Policies Governing Student Records (FERPA)
Student records policies are designed to ensure that the college has a student record-keeping system that achieves an effective balance between the student’s right to privacy and the college’s need to use the same information in carrying out its educational mission.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment)
The college’s policies governing student educational records conform to and are in full compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as the Buckley Amendment and referred to hereafter as FERPA. These policies are a declaration of existing practice and assure students’ rights of privacy, while providing them with access to their own records.
I. Definitions |
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II. Access |
The essence of these guidelines and FERPA is that all students have the right to inspect their own educational records, irrespective of age or economic dependence on parents, with the exceptions listed above. Although the college is not required to release records maintained by the Counseling Center and Student Health Services, on written request by the student, information maintained in these files must be released to the appropriate professional of the student’s choice. There is a general limitation that a student may not review letters or statements of a confidential nature included in any of their files before January 1, 1975. These materials are removed before a student reviews the folder and are returned to the folder after the review, if relevant to the file. (Refer to VI. Expunging.) All materials included after January 1, 1975, are available for student inspection unless there is written evidence in the folder that the student has waived the right to review a particular item. A request to inspect an educational record should be made directly to the office holding the record. For those unable to come to the campus because of geographical location, requests by mail are honored. Copies are available to all students at the cost of reproduction. (Contact the Office of the Registrar for further information.) Parents and legal guardians have access to their dependent’s records if the student is a dependent in the Internal Revenue Service definition of the term or if the student has given written consent. Thus, it is the parents’ or guardians’ responsibility to present evidence of dependency before a student record may be released. If such evidence is presented, the student is notified. Student records are accessible to employees of the college whose primary job responsibilities require access to some or all of the information included in a student’s educational record and to employees with a legitimate educational need to review a student’s educational record. |
III. Right of Challenge |
A student who discovers what he or she may feel to be an inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete recording of information in the personal record may request that a change be made by the appropriate submitting office. If the request for change is denied, the student may request that the hearing be conducted within a reasonable period of time by a person who is not directly involved in the issue, appointed by the vice president for student affairs and preferably approved by the student. In controversies related to a grade, the debate is limited to accuracy and completeness, and may not entail the justification for a particular grade. Complaints concerning the conduct of the hearing or the aspects of these guidelines may be directed to: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Office Students who differ with the decision rendered in the hearing are entitled to include a statement explaining their dissent in their file. |
IV. Waiver of Access |
Students may waive their right to inspect a particular file or portion of a particular file. Individual referees may require that students waive their right to review a particular letter of reference they have been asked to write. Faculty or staff involved in advising may recommend that students waive their right to review recommendation letters, in the belief that a waiver effectively increases the credibility and usefulness of the reference when reviewed by the admissions committee or prospective employer. The college may not, however, require that any student waive the right of access to a file or any part of the file. Student waiver of access to letters of recommendation is generally exercised on a letter-by-letter basis. This may be done by affixing a signed, dated statement to the letter before its inclusion in a folder; or, in the case of letters included in the credential file maintained by the Career Development Center, by signing the candidate’s waiver of right of access to confidential reference letters, printed on the confidential reference form. |
V. Release of Records |
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VI. Expunging |
Student records should be free of extraneous data that no longer serve the purpose(s) for which they were gathered. Therefore, systematic attempts should be made to expunge extraneous materials in student records. Another recommended means is to purge files on an ad hoc basis in the review given each file before the student inspects it. Judgments concerning the relevance of materials should be made by the person who is responsible for the particular file. |
VII. Annual Notices |
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VIII. List of Education Records and the Officials Responsible for the Records |
Educational records available for inspection do not include:
Students must not be allowed access to:
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IX. Student consumer information requirement |
In compliance with both federal and state law, the college makes available to students or prospective students information about instructional programs, costs of attending the institution, financial assistance available to students, the refund policy, qualifications of faculty members, graduation rates, and placement of graduates. The college’s Your Right to Know site is a centralized portal to the available information. The vice president for academic affairs and the vice president for student affairs are also available to assist students or prospective students in obtaining information specified in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, Chapter 2, Sections 53.1–3.4. |
The Solomon Amendment 10 U.S.C. § 983 |
The 1996 Solomon Amendment provides for the U.S. Secretary of Defense to deny federal funding to institutions of higher learning if they prohibit or prevent ROTC or military recruitment on campus. Directory information that must be released to the military as it is presently defined under the Solomon Amendment:
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