Belmont Abbey College

The Catholic College of the South

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Student Records and The Privacy Law (FERPA)

Permanent Records

The Permanent Record is a chronological history of a student’s entire quantitative and qualitative achievement at the College. It reflects the basis on which the individual entered and left the institution. The Permanent Record includes the following information: the name of the school, the student’s name, area of study at time of graduation, record of work pursued, dates of attendance, and date of graduation. All records other than the Permanent Record are destroyed by shredding except to the extent that the law requires their maintenance for a longer period of time. The Permanent Record is maintained indefinitely.

Access to Student Records

Belmont Abbey College, following the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), affords students certain rights with respect to their records. FERPA is a Federal Law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high-school level. Parents and eligible students who need assistance or who wish to file a complaint under FERPA or PPRA should do so in writing to the Family Policy Compliance Office, sending pertinent information through the mail, concerning any allegations to the following address:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20202-5920

Phone: 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327)

  1. The College maintains records for each student that include name; address; student identification number; information on parents, guardian, or spouse; general information on academic status at the College; previous school data; results of standardized admission examinations; courses previously taken or being taken; credits; and grades. Applicants for financial aid have an additional file for those records.
  2. The Registrar is responsible for maintaining all of these records except for those involving financial aid. The records maintained by the Registrar are also available to the Provost, the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, the Dean of Student Life, the Director of Financial Aid, the faculty of the College, and their respective staff members for the normal academic and business purposes of the College. Records involving financial aid are maintained by the Director and staff of Financial Aid, and the Committee on Scholarships for the purpose of granting and administering the College’s financial aid programs. All of these records are also available to such other organizations and persons as are entitled to them under Part 99 of the Code of Federal Regulations. None of these records nor any personally identifiable information contained therein, other than Directory information (see below), is made available to anyone, other than the student, without written consent. When consent is required and given, the student, upon request, may receive a copy of the records to be released.

    Personal and Discipline records are maintained by the Dean of Students and are available to the Student Life staff and Disciplinary Committee as needed. The College keeps a record, available to the student and kept with the personal file, of all persons and organizations, other than those authorized within the College, who request or obtain access to the files. This record specifies the legitimate interest of each person or organization that obtains access to the records.

  3. Students may inspect their academic transcripts during normal working hours. To see other records, students must provide a written request to the Registrar, the Director of Financial Aid, or the Dean of Student Life, as appropriate. A mutually convenient time will be arranged within ten (10) working days after receipt of the request for the student to examine the records in his or her file. At that time, the student may examine all records in his or her file with the exception of those specifically exempted by Part 99 of the code of Federal Regulations. All reasonable requests for explanations or interpretations of the records will be honored.

    If inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate data are found in the records, they will be promptly corrected or deleted. The student also has the right to insert into his or her records a written explanation respecting the contents of such records. If the student and the Registrar, the Director of Financial Aid, the Dean of Student Life, or their deputies do not agree on any items contained in the records, the student may submit a written request to the Chief Academic Officer for a hearing to challenge the content of the records. The Chief Academic Officer will schedule such a hearing within thirty (30) days after receipt of the request and will notify the student well in advance of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The hearing will take place before a board composed of the Chief Academic Officer and the Dean of Student Life (or their designated alternates), and at least one disinterested member of the faculty who shall be appointed by the Chief Academic Officer. None of those hearing the challenge may have a direct interest in the outcome. Students will be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the issues raised and may be assisted or represented by individuals of their choice at their own expense, including an attorney. The decision of the board on the correctness of the record, as determined by majority vote, will be in writing and will be final. This decision will be based solely upon evidence presented at the hearing and will include a summary of the evidence and reasons for the decision.

    If, as a result of the hearing, the College decides that the information is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of the student, the College shall amend the records accordingly and so inform the student in writing. If, however, as a result of the hearing, the College decides that the information is not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of the student, the College shall inform the student of its right to place a statement in the records commenting on the information in question and/or setting forth the student’s reasons for disagreeing with the College’s decision.

  4. The College considers the following to be Directory information: student’s name; hometown address; student’s local address; telephone listing; email address; date and place of birth; major field of study; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; dates of attendance; degrees and awards received; and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Students may request that they not be listed in campus directories by submitting a written statement to the Chief Academic Officer to that effect. Students electing this option should be aware that their decision means that the College can neither list their names in the graduation bulletin for Commencement, nor verify their degree completion for a prospective employer, nor have their names published in the media for academic recognitions like the Dean’s List and the President’s List. Students choosing to not be listed in campus directories are required to inform the Chief Academic Officer in writing by December 1 for the fall semester and by May 1 for the spring semester.
  5. No student can be required, or will be asked, to waive rights under Part 99 of the Code of Federal Regulations. However, a student may voluntarily waive right of access to confidential statements made by third parties respecting admission to educational agencies or institutions, applications for employment, or the receipt of an honor or honorary recognition. In case of a waiver, the confidential statements will be used solely for the purposes for which they were specifically intended, and the student will, upon request, be notified of the names of all persons making such confidential statements.
  6. The College reserves the right, after a five (5) year period, to destroy any and all records that it maintains on a student, except to the extent that the law requires their maintenance for a longer period of time.
  7. The College also maintains a medical record for each student showing history, treatment, etc. These records are maintained at the Student Wellness Center and, while specifically excluded from Public Law 90-247, are still available for inspection by the individual student on request. The College also maintains records of all visits to the Counseling Center, the Placement Center, or to Disabled Student Services (DSS) for each student. These are available only to the staff member directly involved in counseling the student (unless the student signed a form allowing others to see these records), and to the student, upon reasonable request, within the limits of the law.