Government Inquiries

What should you do in the event of a site visit from a government official?

Government officials occasionally come to campus and request information about particular programs, students, faculty, or staff. Some visits are planned and expected; others are not.  If you receive an unscheduled site visit by government officials, please notify the Office of University Counsel immediately so that we can determine whether the information request is valid and help prepare an appropriate response.

If you are in a department that routinely receives employment, education and/or visa verification requests, please continue to follow your department’s established internal response procedures. These procedures may include asking the agent for their identification to confirm that they are who they say they are, requesting to see a copy of the information request in writing, requesting to see whether the person who is the subject of the inquiry has signed a waiver granting the university permission to release their records, keeping a log of all government inquiries and maintaining a copy of any information provided.

If your office does not normally respond to government inquiries, please refer to the Government Request Protocols for important guidance and contact information.