Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An "eligible student" under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age.) These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day Cleveland State University ("CSU") receives a request for access. A student should submit a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect to the University Registrar. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA. 
   
   A student who wishes to ask CSU to amend a record should submit a written request to the University Registrar, clearly identifying the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. 
   
   If CSU decides not to amend the record as requested, CSU will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student's right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

3. The right to provide written consent before CSU discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. 
   
   CSU 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 CSU in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary, grievance committee, or in student government positions. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of CSU who performs an institutional service of function for which CSU would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the University 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 his or her tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University. 
   
   Upon request, CSU also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. 
   
   See below for information regarding the disclosure of student information classified as directory information.

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the CSU to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: 
   
   Family Policy Compliance Office
   U.S. Department of Education
   400 Maryland Avenue, SW
   Washington, DC 20202 

Directory Information

In accordance with federal law, the University classifies the following information on students as directory information and may make it available to other students and to the public:

1. Student Name
2. Home city and state
3. Home address*
4. Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
5. Dates of attendance
6. Degrees and awards (honors) earned
7. University email address**

*  Disclosure of the home address is restricted to state, local or national elected officials for the purpose of sending congratulatory letters, or to potential scholarship sponsors for the purpose of marketing scholarship opportunities.  Requestors must complete and submit the Directory Information Request - Student Address Information form.

** Disclosure of the university email address is limited to users of the university email system only, and only for purposes of locating email addresses in the email directory.

Students who wish to restrict the release of the foregoing information can do so through CampusNet (Student tab, Directory Information) or by submitting the Directory Information Restriction Request form at  All-in-1, BH 116. This restriction will remain in effect until you request it be removed. However, even if you file such a request, the University will release information as necessary if it is determined that disclosure is permitted by FERPA without prior consent (e.g., response to a subpoena, health or safety emergency, etc.). Please be aware that if a student requests that the forgoing information be withheld, it will be withheld from a variety of sources, including friends, relatives, prospective employers, insurance agencies, honor societies, and the news media. Students should carefully consider the consequences of withholding such information before doing so.

Since the University intends to make the above information public, it has the obligation to publish this annual notification of that intent and to provide a reasonable period of time in which students can designate such information that is not to be released.

The University reserves the right to publish a student directory listing names and addresses of students.