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Georgia Southern has defined Directory Information to include the student’s name, enrollment status, enrollment hours, post office box, local telephone number, classification (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student), employment title and contact information, major, participation in activities, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, thesis/dissertation title and faculty mentor, photograph, and most recent educational institution attended. This information is considered public information and will be released to those requesting such information unless the student has specifically requested that the information in this category be restricted. Students who wish to prohibit the release of Directory Information may present a written request to the Registrar and such information will not be released; however, requests that Directory Information be withheld from a written publication must be received in sufficient time to prevent delay in processing that publication.
Annual Notice of Privacy Rights
Georgia Southern is subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA; USC 1232g) which is designed to protect the student’s rights with regard to educational records maintained by the institution. Under this Act, a student has the following rights:
- The right to inspect and review education records maintained by this institution that pertain to the student within 45 days after the day the institution receives a request for access. A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect.;
- The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading or a violation of privacy or other rights. A student who wishes to ask the institution to amend a record should write to the Office of the Registrar, clearly identifying the part(s) of the record the student wants changed, and specifying why the information should be changed.;
- The right to provide written consent before the institution discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
Georgia Southern University discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official typically includes a person employed by the institution in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the institution who performs an institutional service or function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing their tasks. Clinical preceptors/supervisors will be considered school officials when they are supervising a student’s clinical education. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the institution. Upon request, the school also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA are:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
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