Duke alters its immigration message

Duke's position on President Donald Trump's federal immigration restrictions seems to have changed recently.

President Richard Brodhead and Provost Sally Kornbluth sent out an email to the members of the Duke community Jan. 29 assuring them that the University has reached out to students, faculty and staff from the affected countries to offer support and guidance. The email noted that "Duke University cannot and will not share confidential student records with law enforcement agencies—local, state, or federal—without a subpoena."

However, this statement, which is posted on the Duke Today website, was updated Thursday to change the language in that particular sentence.

The latest statement says that the "Duke University cannot and will not share confidential student records beyond those already required by law (such as SEVIS) without a subpoena."

SEVIS—or the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System—is a program run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which maintains details about international students. 

Micheal Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, wrote in an email that this was a clarification and not a change.

"Duke (and every other university) has longstanding legal reporting requirements regarding students and employees from outside the United States," he wrote. "That hasn't changed. The statement should have clarified that any additional requests outside that protected channel will require a subpoena."

The new statement was posted on Duke Today without an explanation of the change.