The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days
of the day the College receives a request for access.
Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or
other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish
to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the
student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the College official
to whom the request was submitted does not maintain the records, that official shall
advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of student’s education records that the student
believes are inaccurate or misleading or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy
rights under FERPA.
A student who wishes to ask the College to amend should write the College official
responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants
changed, and specify why it should be changed.
If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College
will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of their right to a
hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the
hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a
hearing.
3. The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable
information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA
authorizes disclosure without consent.
The College discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent
under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational
interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative,
supervisory, academic, or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement
unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted
as its agent to provide a service instead of using College employees or officials
(such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board
of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary
or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing their tasks.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review
an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility.
Upon request, the College discloses education records without consent to officials
of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to be notified annually by the College of what student record information
the College designates as “directory information,” and the right to request that no
student information be designated as directory information.
The College identifies the following student information as directory information:
• Name
• Major, including the division or program in which a student is enrolled
Directory information may be released by the College to a requesting third party without
a student’s prior written consent. A student has the right to request that none or
only some of their student record information be designated as directory information.
A student must notify the College’s Registrar, in writing, within two (2) weeks of
the beginning of each academic semester if they do not wish to have any or some of
their student information designated as directory information.
Notwithstanding the College’s definition of directory information, the Department of Defense (the “DOD”), pursuant to the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997 (the “Solomon Amendment”), identifies the following information as “student recruiting information”: NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE LISTING, AGE (or year of birth), PLACE OF BIRTH, LEVEL OF EDUCATION (e.g., first-year student, sophomore), DEGREE AWARDED, MOST RECENT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION ATTENDED, and CURRENT MAJOR(S).
If the College receives a request for student recruiting information from the DOD,
or one of its affiliated agencies, the College will release the student recruiting
information requested. Because the information sought by the DOD may include information
not designated as directory information under the College’s policy, compliance with
the DOD’s request may result in the release of personally identifiable information.
When student recruiting information is released pursuant to a DOD request, notice
of the request and the release of the information will be posted in a conspicuous
location in the College’s Registrar’s Office for a period equaling one academic year.
If a student has exercised their right to request that no information be designated
as directory information, then no information shall be released to any third party,
including the DOD.
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. 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, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202-5901
