FOIA Request to Snead State Community College Regarding Chinese National Students on May 16, 2025.
As part of our commitment to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, NE Alabama News has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Snead State Community College. This request seeks detailed information concerning Chinese National students currently enrolled at the institution.
The specific requests made under the Alabama Open Records Law § 36-12-40 et seq. include:
1. Documents or lists showing all current students who are Chinese Nationals and their respective departments of study. If student names are protected, we have requested either redaction or a total count of such students broken down by department.
2. Information regarding any scholarships received by these Chinese National students, including the amount and source of each scholarship.
3. A list of recipients of scholarships affiliated with the Chinese Scholarship Council, unless this information is already included in the previous request.
4. Policies or procedures that describe how the university monitors students, including Chinese Nationals, to protect its Intellectual Property and other confidential information.
We have emphasized our role as media professionals in gathering and reporting news to the public, underscoring the importance of access to public records for holding institutions accountable and ensuring transparency. Additionally, we have requested a fee waiver based on our media status.
This request is also supported by The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating governmental agencies through Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws.
For further details about The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy’s mission and work, please visit [https://stopsecrecy.org/about/](https://stopsecrecy.org/about/).
