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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. They are as follows:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University 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 University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights.

Students may ask the University to amend a record and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University 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 to a hearing.

3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to a University official with legitimate educational interests. A University 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 University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Higher Education; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance Committee, or assisting another University official in performing his or her tasks. A University official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

Upon request, the University discloses education records without a student's consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

4. The right to request the following categories of personally identifiable information, or 'directory information', not be made public:

• Name (all names on record)
• Address (all addresses on record)
• E-mail address (all electronic addresses on record)
• Phone number (all phone numbers on record)
• Height, weight and photos of athletic team members
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Major field of study (all declared majors)
• Minor field of study (all declared minors)
• Class level
• Dates of attendance
• Enrollment status
• Names of previous institutions attended
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Honors/awards received
• Degree earned (all degrees earned)
• Date degree earned (dates of all degrees earned)
• Photographic, video or electronic images of students taken and maintained by the institution

Any student wishing to exercise this right must inform the Office of Registration and Records, 110 Ceres Hall, in writing.

NDSU receives inquiries for "directory information" from a variety of sources such as prospective employers, government agencies, news media, parents, other colleges and universities, licensing agencies, etc. Please consider carefully the consequences of your decision to withhold release of directory information. Once you inform NDSU not to release this information, future requests from non-University persons or organizations will be refused. In addition, that information will not be published in campus publications, such as telephone directories or commencement programs. NDSU will not contact you for subsequent permission to release this information after it has been restricted, and assumes no liability for honoring your instructions that such information be withheld. Be aware that information used in college publications may be collected in advance of their printing. You must restrict release of directory information by the tenth day of the term if you do not wish to be included in these publications. Requests to restrict directory information will be honored until the student specifically and officially requests to lift these restrictions.

Furthermore, students may provide consent to release non-directory information (financial and academic records) to designated third parties by completing a FERPA Release Form available online. The release remains in effect until the consent is revoked in writing and the revocation is delivered to NDSU.

5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failure by NDSU to comply with the requirements of FERPA:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
Federal Office Bldg 6
400 Maryland Ave SW
Washington, DC 20202

(06-2005)

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Bison Connection is a unit of the Division of Student Affairs