Last week, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Faculty Senate urged faculty members not to cooperate with the USA Patriot Act, which allows investigation of students, professors and staff members.

Anthony Koyzis, chair of the UW-Oshkosh Department of Education and Human Resources, was placed under investigation under the Patriot Act and yet was not notified until after the investigation had ceased.

The Patriot Act, passed in 2001, gives law-enforcement officials permission to gather information in a secretive manner and conduct surveillance on individuals.

According to James R. Simmons, chairman of the political science department and president of the Faculty Senate at UW-Oshkosh, Koyzis’ investigation was part of what sparked the amending of this resolution to include the issue of non-compliance with the Patriot Act.

Koyzis was born in the Greek part of Cyprus and has lived in the United States for more than 25 years. He traveled to Greece last September to work with the Greek Ministry of Education, but even with this venture, he and other faculty members are not sure why he was investigated.

“Tony has dual citizenship,” Simmons said. “He wouldn’t expect any kind of investigation.”

Simmons also expressed concern regarding the safety of students and staff on campus, primarily immigrants from Middle Eastern countries.

“We were concerned about potential treatment of faculty, staff and students from specific Middle Eastern countries,” Simmons said. He also said Koyzis is not from a Middle Eastern country, which is one reason why his investigation came as such a shock.

A resolution including the Patriot Act passed in the Faculty Senate. The resolution also included issues dealing with war, and according to Denise Clark, assistant professor of special education and UW-Oshkosh Faculty Senate member, the resolution was in full support of the students who protested the war March 5.

Simmons also noted a situation in Colorado that drew his attention regarding students.

Simmons said immigrant students nationwide are required to register; however, when a number of students in Colorado registered as students and were not full-time students, they were deported. Although these students were breaking the law, Simmons expressed other thoughts regarding the situation.

“Federal agencies seem to be overreacting,” Simmons said. “[The Patriot Act] allows for investigations without cause … it allows for the collection of a lot of information.”

Many university officials shared Simmons’ concerns, which led to the proclamation.

“This stemmed from concern about what was going on throughout UW and across the nation,” said Clark. “It is an issue of freedom.”

Simmons also noted that even though this resolution has been passed in the Faculty Senate, it is still up for the university to decide whether to follow it.

“In some ways this is symbolic … maybe we’re among one of the first faculty senates to act,” Simmons said.

Koyzis could not be reached for comment.