FOIA Request to Lawson State Community College Regarding Chinese National Students on May 16, 2025.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Lawson State Community College-Birmingham Campus, seeking detailed information about Chinese National students enrolled at the institution. The request was made under the Alabama Open Records Law § 36-12-40 et seq., with a preference for receiving the information in electronic format.
The request includes several specific inquiries:
1. A list or documents detailing all current students who are Chinese Nationals, including their department of study. If privacy laws protect this information, an aggregated total number of such students and a breakdown by department were requested instead.
2. Documentation showing all current Chinese National students, specifying the amount and source of each scholarship they receive.
3. A list of recipients of scholarships affiliated with the Chinese Scholarship Council, unless this information is already included in the previous request.
4. Policies or procedures that outline how the university monitors students, including Chinese Nationals, to safeguard its Intellectual Property and other confidential information.
This request is part of our ongoing efforts at Jefferson Reporter and The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy to ensure transparency and accountability within public institutions. As members of the media, we emphasize the importance of access to public records in fulfilling our role in disseminating crucial information to the public.
The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Missouri Corporation dedicated to assisting news media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More details about our mission can be found at [https://stopsecrecy.org/about/](https://stopsecrecy.org/about/).
We await a response from Lawson State Community College regarding this FOIA request and remain committed to providing comprehensive coverage on matters affecting public interest.
