Registrar

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include the following:

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 Office of the Registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. A college official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place at which the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Office of the Registrar, that office will advise the student of the correct college official to whom the request should be addressed.

2. 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 of personally identifiable information without consent, such as:

A. To school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the college in an administrative, supervisory, academic (including emeritus faculty), research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the college has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, service provider, 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 his or her tasks. A school official is deemed to have a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the college.

B. To officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer.

C. To parents or legal guardians of dependent students as that term is defined in the Internal Revenue Code. In general, the college does not make education records available to the parents of a student. However, where the college believes it is in a dependent student’s best interest, information from the student’s education records may, at the college’s discretion, be released to the parents or legal guardians of such a dependent student. Such disclosure generally will be limited to information about a student’s official status at the college, but parents or legal guardians of a dependent student may also be notified upon the authorization of the vice president for student affairs and dean of students or his designee in the following cases:

· When a student has voluntarily withdrawn from the college or has been required by the college to withdraw’

· When a student has been placed on academic warning;

· When the student’s academic good standing or promotion is at issue;

· When a student engages in alcohol – or drug-related behavior that violates Union policies;

· When a student has been placed on disciplinary probation or restriction;

· In exceptional cases when a student otherwise engages in behavior calling into question the appropriateness of the student’s continued enrollment in the college.

All students are requested to sign an annual statement at the start of each academic year to confirm their dependency status. Students who are financially independent and do not wish to permit their parents or legal guardians access to their education records should advise the Office of the Registrar in writing and provide evidence of financial independence.

D. To authorized representatives of the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or State Educational authorities in connection with an audit or evaluation.

E. In connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or which the student has received, if the information is necessary to determine eligibility for the aid, determine the amount of the financial aid, or enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.

F. To organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, the college, in order to develop, validate, or administer predictive tests; administer student aid programs; or improve instruction; or to accrediting organizations if the information is necessary to carry out accrediting functions.

G. To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena.

H. To appropriate officials in a health or safety emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.

I. To the general public, the final results of a disciplinary proceeding, if the college determines the student is an alleged perpetrator of a crime or violence of a non-forcible sex offense; or if the disclosure concerns sex offender and other individuals required to register under section 17010 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

J. If the disclosure is limited to directory information. Union College has defined directory information to include the following: name, address (campus, home, email), telephone numbers, date and place of birth, academic fields of study, dates of attendance, enrollment status, photographs, participation in recognized activities and sports, degrees earned and awards received, weight and height of athletic team members, most previous educational agency or institution attended, or other similar information. The College may publicize or respond to requests for such information at its discretion. However, the use of these records for commercial or political purposes is prohibited unless approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Currently enrolled students may request that directory information be withheld from disclosure by making a request, in writing, to the Dean of Students Office or Office of the Registrar. The College assumes that failure on the part of the student to specifically request the withholding of any directory information indicates approval of disclosure.

3. The right to request amendment of a student education record that the student believes is inaccurate.

A student who wishes to ask the college to amend a record should write the Office of the Registrar or Dean of Students, 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 his or her 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 of a hearing.

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Union College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20202-5901

Rev. 09/01/2018