RECORDS AND ADVISEMENT FERPA INFORMATION PAGE

This policy meets the guidelines presented at AACRAO 4/17/90 by LeRoy S. Rooker, Director of the Family Policy & Regulations Office, U.S. Department of Education.

For the latest information, go to the U.S. Dept. of Education FERPA website.

For additional information about FERPA at Southern see the following:

Southern's Academic Administration Parent Information Page

Southern's Academic Administration Faculty Information Page

For the purposes of this policy, Southern Adventist University has used the following definitions of terms.

Student - any person who attends or who has attended Southern Adventist University (under any of its names)

Education records - any record (in handwriting, print, tapes, film, or other medium) maintained by Southern Adventist University or an agent of the University which is directly related to a student, except:

• A personal record kept by a staff member, if it is kept in the personal possession of the individual who made the record, and information contained in the record has never been revealed or made available to any other person except the maker's temporary substitute
• An employment record of an individual whose employment is not contingent on the fact that he or she is a student, provided the record is used only in relation to the individual's employment
• Records maintained by Southern Adventist University Security Unit if the record is maintained solely for law enforcement purposes, is revealed only to law enforcement agencies of the same jurisdiction, and the Unit does not have access to education records maintained by the University
• Records maintained by Health Service if the records are used only for treatment of a student and made available to those persons providing the treatment
• Alumni records that contain information about a student after he or she is no longer in attendance at the University and the records do not relate to the person as a student

Students may inspect and review their education records upon request to the appropriate record custodian.

Students should submit to the record custodian or an appropriate Southern staff person a written request that identifies as precisely as possible the record or records he or she wishes to inspect.

The record custodian or appropriate Southern staff person will make the needed arrangements for access as promptly as possible and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. Access must be given in 45 days or fewer from the receipt of the request.

When a record contains information about more than one student, the student may inspect and review only the records which relate to him or her.

Southern Adventist University reserves the right to refuse to permit a student to inspect the following records:

• The financial statement of the student's parents
• Letters and statements of recommendation for which the student has waived the right of access, or which were placed in the file before January 1, 1975
• Records connected with an application to attend Southern Adventist University or a component unit of Southern Adventist University if that application was denied
• Those records that are excluded from the FERPA definition of education records

Southern Adventist University reserves the right to deny transcripts or copies of records in the following situations:

• The student has an unpaid financial obligation to the University
• There is an unresolved disciplinary action against the student

The fee for copies of transcripts will be published annually in the catalog. Fees for copying other records will be no more than 25 cents per page.

The following is a list of the types of records that Southern Adventist University maintains, their locations, and their custodians.

Type	Location	Custodian
Admissions Records for Enrolled Students	Records Office	Director of Records
	(Wright Hall)
Cumulative Academic Records	Records Office	Director of Records
	(Wright Hall)
Health Records	Health Services Office	Director of Health Services
	(Wright Hall)
Financial Records	Accounting Office	Director of Student Finance & Treas.
	(Wright Hall)
Placement Records	Testing and Counseling Center	Director of Testing & Counseling
	(Student Center)
Progress Records	Department Chairman's/School Dean's Office	Chairman/
	(Faculty Office of each	Instructor/Adviser
	Department)
Disciplinary Records	Student Services	V.P. for Student Services
	(Wright Hall)
Orlando Campus Records	Orlando, Florida Campus (Office for Orlando Campus)	Nursing Department Associate Chairman
Occasional Records	The appropriate official will collect such records, direct the student to their location, or otherwise make them available for inspection and review.	The University staff person who maintains such occasional records
(Student education records not included in the types listed above, such as copies of correspondence in offices not listed, etc.)

Southern Adventist University will disclose information from a student's education records only with the written consent of the student, except:

1. To school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records.

A school official is:

• A person employed by Southern Adventist University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position, including part-time student workers who have a legitimate educational interest
• A person employed by or under contract to Southern Adventist University to perform a special task, such as an attorney or auditor

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official is:

• Performing a task that is specified in his or her position description or by a contract agreement
• Performing a task related to a student's education
• Performing a task related to the discipline of a student
• Providing a service or benefit relating to the student or student's family, such as health care, counseling, job placement, or financial aid

2. To officials of another school, upon request, in which a student seeks or intends to enroll

3. To certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, and state and local educational authorities, in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs

4. In connection with a student's request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount, or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid

5. If required by a state law requiring disclosure that was adopted before November 19, 1974

6. To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the college

7. To accrediting organizations to carry out their functions

8. To parents of an eligible student who claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes

9. To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena

10. To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency

Students have the right to ask to have records corrected that they believe are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of their privacy rights. Following are the procedures for the correction of records.

• A student must ask the custodian of the Southern Adventist University record in question to amend a record. In so doing, the student should identify the part of the record to be changed and specify why he or she believes it is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of his or her privacy or other rights.
• Southern Adventist University may comply with the request or it may decide not to comply. If it decides not to comply, Southern Adventist University will notify the student of the decision and advise him or her of the right to a hearing to challenge the information believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's rights.
• Upon request, Southern Adventist University will arrange for a hearing, and notify the student, reasonably in advance, of the date, place, and time of the hearing.
• The hearing will be conducted by a hearing officer who is a disinterested party; however, the hearing officer may be an official of the institution. The student shall be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the issues raised in the original request to amend the student's education records. The student may be assisted by one or more individuals, including an attorney.
• Southern Adventist University will prepare a written decision based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing. The decision will include a summary of the evidence presented and the reasons for the decision.
• If Southern Adventist University decides that the challenged information is not inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's right of privacy, it will notify the student that he or she has the right to place in the file a statement commenting on the challenged information and/or a statement setting forth reasons for disagreeing with the decision.
• The statement will be maintained as part of the student's education records as long as the contested portion is maintained. If Southern Adventist University discloses the contested portion of the record, it must also disclose the statement.
• If Southern Adventist University decides that the information is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's right of privacy, it will amend the record and notify the student, in writing, that the record has now been amended.