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 College receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, chair of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College 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 College 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, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should write the College 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 College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing 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.
3) The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is the disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is defined as a person employed by the College 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 College has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using College 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 College.
Upon request, the school 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 College 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, D.C. 20202-5920
Notification of Directory Information
At its discretion, Muhlenberg College may provide “directory information” in accordance with the provisions of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Directory information is defined as that information which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.
Designated directory information at Muhlenberg College includes the following: student’s name, date of birth (including month, date and year), college mailbox, permanent address, phone number, email address, class year, major field of study, dates of attendance, enrollment status (full-time, part-time), degrees, honors and awards received, participation in officially recognized College activities (including but not limited to intercollegiate athletics), weight and height of student athletes. Students may block the public disclosure of directory information by notifying the Office of the Registrar in writing.
Please consider very carefully the consequences of a decision to withhold directory information. A non-disclosure block will call for Muhlenberg College not to release any of this “directory information;” thus, any future requests for such information from non-institutional persons or organizations will be refused.
Muhlenberg College will honor your request to withhold directory information but cannot assume responsibility to contact you for subsequent permission to release this information. Regardless of the effect upon you, Muhlenberg College assumes no liability as a result of honoring your instructions that such information be withheld.
Requests for non-disclosure will be honored by the College until removed, in writing, by the student.
