Statement
of Policy
Regarding
the Release of Information About
Students
at
Ohio
Northern University
(Revised
Sept 2005, Revised June 2006)
The University recognizes
its responsibility to protect students and former students against improper disclosure
of information. The following
regulations have been adopted in recognition of this responsibility and to
conform to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of
1974 (PL 93-380), as amended, and Final Rules on Educational Record Privacy Rights
of Parents and Students, as the University understands them. The Act requires that the University maintain
the confidentiality of student educational records and provide access of
students to their records. Ohio
Northern University, therefore, has adopted the following policy in order to
insure student rights of privacy.
Release
of Information Within the Institution
Within
the institution, information from educational records of a personally
identifiable nature is given without the consent of the student to
administrative officials and faculty members and their staffs only for
legitimate purposes in the student's educational interests. These include
personnel in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of
Students, Academic Vice President, Registrar, Director of Greek and Student
Activities, Director of Counseling, Academic Dean of college of registration,
Director of Institutional Research, and other personnel who must have access to
the information to perform an ONU required job function.
Release
of Information Outside the Institution
Education Records or
personally identifiable information may be disclosed without student consent to
the following: (1) authorized representatives of Federal and State officials in
connection with the audit and evaluation of Federally or State supported
programs; (2) in connection with financial aid for which the student has
applied or received; (3) to state and local officials to whom such information
is required to be reported by effective state law adopted prior to November 19,
1974; (4) to organizations conducting studies for educational agencies or
institutions, or for the purpose of developing, validating or administering
predictive tests, administering student aid programs or improving instruction,
if such studies are conducted in such a manner so as not to permit the personal
identification of students or parents and provided that such information will
be destroyed when no longer needed; (5) to accrediting organizations in order
to carry out their accrediting function; (6) to comply with a lawfully issued
court order or subpoena (the University will make reasonable attempts to notify
a student of the order or subpoena in advance of compliance); and (7) to
appropriate persons in a health and safety emergency in accordance with regulations
of the Secretary of Education.
The Clery
Act supersedes FERPA and requires that the University disclose disciplinary
outcomes to the victims of sexual offenses. (28-Jun-2006)
The University has
contracted with the National Student Clearinghouse to function as the
university’s agent in matters including but not limited to:
·
FELP loan deferment,
·
reporting enrollment to the
NSLDS,
·
and
other related enrollment and degree verification services.
Additional
Release of Information Allowed by FERPA
FERPA does not prohibit the
University from disclosing to a parent or legal guardian of a student,
information regarding any violation of Federal, State, or local law, or any
rule of policy the University, governing the use of possession of alcohol or a controlled
substance if the student is under the age of twenty-one and the University
determines that the student has committed a disciplinary violation with respect
to such use or possession.
FERPA does not prohibit the
University from disclosing the final results of any disciplinary proceeding
conducted by the University against a student who is an alleged perpetrator of
any crime of violence (as that term is defined by law), or a nonforcible sex offense, if ONU determines as a result of
that disciplinary proceeding that the student committed a violation of the
University’s rules or policies with respect to such crimes or offense. The Clery
Act REQUIRES the university to notify the victim of the final results of
any such disciplinary proceeding.
Records
of Disclosure
Records will be maintained
of disclosure of personally identifiable information other than to the student,
to University employees in carrying out their normal functions, or directory
information. Such records will be open
for inspection to the student, the responsible administrator and staff and
State and Federal officials auditing record keeping procedures of the
University.
A signed release from
the student is required for
personally identifiable information to third parties other than those listed
above. Such requests shall specify the
record to be released, to whom the record is to be released and the reasons for
such release.
Records
of Applicants for Admission
Records for applicants for
admission are not covered by these regulations until they have been officially
registered in the University. Applicants
for admission from one college to another college in the University may not
inspect the admission file to the second college until officially registered in
the second college.
Directory
Information
The University has
designated the following Directory information which may be released without
the student's specific approval: (1)
student name; (2) home and local address and telephone numbers; (3) date of
birth; (4) major fields of study and college in which enrolled; (5) degrees,
honors, awards and dates received; (6) class (year of study); (7) dates of
attendance; (8) most recent institution previously attended; (9) previous
degrees earned and granting institutions; (10) participation in officially
recognized activities and sports; (11) height and weight of members of athletic
teams; (12) enrollment status (enrolled, withdrawn, full- or part-time); (13)
name and address of parent(s); (14) student email address; and (15) student picture.
(9/96)
Students may withhold
Directory Information by notifying the Office of the Registrar in writing
within two weeks of the first day of the fall term. Requests to withhold Directory Information are
in effect until rescinded in writing by the student.
Right
to Inspect Educational Records
Students have a right to
inspect information contained in their educational records, to challenge
contents of their educational records, to have a hearing if the challenge is
unsatisfactory and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their
files if they feel the decisions of the hearing panels to be
unsatisfactory. The Registrar has been
designated by the institution to coordinate the inspection and review
procedures for student educational records.
A student wishing to review
their educational records must make a written request to the office involved listing the items of interest. Records covered by the Act will be made
available within forty-five (45) days of the request. The student may have copies made of these
records unless the student has an outstanding financial indebtedness. Transcripts of an original document which exists
elsewhere are excluded. These copies
will be made at the student's expense at prevailing institutional rates.
Students may not
inspect and review the following: (1)
financial information submitted by their parents; (2) confidential letters and
recommendations associated with admission; (3) employment or job placement; (4)
honors to which they may have waived their rights; (5) or educational records
containing information about more than one student, in which case the
institution will permit access only to that part of the record which pertains
to the student in question. Confidential
letters and recommendations received prior to January 1, 1975 will not be made
available provided that these were collected under established policies of
confidentiality and used only for the purpose for which they were intended.
Student
Rights
Students
who believe that their records contain information that is inaccurate,
misleading, or is otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights may
discuss the problem with the office involved informally. Students will
be
notified of the action within a reasonable period of time
concerning such requests and informed of their rights to a formal hearing if
the request cannot be honored.
Requests for formal
hearings must be made in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs or
Vice President for Student Affairs who, within a reasonable period, will inform
the concerned student of the date, place and time of the hearing. Students may present evidence relevant to
issues raised and may be assisted by persons of their choice at the students'
expense. The hearing panel will normally
consist of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for
Student Affairs and the Academic Dean of the student's college. In the event that one of these individuals is
the party grieved, the President will appoint an alternate member of the
committee.
Decisions of the hearing
panel will be based solely upon the evidence presented at the hearing, will be
final and will consist of written statements summarizing the evidence and
stating the reasons for the decisions, and will be delivered to all parties
concerned. The educational records will
be corrected, as amended, in accordance with the decisions of the hearing panel
if the decision is in favor of the student.
If the decision is unsatisfactory to the student, the student may place
with the educational record statements commenting on the information in the
records and of disagreement with the decision of the hearing panel. These statements will be placed in the
educational record, maintained as part of the student's record and released
whenever the records in question are disclosed.
Any
student who believes that the adjudication of these challenges was unfair or
not in keeping with the provisions of the Act may request in writing assistance
from the President of the University. Further, students who believe their rights
have been abridged, may file complaints with the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA), Department of
Education,