THE FAMILY EDUCATION RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is a Federal law which states (a) that a written institutional policy must be established and (b) that a statement of adopted procedures covering the privacy rights of students be made available.  The law provides that the institution will maintain the confidentiality of student education records.

Concordia University accords all the rights under the law to students who are declared independent.  No one outside the institution shall have access to students' records nor will the institution disclose any information from students' education records without the written consent of students except to personnel within the institution, to officials of other institutions in which students seek to enroll, to persons or organizations providing students financial aid, to accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation function, to parents of dependent students, to persons in compliance with a judicial order, and to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons.  All these exceptions are permitted under the Act.

Within the Concordia University Wisconsin community, only those members, individually or collectively, acting in the students’ educational interest are allowed access to student education records.  These members include personnel in the Offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Admission, Academic Dean, Student Life, Business, Placement, and academic personnel within the limitations of their need to know.

The law provides students with the right to inspect and review information contained in their education records, to challenge the contents of their education records, to have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their files if they feel the decisions of the hearing panels to be unacceptable.  The Registrar at Concordia University has been designated by the institution to coordinate the inspection and review procedures for student education records, which include admissions, personal, academic, and financial files, and academic, cooperative education, and placement records.  Students wishing to review their education records must have written requests to the Registrar listing the item or items of interest.

Local policy explains in detail the procedures to be used by the institution for compliance with the provisions of the Act.  Copies of the policy can be found in the Office of the President and the Office of the Registrar.

PUBLIC NOTICE DESIGNATING DIRECTORY INFORMATION

Concordia University Wisconsin hereby designates the following categories of student information as public or “Directory Information.”  Such information may be disclosed by the institution for any purpose, at its discretion.

Category I Name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, class, photos and class schedules.

Category II Previous institution(s) attended, major field of  study, awards, honors (includes Dean’s List), degree(s) conferred (including dates).

Category III Past and present participation in officially recorded sports and activities, physical factors

(height, weight of athletes), date and place of birth.

Currently enrolled students may withhold disclosure of any category of information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.  To withhold disclosure, written notification must be received in the Office of the Registrar prior to the fifth class day of each academic year.  Forms requesting the withholding of Directory Information are available in the Office of the Registrar.

Concordia University Wisconsin assumes that failure on the part of any student to specifically request the withholding of categories of Directory Information indicates individual approval for disclosure.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICIES

Concordia University Wisconsin admits qualified students of any age, sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental conditions, or developmental disability, to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.  Concordia University Wisconsin does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, sex, physical or mental condition, or developmental disability in the administration of its admission policies, education policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and extra-curricular programs or other school-administered programs.

Concordia University Wisconsin does not discriminate on the basis of handicap. (cf. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973).