40.8.0 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Of 1974 (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act permits current or former students to inspect and review their education records. Students wishing to review their records should complete the request form available in the Registrar’s Office identifying the record(s) they want to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access within 45 days of the request and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Registrar, the student will be advised to whom the request should be addressed.
Students are also accorded a right to challenge the contents of their educational records to insure that the records are not inaccurate, misleading or in violation of rights to privacy or other rights. In order to request the College to amend a record that they believes is inaccurate or misleading, a student should complete the request form available in the Registrar’s Office, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College 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.
The Act also provides the right to withhold the release of personal information except as provided by law and College policy. SUNY Canton may disclose those items designated as directory information from a student’s education record unless directed otherwise by the student in writing. SUNY Canton has designated directory information to include: student’s full name, local address and telephone number, campus e-mail address, home address and home telephone number, date of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, date(s) of graduation, participation in officially recognized sports and activities, and the most recent previous educational institution attended.
Students have the right to restrict the disclosure of the items designated as directory information. If students exercise this right, such information will not be released without their written consent except as provided by law and College policy. Non-directory information such as grades, GPA and student ID number are not released for any student, except directly to the student, without express written consent. Students wishing to restrict the release of the items identified as directory information must notify the Office of the Registrar in writing by the first Friday of the academic term in which the information is not to be disclosed. Such restriction will remain in effect unless rescinded in writing by the student. Students should be aware that restricting the release of directory information will prevent the College from providing enrollment and graduation information to prospective employers, insurance companies, and lenders without written authorization. It will also prevent inclusion in any news releases of the Deans’ List or other honors, as well as graduation lists for publication.
An exception permitting disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit and personal health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or college 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 responsibility.
A student may choose to waive their FERPA rights and allow academic information to be shared with persons of their choice by assigning a proxy(ies) in UCanWeb. This allows SUNY Canton to share academic information from the student’s educational records with the person(s) the student assigns as a proxy. The proxy must provide the student’s SUNY Canton ID and the correct password. This access is available through UCanWeb under the miscellaneous Student Requirements tab.
Inquiries or complaints may be filed with:
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office
Department of Health, Education and Welfare,
400 Maryland Avenue,
S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202-4605.
Copies of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act are available at:
Office of Student Affairs
Miller Campus Center 229
and
Office of the Registrar
Miller Campus Center 012