The Universities of Wisconsin will comply with all applicable laws and are committed to cooperating with law enforcement within the constraints of the law and our own delegated responsibilities.
What should I do if I am contacted by State or Federal Government Agencies or Authorities?
- Find guidance for a site visit by government agents and law enforcement on our Communication to UW Campus regarding agents visiting facilities page.
- Please contact your university’s Dean of Student Affairs. For UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, contact their Office of Legal Affairs.
- If an agent approaches a student worker, the student should immediately get their supervisor and/or their human resource representative.
- It is important you contact your Dean of Student Affairs or legal office immediately of all non-routine requests for information or site visits by government agencies. You should also refer all attorneys representing regulatory authorities or the government to those offices.
- Agents are free to enter any public areas of your workplace but must have a valid search warrant to enter a non-public area. Public areas may include reception, waiting areas and lobbies; open dining areas such as cafeterias; restrooms; and other common areas accessible by members of the public without screening or escort. Non-public areas include private offices and laboratories; private residential rooms; classrooms, conference/meeting rooms, and lecture halls that are currently in use; and other secured or restricted-access areas designated for instructional, research, or building and campus operational use.
I was contacted by a private attorney regarding a university matter. What should I do?
- If you are contacted, either at work or at home, you may refuse to discuss the matter with the attorney making the contact. You should seek counsel from your Dean of Students or legal office when contacted.
- In some cases, depending upon who the individual contacted is and whether the individual is a potential defendant and/or already represented in the matter, the attorneys’ canons of ethics require that any such contact be only through counsel for that individual.
- Information provided through such interactions can prove damaging or prejudicial to both the university and the individual should litigation ensue, or sworn testimony be taken. Such information may be used to build a case against the university, and it may be confidential.
Credit to UW-Madison International Student Services for their work on this information.