The Department of Education launched an investigation into Tufts University to determine if a study on student political engagement, which UT Austin participates in, involves “illegally sharing” students’ data to “influence elections,” according to a Feb. 5 news release. 

Housed in Tufts, the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, or NSLVE, measures civic participation among college students, and then provides resources and recommendations to support civic learning, according to their website. The University participates in the NSLVE study, meaning it sends enrollment data to Tufts. The data is then compared with publicly available voting data to create a campus report, which estimates the rates students on campus voted and registered.

According to the news release, the Department of Education is accusing the NSLVE of violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, which controls the release and access of educational records. Therefore, any institutions using NSLVE data could be found guilty of violating FERPA, according to the department. 

“American colleges and universities should be focused on teaching, learning, and research – not influencing elections,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in the news release. “Our Student Privacy Policy Office will thoroughly investigate this matter to protect students’ private data and ensure that our campuses are fully aware of and comply with their responsibilities under FERPA.”

According to the NSLVE website, the study was “specifically designed to be in compliance with FERPA requirements.” The department provided guidance to universities, recommending they wait to use NSLVE data until after the department has completed their investigation. 

Mark Strama, director of the Annette Strauss Institute, said the institute has used NSLVE data to see how voter turnout has improved at UT. Strama said the data showed about a decade ago UT was trailing its peer institutions in voter turnout but is now 15 points ahead. 

“Over the past 10 to 12 years, according to the NSLVE, we’ve made pretty dramatic improvements in student voter participation on this campus,” Strama said. “That’s really how the NSLVE enters into the work that I do.” 

Strama said the work can be helpful administratively in determining voter turnout numbers. He said without the NSLVE collection, the Annette Strauss Institute would not have access to this data. However, he said losing access to the data wouldn’t stop student voter efforts.

“I don’t know that the data itself is the argument you would make to a student on the street about why they should vote,” Strama said. “The data collection is valuable, (but) if the data doesn’t get collected, it wouldn’t slow down the efforts of TX Votes.”

TX Votes is a nonpartisan student organization on campus that works to increase voter turnout. Eliana Arriaga, the outreach director for TX Votes, said she is passionate about registering students to vote because it is the most effective way they can have their voice heard. Losing access to data would in no way change how TX Votes operates.

“No, this organization doesn’t rely on that data to keep going forward,” said Arriaga. “We will still continue to do our efforts no matter what.”