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Office of the Registrar
The University of Mississippi

Privacy Act (FERPA)

Notification of Privacy Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (General Education Provisions Act, Sec. 438, Pub. L. 90-247, Title IV, as Amended).

I.  Students’ Rights Under FERPA. Subject to limitations specified in the Act, eligible students are assured the following rights pertaining to their educational records.

  1. The right to inspect and review their records, to request reasonable explanations and interpretations of them, and to obtain copies of them at their own expense. Students may request their records from the Office of the Registrar or from any other office on campus where education records are kept. The university will either allow the student to inspect the records or will provide copies to the student within a reasonable amount of time.  If the records are not subject to disclosure under FERPA, the university will provide the student with an explanation for the non-disclosure.
  2. The right to seek correction of records that are believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights. If the university denies the request to amend, then the student has the right to ask for a formal hearing on the matter. (This policy does not cover grade appeals which are covered by university policy ACA.AR.600.002, Academic Grade Appeal Policy and Procedure.)
  3. The right to control the disclosure of personally identifiable information from their records to third parties. To authorize a disclosure, students should provide the university with a signed, dated, written consent that specifies the records that may be disclosed and identifies the party to whom the disclosure may be made. Students may also electronically allow the release of their educational records on an ongoing basis (such as to parents or guardians) through MyOleMiss.  Students electronically authorizing the disclosure of records must identify both the individual entitled to receive records and the type of records subject to disclosure.  This authorization may be revoked at any time by the student.
  4. The right to file with the U.S. Department of Education a complaint alleging failure by the university to comply with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
  5. For additional information about students’ rights, see 34 C.F.R. §99 et. seq. or contact the Office of the Registrar.

II. Directory Information. Certain educational records are considered “directory information.” Directory information may be disclosed by the university without a student’s consent unless the student has “opted out” of such disclosures (see below).  The university treats the following information about eligible students as directory information subject to release.

  1. Name, home and local address, published telephone listing, email address, date of birth, photograph.
  2. School or college, classification (Fr., Soph., Jr., Sr., Gr.), dates of attendance, awards, degrees and honors, date graduated, and the most recent educational agency or institution attended.
  3. Participation in officially recognized activities and sports, fraternity and/or sorority affiliation and educational societies, and vital statistics, such as height and weight, for members of athletic teams.

Opting Out of the Release of Directory Information.  A student may refuse the disclosure of any or all of the types of information designated above as Directory Information by submitting a written request to the Office of the Registrar.  Students may contact the Office of the Registrar at any time to make this request; however, the university is not responsible for disclosures of directory information made prior to a student’s notifying the Registrar of his or her decision to opt out.

III. Release of Education Records Not Requiring Consent

  1. The university is authorized to provide access to student records to campus officials, employees and contracted agencies who have a legitimate educational interest in such access, without the student’s written consent. These persons are those who have responsibilities in connection with campus academic, administrative or service functions and who have reason for using student records connected with their campus or other related academic/administrative responsibilities as opposed to a personal or private interest. Such determination will be made on a case-by-case basis.
  2. The university is authorized to disclose information from an educational record to appropriate parties, including parents, in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.
  3. The university is authorized to disclose to the victim of an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense the final results of the disciplinary proceeding conducted by the university with respect to that alleged crime or offense. The university may disclose the final results of the disciplinary proceeding, regardless of whether the institution concluded a violation was committed. The university may disclose to a parent of a student the student’s violation of any Federal, State, or local law, or policy of the university, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if— (i) The university determines that the student has committed a disciplinary violation; and (ii) The student is under the age of 21 at the time of the disclosure to the parent.
  4. For additional information about disclosures not requiring consent, such as disclosures to government agencies, see 34 C.F.R. §99 et. seq., or contact the Office of the Registrar.

IV. Questions and Complaints

Questions regarding records, the release of information and/or to request a paper copy of the Privacy Act may be directed to the Office of the Registrar, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677.  The email address is registrar@olemiss.edu, and the telephone number is 662.915.7792.

 

Students wishing to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education can send the complaint to:  Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202.