FERPA

Listed below is the notification of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). The College is required to inform enrolled students annually of their rights under the terms of FERPA. The act does not apply to students admitted to the College who have not officially enrolled.

A. Policy Intent

1. The College student record policy is intended to conform with all state and federal statutes dealing with access to information held by an educational institution on present and former students.

2. The student record policy is formulated to protect the privacy of student information that is maintained and yet provide access to student records for those having a legitimate educational interest in viewing such records. Regulations and procedures to ensure adequate protection of the student are provided in this policy.

B. Student Rights under FERPA:

1. Enrolled students have the right to inspect their records within 45 days of the request for inspection and are entitled to an explanation of any information therein. "Records" refers to those files and their contents that are maintained by official units of the College. Generally, students have the right to review any official record that the College maintains on them. When access is permitted, documents will be examined only under conditions that will prevent unauthorized removal, alteration, or mutilation. Information to which the student does not have access is limited to the following:

a. Confidential letters of recommendation placed in the student's files before January 1, 1975, and those letters for which student has signed a waiver of his or her right of access. Letters of recommendation are removed from the Admissions files before the files are forwarded to the Registrar's Office.

b. Parents' confidential financial statements.

c. Personal files and records of members of faculty or administrative personnel which are in sole possession of the maker thereof.

d. Records of the Admissions Office concerning students admitted but not yet enrolled at the College.

e. Medical/psychological records used in connection with treatment of the student. Such records can be viewed by a physician or psychologist of the student's choice;

f. Campus Police Department records, when utilized for internal purposes by this office in its official capacities; and

g. Documents submitted to the College by or for the student will not be returned to the student. Normally, academic records received from other institutions will not be sent to third parties external to the College, nor will copies of such documents be given to the student. Such records should be requested by the student from the originating institution.

2. Students have the right to request an amendment of the education record that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Should a student believe his or her record is incorrect, a written request should be submitted to the appropriate College official indicating the correct information that should be entered. The official will respond within a reasonable period concerning his or her action. Should the student not be satisfied, a hearing may be requested of the Registrar.

3. Students have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’ s education record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent (see C3 below).

4. Students have the right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, US Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.

C. Access to Student Records by Others:

1. Disclosure of general directory information: Certain information may be released by the College without prior consent of the student if considered appropriate by designated school officials. Such information is defined as the following:

• Student’s Name
• Photograph
• Current Classification
• Address (permanent, local, and email)
• Previous schools attended and degrees awarded
• Telephone Number (permanent and local)
• Dates of Attendance
• Current Enrollment Status
• Degree(s) earned and date awarded
• Major(s), Minor
• Honors or Special Recognition
• Height, weight and date of birth of members of athletic teams

Students may prohibit the release of directory information by completing the Request for Confidentiality Form. This request will remain on file indefinitely until written notice is submitted by the student to remove the confidentiality request.

2. Disclosure to members of the College community:

a. "School Official" is defined as a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including College law enforcement personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as attorney, auditor, or collection agent); or a person serving on the Board of Trustees.

b. A school official must have a legitimate educational interest in order to review an education record. "Legitimate Educational Interest" is defined in the following manner: the information requested must be within the context of the responsibilities assigned to the School Official; the information sought must be used within the context of official College business and not for purposes extraneous to the officials area of responsibility or the College; information requested must be relevant and necessary to the accomplishment of some task or to making some determination within the scope of College employment.

c. Information requested by student organizations of any kind will be provided only when authorized by the Dean of Students.

3. Disclosure to parents or legal guardians. It is the College's policy to release academic, financial, or conduct information to parents or guardians only if the student has requested such release by completing a form with the Dean of Student’s Office. If a student has given permission to the College to release information to parents or guardians, the student record will include address types that indicate the authorized releases.

4. Disclosure to educational/research institutions. Information may be released to another institution of learning, research organization, or accrediting body for legitimate educational reasons, provided that any data shall be protected in a manner that will not permit the personal identification of the student by a third party.

5. Disclosure to government agencies. Government agencies are permitted access to student records only when auditing, enforcing, and/or evaluating sponsored programs. In such instances, such data may not be given to a third party and will be destroyed when no longer needed for audit, enforcement, and/or evaluative purposes.