The most significant aspect of the patriot act that applies to higher
education is the mandate requiring the INS to implement the Student and
Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS is an internet-based
system enabling schools, the United States of Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to transmit
data about international students for purposes of tracking and monitoring.
Information that is stored in SEVIS includes the name, date and place of birth,
country of citizenship, current address, academic stats, commencement date,
degree program and field of study, completed credits per semester, termination
date, admissions documents, as well as a photocopy of the students immigration
documents. The patriot act also facilitates and legalizes the access to confidential
information for law enforcement personnel, while barring the institution from
revealing the existence of law enforcement investigations.