U. of Illinois Lobbyists Had Access to Student Records

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has cut off the access its lobbying branch had to the student information database, The News-Gazette reported. A university spokesman said that there was no reason for those who lobby for the university to have immediate access to student records. Some university officials have worried that the access allowed lobbyists to see and share information about students -- possibly in violation of privacy protection laws. The university has been facing a scandal over the last week, following reports in the Chicago Tribune about the way the university admitted students based on their political connections, sometimes over the objections of admissions officials.