Asbury University complies with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U. S. C. § 1232g (FERPA), which affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution.) Asbury University students are considered to be in attendance once they have registered for courses for their initial term of enrollment.
These rights include:
A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading should write the school official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed and specify why it should be changed. If the school decides not to amend the record as requested, the school will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s 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.
Asbury University discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interest. School officials are those persons employed by Asbury University in administrative, supervisory, academic, research, instructional, advisory, governance, and support staff functions of the University (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff). They do not necessarily need to be paid employees of the University; school officials may include students serving on official committees or assisting a school official in performing his or her tasks; contractors, consultants, volunteers or other parties outside of Asbury University to whom Asbury University has outsourced institutional services or functions (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent). A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for Asbury University. Education records can be released without written consent to Local, State, and Federal agencies as well as contracted agencies that qualify as Asbury University school officials.
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, DC 20202
Directory Information
Asbury University may release, without the written consent of the student, the following items which have been specified as public or “directory information” for students: name, address(es), email address(es), telephone number(s), fields of study, level and classification, enrollment status, dates of attendance, actual and expected graduation date, degree(s) conferred, including dates, honors, scholarships and awards, previous institution(s) or agency attended, past and present participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of athletic team members, and photograph or video image.
Asbury works hard to protect each student’s privacy and does not automatically release directory information to all requestors. Information that is NOT classified as directory information and is therefore not released without advance student permission or applicable exception under the Act includes: specific course grades, grade point averages, race or ethnic group, or parent names.
However, a currently enrolled student may request under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, that the University not release any directory information by completing the FERPA Block Form available from the Office of the Registrar by the end of the drop/add period of the fall semester. Requests for non-disclosure will be honored until the student releases the hold on disclosure or until the end of the last term of the student’s enrollment, whichever comes first. The student accepts all consequences of having his or her directory information withheld, and the institution assumes no liability for honoring the student’s instructions that such information be withheld.
For more information regarding FERPA please visit: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html