October 17, 2023
Each year, in compliance with federal guidelines, URI provides the university community with information about the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), the many ways the University complies with this federal law, and your rights and responsibilities as students under the law. The law was designed to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through formal and informal hearings.
As a general rule, students attending a college or university, regardless of age, have the right under FERPA to control disclosure of information from their educational records.
FERPA generally requires the University to obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from a student’s education records. The University may disclose “directory information” without such consent, unless you have notified the school otherwise.
What is directory information?
Directory information is basic information related to a student that the school may include in certain school publications such as yearbooks, graduation programs, sports activity sheets, honor roll or other recognition lists, etc. Some of the information is included in URI’s online directory.
The University of Rhode Island currently designates the following as directory information:
- Student’s full name
- Campus, local, home address, email address
- Telephone listings (campus, local, home, cell)
- Website address
- Date and place of birth
- Major field of study
- Full/part-time status
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams
- Date(s) of attendance
- Degrees, honors, and awards received
- The most recent previous educational institution attended
- Class year
- Graduation dates
- Who might receive directory information?
Releasing directory information is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of a student’s privacy. Some examples of outside organizations that might receive directory information include alumni associations, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks. In addition, two federal laws require schools receiving certain federal funds to provide military recruiters, upon request, with the following information: names, addresses and telephone listings.
May I opt out of directory information disclosure?
Directory information is considered public information and may be released upon request unless the student activates a “privacy hold” in e-Campus. If you do not want the University to disclose directory information from your education records without your prior written consent you can manage your FERPA restrictions through e-Campus. To do so, log into e-Campus and go to Main Menu, then Self Service, then Campus Personal Information, then FERPA Restrictions.
Can I grant a third party, like parents, access to my information?
As a student, you may assign guest access to e-Campus to a third party to view your billing, academic records, and/or financial aid information. A guest can be a parent, guardian, grandparent, sibling, employer, or other third-party payer. Details to grant third-party access can be found here.
All other information is considered private, and will not be released outside the University without the written permission of the student, unless a specific exception under FERPA applies. Additional information about student records can be found in the Student Handbook.
In addition, school officials within the institution may obtain information from education records without consent when they are performing a task that is specified in their position description or contract; performing a task related to a student’s education or to student discipline; providing a service or benefit related to the student or student’s family; or maintaining safety and security on campus. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the school official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the University of Rhode Island. An example of a school official with a legitimate educational interest would be an academic advisor.
The University has defined a school official as:
- A person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position.
- A trustee or outside contractor such as health or medical staff, an attorney or auditor acting as an agent for the University.
- A student, alumni or other person serving on an official committee, such as a scholarship, disciplinary or grievance committee, or who is assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
- Other examples of “University Officials” include, but are not limited to: collection agents, officials of the National Student Clearinghouse, or the; a person serving on an accreditation team.
How do I request to inspect and review my student educational records?
To access educational records, eligible students must submit a written request to Dr. Carnell Jones Jr., director of Enrollment Services. The letter must identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. Within 45 days of receiving the request, the University will either make arrangements for access and notify the eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected, or the University may provide copies of the records, or portions of the records, for a fee. Students may ask school officials to amend a student’s educational records that they believe are inaccurate, misleading, or which violate the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. Students may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
URI FERPA contact: Questions concerning student rights under FERPA should be sent to Director Jones, Green Hall, Kingston, RI 02881 (401-874-9500).
Federal FERPA contact: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-8520.