Annual Notification of Rights under FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (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 within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
   
   A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes 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 are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA.
   
   A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should write the University 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 University decides not to amend the record as requested, the University 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.
3. The right to have personally identifiable information from the student's education records kept from disclosure except with the student's consent or to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
   
   The University discloses education records without a student's prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school 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 as its agent to provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
   
   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 the University.
   
   Upon request, the University also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University 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

Directory Information: Directory Information is information contained in an education record of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Directory information may be disclosed from a student's education record without a student's prior consent. Directory Information at Georgia State University consists of the following information: student name, mailing addresses, e-mail address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, full or part-time status, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, degrees and awards applied for and/or received, dates of attendance, previous educational institutions attended by the student, photographs and other recorded images, and, with respect to members of athletic teams, height, weight, age, hometown, hobbies, and general items of interest.

Suppression of Directory Information: Students may choose to keep their directory information from being disclosed ("suppressed") by submitting a written request to the University's Registrar at any time. However, to keep the directory information from being included in various printed University publications, such requests should be made before the end of the drop/add period for Fall Semester. Information cannot be deleted after printed publications have gone to press and information previously-released in printed publications cannot be recalled. Information contained in electronic publications may generally be changed upon 48 hours notice. Students having opted to suppress their directory information may change their position at a later date by notifying the Office of the Registrar in writing. Please note: refusing to permit the release of directory information means that a student's history at Georgia State will be suppressed in full, preventing the verification by future employers and others of such things as degrees earned and dates of enrollment.

Exception to Directory Suppression: Due to system constraints, final graduation lists and official programs will include all students who are graduating, regardless of Directory Information Suppression, unless otherwise stated on the Graduation Application.

Georgia State University's complete FERPA Policy may be found at: http://www.gsu.edu/registrar/FERPA.html