FERPA
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.
- A student has the right to inspect and review (subject to certain restrictions provided by the act) education records relative to himself/herself which are maintained by the University. A student desiring access to his/her records should submit a formal request for access to the Office of the Registrar or to the custodian of the records in question. The request must be in writing, signed by the student and must be personally delivered to the Office of the Registrar or to the custodian of the records in question by the student making the request. The student must present satisfactory personal identification to provide assurance that unauthorized persons do not obtain access to student records.
- Personally identifiable information from student records may not be disclosed to third parties (except that certain classes of information may be disclosed to certain individuals and agencies as defined in the act) without prior written consent of the student.
- A student may seek the correction of educational records that are inaccurate or inappropriate, through established procedures.
- A student who has followed the procedures outlined by the University for compliance with this act and who feels that his/her rights, granted by the act, have been violated is entitled to file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office.
Exception to Written Consent – University Officials are members of the University who act within the scope of their employment. These members may include faculty, administration, staff, and others who manage student Education Records information, including student employees. University Official also includes contractors, volunteers, and others performing services or functions on behalf of the University for which the University would otherwise use employees"
SUU does not need written consent to release educational records to University Officials who have a legitimate educational interest. A University Official has a legitimate educational interest if the official has a need to review or otherwise use your educational records in order to fulfill their official responsibility for or to the University
Southern Utah University maintains the following educational records in the locations indicated which are subject to this act:
| Type of Record | Custodian | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Records of Credit, Registration and Admissions | Registrar | Registrar's and Admissions Offices |
| Behavioral Disciplinary and Probationary Proceedings | Vice President for Student Affairs | Vice President for Student Affairs Office |
| Academic Disciplinary and Probationary Proceedings | Registrar | Registrar's Office |
| Housing Rules Violations | Director of Housing & Residence Life | Housing & Residence Life Office and/or Vice President for Student Affairs Office |
| Financial Aid | Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships | Financial Aid & Scholarships Office |
| Scholarship Awards | Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships | Financial Aid & Scholarships Office |
| Placement Records | Human Resources | Human Resources Office |
| Health Records | Vice President for Student Affairs | Vice President for Student Affairs Office |
| Interest and Aptitude Tests, Personality Inventory | Director of Academic Advising | Student Affairs |
| College of Education & Human Development Entrance Examinations | Dean of College of Education & Human Development | Office of Dean of College of Education & Human Development |
| Graduation Worksheets | Registrar | Registrar's Office |
| Departmental Progress Reports and Pre-Professional Evaluations | Department Chair | Offices of Department Chair |
Education records will not be maintained by the University in all of the categories listed above for all students who enroll at SUU.
Directory Information. The University considers the following personally identifiable, Student information to be directory information and may elect to disclose it without further notice:
- Name
- City/State
- Class Rank (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate)
- Courses of Study, Degrees and Certificates Awarded
- Honors, Awards, Activities, and Affiliations
- Enrollment Status
- Student Image
For more information see Southern Utah University’s FERPA policy section or visit the US Department of Education.
Students have the right to enable a FERPA Directory Information Block , which will prohibit Southern Utah University from releasing their directory information without their prior consent.
This does not include a right to remain anonymous in class, and may not be used to impede routine classroom communications and interactions, whether class is held in a specified physical location or online through electronic communications. This right also does not prevent the university from reaching out to, or communicating with, the student directly.
If you have access to your student portal, the option to enable/disable the FERPA Directory Information Block is available.
If you do not have access to your student portal, please contact the help desk at 435-865-8200.