individual should be subject to investigation without substantive evidence indicating his or her involvement with criminal activities. According to the ACLU, ```Racial profiling' occurs when the police target someone for investigation on the basis of that person's race, national origin, or ethnicity.'' To target students simply because they arrive from the Middle East is a form of racial profiling, and is inappropriate in a society that values civil liberties. It is an act of prejudice that we oppose on moral grounds.
To better understand how Princeton University would respond to future investigations by the FBI, INS or other federal agencies, we hope that Office of General Counsel could assist in answering several questions. Are there criteria by which the University will decide that information is being collected based primarily upon ethnicity or national origin? If the University receives a request for information that the University decides is profiling students based upon their national origin, will the university comply with the request, or will such information be withheld until the University has had its concerns addressed by the courts, law enforcement agencies, etc.? Should the university have concerns about a request for information, will the University community be informed of those concerns? Will students be informed of requests for information specific to their person? Would the University consider issuing a statement in opposition to racial profiling, both with regard to current investigations, and as a point of principle?
We thank you for the time and effort you have already dedicated to considering these difficult issues, and for your consideration of our questions. We urge Princeton University to consider a position of non-compliance to investigations that appear to be primarily motivated by considerations of national origin or ethnicity. We look forward to further correspondence.
Signed,
Amnesty International, Princeton University
Another World is Possible
Arab Society of Princeton
Democratic Left
members of Graduate Turkish Student Association
Muslim Students Association
Nassoons
National Work Rights Insititute
Princeton Footnotes
Princeton Greens
Princeton Justice Project
Princeton Peace Network
Princeton Prison Project
South Asian Students Association
Students for Informed Dialogue
Students for Progressive Education and Action (SPEAC)
Sustained Dialogue on Race Relations
Third World Center
Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry
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