Central Illinois Republicans are putting their weight behind a former political candidate's complaint with the U.S. Department of Education about student privacy.
Carlock resident Desi Anderson claims more than 40 Illinois colleges and universities shared student data with political activist organizations.
Anderson unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives against Democrat Sharon Chung of Bloomington and has been active in promoting voter engagement at Illinois State University. She said data privacy is personal for her; her husband works in cybersecurity.
“I have no desire to have any organization — if they’re on the right, left, independent — to have access to data without consent,” she said at a joint news conference Friday at ISU attended by a group of state and national lawmakers backing Anderson’s complaint.
The filing with the U.S. Department of Education lists ISU, Heartland Community College, Eureka College and Millikin University in Decatur as among those universities that gave student directory information, including addresses and phone numbers, to All In Campus Democracy Challenge.
“When student information is used to advance political agendas, it betrays trust of families that trust their child is going to do well at the next level and is going to be protected by the institution that they send them to,” said state Rep. Travis Weaver, R-Peoria, who is backing a state bill aimed at clamping down student privacy regarding voter data — similar to how federal law protects educational records and medical data.
All In is affiliated with the national nonprofit Civic Nation, a nonpartisan organization whose board chair Valerie Jarrett was a senior advisor to President Barack Obama.
“The complaint that we raise underscores the urgent need to hold institutions accountable and to demand stronger safeguards against the misuse of student data,” Weaver said.
State Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, were among the other elected officials present, along with 2026 Republican candidates Dillan Vancil, Ted Dabrowski, GOP party leaders and ISU students championing the issue.
LaHood, who is supporting a federal version of the bill spearheaded in the Senate by Mike Lee, R-Utah, said data leaks are not necessarily targeting conservative students and privacy should be a bipartisan concern. In his remarks, he quoted Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, as being outspoken about privacy.
“When I talk to my Democrat colleagues and I explain the issue, they can relate to it,” LaHood said. “What we’re asking for is there should be consent. That’s it. We ought to have some parameters in place that allows for consent.”
When reached for comment, ISU spokesperson Chris Coplan said "Illinois State University complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and we do not believe there has been an improper disclosure of student information."
Heartland Community College similarly said it reviewed the complaint and didn’t see how shared publicly available directory information was problematic.
All In cross references voter rolls with college directories, which HCC students may opt out of having made public. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act [FERPA] prevents only the sharing of educational data such as grades and disciplinary records.
“All In is a nonpartisan effort,” said HCC spokesperson Steve Fast. “It is for civic engagement. It is especially designed to get students involved in midterm elections, which include deciding Heartland's board of directors. We want people that have that actionability in our community. If it was partisan, we’d have no interest in that.”
Anderson's complaint is being considered by the Department of Education.
