The Education Department wants to create a national data base on all students enrolled in colleges and universities nationwide, a proposal that raises red flags for civil rights advocates and some student and university organizations that believe it invades the right to privacy. Congress will have to act on this proposal by removing the privacy protections that currently apply to students.

Though the Education Department insists that the information will remain under wraps and not be shared with other agencies, some believe the post-9/11 environment has eroded the lines between privacy and public information and that many students, especially from foreign countries, may be tracked through this data base. This comes at a time when universities and colleges are already worried they may be losing foreign students and the multibillion dollars that brings in, due to the increasing and tedious regulatory issues confronted for coming to this country. However, Indian student enrollment in U.S. universities actually saw a 7 percent rise compared to students from other countries, according to data released by the Institute of International Education. Today, India has the highest number, 79,736, relegating China to second place with 61,765 students.

The reason the federal government originally wants this information is to monitor enrollment and facilitate better distribution of federal funds. However, so far, higher education institutions had to submit only names of students getting federal funding. If the proposal goes through Congress, names of all students and their Social Security Numbers will have to be submitted.

Some argue that those opposing this plan are being too alarmist because the data is supposed to be housed at the National Center for Education Statistics which in the past has never been asked by law enforcement agencies to submit this information. But organizations like the United States Student Association points out that other data bases created ostensibly for other purposes, have been used by law enforcement for tracking people and bringing them to book.

The International Institute of Education (IIE) in its latest report,Doors, noted the drop in foreign student enrollment by 2.4 percent for the first time since 1971. “The overall decline in international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities has been attributed to a variety of reasons, including real and perceived difficulties in obtaining student visas (especially in scientific and technical fields), rising U.S. tuition costs, vigorous recruitment activities by other English-speaking nations, and perceptions abroad that international students may no longer be welcome in the U.S.” says the IIE. The creation of a student data base only adds to that sense of apprehension and may further affect enrollment.

“The costs to the American economy are significant. Educating foreign students is a $13 billion industry. Moreover, the United States does not produce enough home-grown doctoral students in science and engineering to meet our needs. The shortfall is partly made up by the many foreign students who stay here after earning their degrees,” notes Professor Joseph Nye of Harvard University’s School of Government. Those that go back become akin to ambassadors for the American way of life in other countries, he notes. “In an effort to exclude a dangerous few, we are keeping out the helpful many.”