Jon Jacobs,  Fri Dec 14 2007

Bill - Smart question, but you've chosen a poor vehicle for getting it answered. You're right to worry about the possibility; there was a celebrated lawsuit several years ago by a Harvard student who the university expelled after finding "expunged" records about her. But this isn't the type of question where you should be seeking (let alone trusting) answers from anonymous strangers on the Internet. I guess you fear you'd let the cat out of the bag if you posed your question to anyone you deal with personally (such as a career counselor at your university), who might be able to provide an authoritative answer. My advice is to think hard about whether you or your family personally know any attorneys - or anyone else with direct exposure to employment law and/or public records law - who you could trust enough to level with them and ask their advice.  If not, then you should probably bite the bullet and pay a lawyer to research and answer it for you, in the terms most specific and relevant to your situation.