"Big Brother" has long been keeping an eye on college students, but he may have just picked up a magnifying glass.
A recent proposal by the National Center for Education Statistics (N.C.E.S.) calls for substantial changes to the way higher education data is obtained.
The changes would require colleges and universities across the country to submit information to the U.S. government on individual students, instead of collective data on the institution as a whole, according to the N.C.E.S.
Previously, higher education institutions were required to submit personal student information only if it dealt with federal financial aid. If Congress approves the proposal, the government will have the ability to track individual students through the higher education system, according to the N.C.E.S.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which says that a university cannot give out any personal information to third parties, would have to be amended for the new data system to be put into place, according to Steven Mulroy, assistant law professor.
"As a result of the Patriot Act, privacy protection was weakened," Mulroy said. "It seems (the new data system) would be yet another weakening of the FERPA rights."
University of Memphis students voiced mixed reactions to the new proposal. While some were afraid it would infringe on their privacy rights others felt their personal information was in safe hands with the government.
"It doesn't really bother me that the government has access to my grades," said Daniel Cates, junior finance major. "Even without the new proposal, I'm sure they would be able to find information like that anyway."
The proposal has been received both positively and negatively among higher education organizations across the nation.
Supporters, like the American Council on Education and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, claim that the new database would create more reliable statistics, making it easier to determine the quality of specific colleges and universities.
Opponents of the proposal, such as the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, stated that they worry that the change in data collection would impose of the privacy rights of students.
In a NAICU prepared overview, the organization expressed "serious concerns about the compromise in student privacy that implementation of the new program would entail."
If Congress approves the proposal, 1,500 higher education institutions will test the system during the 2006-2007 school year, according to the Department of Education. The system would then be put into place the following year, depending on its success in the one-year trial.
