They don't quite say don't give it

STATEMENT FROM THE UC ACADEMIC COUNCIL REGARDING DISCLOSURES OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION (PII)

With unanimous resolve, the Academic Council addresses University of California President Milliken concerning the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) of faculty, students, and staff to the federal government amid an ongoing investigation of UC Berkeley by the Office for Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Education into alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

President Milliken’s message to the UC community on October 3* describes the University’s actions as undertaken to comply with federal law, as written and interpreted, and refers to several months of anonymization efforts. The attendant FAQ** further states that there have been prior federal investigations, demands for records, and PII disclosures by UC and many other institutions.

Nevertheless, in this volatile climate—amid systematic and unprecedented federal actions designed to usurp control over U.S. higher education—universities must recognize that they can no longer rely on the ethos of collaboration and goodwill that has historically defined their relationships with the federal government. Consequently, we assert that the disclosure of PII can no longer be regarded as a standard procedural matter, irrespective of pre-existing agreements or interpretations of federal compliance requirements.

These disclosures have already chilled academic speech and instilled fear in our community of punitive measures and targeted threats. Critically, named persons may not yet have had the opportunity to contest allegations, correct University records, or mitigate risks. These concerns are now amplified by press reports of expanded and unrestricted access to federal databases, raising the specter of misuse of sensitive information. While notifying affected individuals only after disclosure is preferable to silence, the post-facto timing has further eroded institutional trust.

The Academic Council therefore calls on the UC Office of the President and the UC Board of Regents to assume a greater burden for timely individual notification and to establish systemwide and transparent criteria for decision-making and communication about PII disclosure demands—developed in consultation with the Academic Senate.

The Academic Council further calls on the UC Office of the President and the UC Board of Regents to do all within their power to safeguard the privacy of faculty, students, and staff when PII disclosure poses undue risks to individuals, and to allocate University resources to provide affected individuals with all due legal assistance and safety services.

Lastly, the Academic Council calls on the UC Office of the President and the UC Board of Regents to consult with UC faculty with relevant expertise when evaluating whether the University has a legal basis to contest or limit future requests from the Office for Civil Rights and other federal agencies.

We stand ready to work collaboratively with the administration to defend the people and principles of the University of California.

Adopted by the Academic Council on October 27, 2025 

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Source: https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/council-chair-to-president-council-statement-pii.pdf.

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*https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/update-uc-president-james-b-milliken.

**https://ucop.edu/communications/_files/faqs-on-federal-investigations-and-information-sharing.pdf.