Dear Pomona College community,
I have been made aware of a flyer being distributed on campus that suggests the College will expose student identities in its response to the recent Congressional inquiry we received. This flyer misrepresents matters grossly, and I am concerned about the unfounded worries it could create about matters of critical importance to all of us.
As I conveyed in my email yesterday afternoon, the College is strictly committed to its legal obligation to protect the privacy of our students, in accordance with laws that include the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Having consistently sought to follow the spirit and letter of this legal requirement, we certainly intend to do so as we resolve with representatives of the Congressional committee the extent of their inquiry. This means, contrary to the misinformation on the flyer and in some media reports, that the College will not expose student identities unless obligations to the law stipulate otherwise—and that is not the case at this time. The College cannot act lawlessly, but the College will take every appropriate step to protect student identities.
I do not know who is distributing this flyer, but I am sorry it is propagating misinformation.
Please let us know at campusquestions@pomona.edu if you have questions about these or other matters related to federal policy and debates, and we will do our best to answer them as part of future campus updates or through related FAQs. I will share my latest campus update on federal policy matters with you this week.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Bob
Robert R. Gaines
Acting President
Edwin F. and Martha Hahn Professor of Geology