Student Handbook
Student Records
PRIVACY OF STUDENT RECORDS
Certain information is considered to be public or “directory” information while other information is private in nature. “Directory Information” includes a student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance at McPherson College, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. A Federal law known as the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 gives students and former students the right to inspect, review and copy education records related to them. The only exceptions to this rule are for private notes for teachers and administrators, medical treatment records, financial records of parents, confidential recommendations prior to January 1, 1975, and records to which the student has waived the right of access in writing. Students have ten days following the announcement of Directory Information to notify the College that any or all of the information designated should not be released without his/her prior consent. This notice must be given in writing to the Office of the Dean of Students.
Education records and personally identifiable information from those records will not be released without the written consent of the student involved, except to other College personnel, officials of other schools in which the student intends to enroll, authorized State and Federal government representatives, or unless it is “directory information” or is released in connection with the student’s application for financial aid or in response to a judicial order or subpoena, or in a bona fide emergency.
The College maintains, along with education records of each student, a record identifying all persons except other College officials, who have requested or obtained access to the records and indicating the legitimate interest of those persons. This record of access is available upon request to the student in question. Finally, all personal information about a student released to a third party will be transferred on condition that no one else shall have access to it except with the student’s consent. A complete list, with location and custodian, of all records kept on College students is obtainable from the Dean of Students.
Upon request, a record covered by the Act will be made available within a reasonable time, and in no event later than 45 days after the request. The student should direct the request to the custodian of the records in question. Copies of the record will be made available to the student at the student’s expense (usually limited to cost of materials).
A student may also request explanations and interpretations of the records from the official in charge. If the student believes that a particular file contains inaccurate or misleading information or is otherwise inappropriate, the College will afford an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the record. Prior to any formal hearing, the official in charge of the record is authorized to attempt, through informal meetings and discussions with the student, to settle the dispute. If the student is not satisfied, he/she may request a hearing. Hearings will be conducted by the Campus Hearing Board, and procedures for such a hearing will be those outlined in the student handbook for all cases coming before the board. The student will have the opportunity at the hearing to present any relevant evidence.
ACADEMIC RECORD
A transcript is a student’s official record of courses taken and grades earned. The records are kept and maintained by the Associate Dean of Academic Records and located in the Student Enrollment Services Office. Student records are confidential, but are open for inspection by the student. Inspection of records must be made in writing, with the request being made to the Associate Dean of Academic Records for transcripts. The first copy of the transcript is free.
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT FILE
The student development file is maintained in the Dean of Students’ office. It contains directory information for the student, emergency contact persons, copies of correspondence between the student and the Dean’s office, a record of any disciplinary action which involved the student, and summary records of student involvements on campus such as work or internship experience and achievements through student organizations. Students who wish to review the contents of their student development file should make a written request to the Dean of Students who is responsible for maintaining the files and will notify the student when the file is available for inspection within 45 days of the date of request.
|
