Your Rights as a Student Under the Family Educational Rights

and Privacy Act*

It is the policy of Indiana State University that all practices and procedures

related to the education records of students shall be in accord with the provisions

of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. This policy

has been implemented by the development of guidelines for record keepers and

a listing of the education records on campus. Both the guidelines and the listing

are available for review by students as indicated below. The following questions

and answers provide an outline of students’ rights under the Act.

Q. As an enrolled student at Indiana State University, what rights do I have

regarding my University records?

A. You have the right to inspect and review all your records that meet the Act’s

definition of “education records.”

There are eight exceptions:

1. Personal notes of Indiana State University staff and faculty;

2. Employment records of all employees whose employment is not

   dependent upon student status;

3. Medical and counseling records used solely for treatment;

4. Records in the Public Safety Department;

5. Financial records of your parents;

6. Records that contain only information relating to a person after that

person is no longer a student, such as alumni records;

7. Confidential letters and statements of recommendation for admission,

employment, or honorary recognition placed in your records

after January 1, 1975, for which you have waived the right to inspect

and review.

Q. Is there any situation in which the University may insist that I waive my

rights?

A. Under no conditions may you be required to waive your rights under this Act

before receiving University services or benefits.

A. Records are not maintained in a single location on the campus. Requests to

review your records must be made to each of the offices that maintain your

records. In some instances you may be required to submit in writing your

request to review a record; the Act allows up to 45 days for honoring such

a request. Most likely you have education records in the Office of Registration

and Records, the dean of your college, your major department, and any

other campus offices with which you have been involved such as the Student

Academic Services Center, Student Financial Aid, Residential Life, and Student

Judicial Programs. A list of the kinds of education records maintained on

campus, their location, and titles of personnel responsible for those records is

a part of the University policy for implementation of this Act and is available

in Parsons Hall, room 203.

A. You may challenge any information contained in your “educational records”

which you believe to be inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate. This right

does not extend to reviewing grades unless the grade assigned by your professor

was inaccurately recorded in your records. The first step in challenging

the record is to request of the record-keeper or the person responsible for

placing the data in the record that the record be amended. If the request to

amend the record is denied, you may file a request for a hearing; a hearing

officer will be appointed; and a decision will be made. If the record is not

amended as a result of the hearing, you may insert in the record an explanation

of your reasons for believing the record to be inaccurate, misleading, or

itself is destroyed, and the explanation you have written is included every

time the contents of the record are disclosed. You also have the right to file

complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office, room

4511, Switzer Building, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20202.

A. Under the Act, your prior written consent must be obtained before information

may be disclosed to third parties unless they are exempted from this

provision. These exemptions include:

1. Requests from Indiana State University faculty and staff with a legitimate

educational “need to know” (except employees of the Public

Safety Department);

2. Requests in accordance with a lawful subpoena or court order;

3. Requests from representatives of agencies or organizations from

which you have received financial aid;

4. Requests from officials of the educational institutions in which you

intend to enroll;

5. Requests from other persons specifically exempted from the prior

consent requirement by the Act (certain federal and state officials,

organizations conducting studies on behalf of the University, accrediting

organizations);

6. Parents of a dependent student as defined by the Internal Revenue

Code will receive notification of sanctions of certain violations of the

Code of Student Conduct (See Section III, D., of the Code of Student

Conduct, “Types of Disciplinary Action” for details); and

7. Requests for directory information (please refer to the next question

for an explanation).

A. The University, in accordance with the Act, has designated the following categories

of information about you as public unless you choose to exercise your

right to have this information withheld. These categories are:

1. Full name;

2. Address, campus, home, and e-mail;

3. Telephone listing;

4. E-mail address;

5. Major field of study, includes teacher licensure majors and minors;

6. Participation in officially recognized activities and sports;

7. Weight, height, and position of members of athletic teams;

8. Dates of attendance (including current classification and year, matriculation,

and withdrawal dates);

9. Degrees, awards, and honors, and dates received including honor roll

designation;

10. The most recent previous educational institution attended; and

11. Full or part-time status.

A. The University receives many inquiries for “directory information” from a

variety of sources including friends, parents, relatives, prospective employers,

graduate schools, honor societies, licensing agencies, government agencies,

and news media. Please consider very carefully the consequences of any

decision by you to remove these items from the list of “directory information.”

Should you decide to inform the University not to release this “directory

information,” any further requests will be refused. For example, if you direct

the University not to release your directory information, the University could

not release your telephone number or address to a family member wishing

to notify you of a serious illness or crisis in the family. A prospective employer

requesting confirmation of your major field of study, address, or date of birth

would also be denied access to such items should you withdraw them from

the list of “directory information.” The University will honor your request to

withhold the items listed above but cannot assume responsibility to contact

you for subsequent permission to release them.

Regardless of the effect upon you, the University assumes no liability for

honoring your instructions that such information be withheld.

Should you wish to file a form withdrawing information in the “directory”

classification, you should complete the form developed for this purpose,

which will be available for your use in the Office of Registration and Records

at registration time. After you have filed this form, the Registrar will notify the

appropriate University offices and begin to comply with your wishes as soon

as possible.

A. Several documents are available in room 203 of Parsons Hall for further study.

They include: guidelines for record keepers on campus in implementing provisions

of the Act; a list of education records on campus arranged alphabetically

by classification and with location and custodian identified for each; the

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended; and Department

of Health, Education, and Welfare Final Rule on Education Records. If

you have questions or if you need assistance in understanding and exercising

your rights under the provisions of the Act, assistance is available in the same

office.

A. When you believe the University is not complying with the Act, please direct

your comments to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Parsons

Hall, room 203.