Notification of Students’ Rights with Respect to Their Education Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records (providing they have not waived this right) within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
   Students should submit to the University Registrar 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. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate.
   Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate.
   If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University notifies the student of the decision and advises the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures is 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 to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
   One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University; a person serving on financial aid committees; a person or company with whom the University has contracted; a person serving on the Board of Trustees or Board of Regents; or a student serving on an official committee. 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 responsibility.
   The University designates the following categories of personally identifiable student information as public or “Directory Information.” The University may disclose or publish such information at its discretion: student’s full name; current enrollment status; local address and telephone number; permanent address and telephone number; temporary address and telephone number; electronic mail addresses; parents’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers; date and place of birth; dates of attendance; class standing (e.g. sophomore); schedule of classes; previous educational institution(s) attended; major and minor field(s) of study; awards and honors (e.g., Dean’s List, membership in the Order of the Gown); degree(s) conferred (including dates of conferral); full-time or part-time status; photographic or videotaped images of the student; past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, including fraternities and sororities; and height and weight of student athletes.
   Currently enrolled students may withhold disclosure of directory information by submitting written notification on an annual basis (usually prior to the beginning of the Advent semester) to the University Registrar’s Office at: The University of the South, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, Tennessee 37383-1000. Directory information is then withheld until the student releases the hold on disclosure or until the end of the current academic year, whichever comes first. Students should understand that, by withholding directory information, some information considered important to students may not reach them.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University of the South 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, DC 20202-5901

The University of the South’s complete Education Records and FERPA Policy is available here.