The educational records of students, the confidential financial statements of parents, and confidential recommendations for employment and student admission are protected by the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Annually, Bellarmine University informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, with which Bellarmine is in full compliance. This Act was designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. The policy and procedures used by Bellarmine University for compliance with the provisions of the Act are explained in detail in the Bellarmine University Policy and Procedures Manual (5.4). A copy of this manual may be examined in the Office of the Registrar, where any questions concerning the Act should also be referred.
FERPA permits the public release of what is termed “directory information.” For Bellarmine University’s purposes, this information includes the following: the student’s name, all addresses (including email) and telephone number, photograph, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, class standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate), degrees and awards received, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student.
A request for nondisclosure of the “directory information” must be filed with the Office of the Registrar, and will be honored by the institution for only one academic year, whether or not the student is currently registered. Upon the death of a student, all privacy holds are removed. After a student has observed Bellarmine’s procedures for challenging the record, he/she has the right to file a complaint with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act office of alleged failures of Bellarmine University to comply with the Act.
