Florida Parish News

FOIA Request to Southeastern Louisiana University regarding Chinese National students on June 16, 2025.

On June 16, 2025, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to Southeastern Louisiana University by Florida Parish News. The request seeks detailed information about Chinese National students enrolled at the university. Specifically, the request asks for lists or documents showing all current students who are Chinese Nationals and their respective departments of study. If student names are protected under privacy laws, the requester has asked for aggregated data instead.

Additionally, the request seeks information on scholarships awarded to these students, including the amount and source of each scholarship. It also inquires about any scholarships granted through affiliations with the Chinese Scholarship Council. Furthermore, the FOIA request asks for any university policies or procedures related to monitoring students to protect intellectual property and confidential information.

The request was made under the Louisiana Public Records Act § 44:1 et seq., with a preference for receiving the information in electronic format. Florida Parish News has requested a fee waiver due to its role as a media organization committed to public transparency and accountability.

This inquiry is conducted in collaboration with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through freedom of information laws. More details about this coalition can be found on their website here.

Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.