Some UC San Diego students’ and employees’ personal information was shared with the federal government for a civil rights investigation, raising concerns on campus that those people could end up being targeted by the Trump administration.
Neither UC San Diego nor the University of California would say how many students and staff were affected, what information about them was shared or when their information was shared. UCSD declined to comment, deferring instead to the UC Office of the President.
The UC said this month that it shared information about students and employees from multiple campuses, including UCSD and UC Berkeley, to comply with a federal investigation.
The UC did not elaborate further on the investigation in question. But earlier this month, UC Berkeley told people affected that their information was shared to comply with a federal investigation into allegations of antisemitism on UC campuses. UC Berkeley said the personal information of 160 of its students, faculty and staff had been shared.
The UC said this week it is required to comply with federal agencies’ information requests related to investigations, compliance reviews and audits.
“Where a legal obligation has been identified, UC has complied with investigative requests consistently over many years and across numerous administrations, reflecting the University’s overall commitment to compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including applicable privacy laws,” said UC general counsel Charles Robinson in a statement. “UC will continue to meet its legal obligations while exploring all legal avenues to safeguard the privacy and trust of our community members.”
UCSD and other campuses are also required to provide information about certain students and employees as part of a resolution agreement the UC struck with the federal government in December.
The UC made a deal with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to address complaints against five UC campuses — San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Davis and Santa Barbara — about discrimination based on actual or perceived ancestry, including Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, Arab and Muslim ancestry.
Under that voluntary agreement approved during the Biden administration, the UC is required by Sept. 30 to provide the federal office a spreadsheet of all complaints alleging discrimination at the five campuses, including the names of complainants, of individuals who allegedly committed the discrimination and of witnesses.
The UC also agreed to provide, upon request by the civil rights office, copies of entire investigative files for complaints, which can include student or employee disciplinary records and personnel files. The agreement also mandates training for campus employees, including police officers and discrimination investigators, and campus climate surveys.
The UCSD Faculty Association has criticized the release of campus members’ information and UCSD’s silence on the issue.
In a letter to the university administration, it warned that campus members whose information was shared could have their visas revoked or face other adverse actions that could jeopardize their First Amendment rights.
The release of personal information is not necessary for a probe into how a university handles discrimination complaints, the association said.
It added the release also contradicts an April resolution passed by the UCSD Academic Senate, which is composed of professors and campus administrators, that called for Chancellor Pradeep Khosla to reject any federal demands that are not contained in a warrant or subpoena for personally identifying information of students, faculty or staff relating to their immigration status or on-campus activities.
“We urge your administration to protect the UC San Diego community from government threats and investigations that are wielded as tools to force us into compliance with a political agenda,” the association said.
UAW 4811, the union that represents UC academic student workers, also condemned the release of personal information.
“Turning over the names of students and workers who have engaged in expressive activity only assists the administration’s efforts to suppress free speech on campus,” the union said on its website. “These actions erode trust in the University, undermine our rights, and put students and workers in real danger.”
The UCSD Faculty Association wants Khosla to promise UCSD will not release any more individuals’ information unless compelled by court order and that it will protect students, faculty and staff from potential targeting by the Trump administration, including prohibiting federal attempts to influence personnel disciplinary decisions.