Enrollment at the college constitutes student permission to distribute information to advisors and college offices when needed for academic advisement; for verification of academic standing; and for eligibility for honors, awards, scholarships, and participation in sports and activities. Emory & Henry provides for the confidentiality of student education records in accordance with the General Education Provisions Act, Title IV, Public Law 90--247 (or as amended) and under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as amended. An education record is defined as any and all student records maintained by the institution.
Current students needing to change their name, or update a permanent or mailing address may do so by completing a Name/Address Change Form and submitting it to the Centralized Student Assistance Office located in Wiley 101. The form can be found on the Self Service portal or picked up in the CSA Office. (Note: If submitting a name change, supporting documentation must be attached to the form).
The law provides for interchange of student records between faculty members and administrators within Emory & Henry as necessitated by the educational program, but it prohibits the College from releasing the records to persons outside the College, unless: 1) required by the student’s professional credentialing agency or licensing board, 2) consent is first obtained from the student, or 3) court-ordered. Records are classified into two main categories: directory and educational.
Directory Records
Directory records contain only general information (e.g., student’s name, address, field of study). This information is circulated freely within the College, but is not made readily available to off-campus persons or groups for purposes of solicitation. If a student wants to have their directory information withheld from publication, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the Centralized Student Assistance Office. Emory & Henry College deems the following student records as Directory Information: student name, major and minor field of study, dates of attendance, enrollment status (e.g., full-time or part-time) and class standing, participation in officially recognized activities, height and weight information for student athletes, degrees, honors and awards received, and most recent education institution attended. Release of student records and information, other than directory information can only be accomplished when the student submits a signed written release form, which is available online and in the Centralized Student Assistance Office.
Educational Records
Educational records include transcripts, evaluation or encounter forms, letters of reference, and correspondence on student conduct matters. These records are shared among the College faculty and staff only for legitimate reasons related to the educational program. In regard to third-party access, the student controls the release of these records, usually through written permission to the office which maintains the records of particular interest. Each student controls access to their own records and can grant access to specific individuals via the Disclosure form found on the Forms Directory or in the Centralized Student Assistance Office. Students should be aware that the Code of Virginia (23-9.2:15, approved April 30, 2015) requires schools to include a prominent notation on the academic transcript of each student who has been suspended for, permanently dismissed from, or withdrawn from the institution while under investigation for an offense involving sexual violence under the institution’s code of conduct. The College is also required under this law to have a procedure for removing such a notation from the academic transcript of any student who is subsequently found not to have committed an offence involving sexual violence based upon the School’s Code of Conduct. As a general policy, non-transcript records are maintained for 5 years. Academic Records are released regularly to each student’s faculty advisor and program chair who help the student interpret the educational program and meet its requirements, interpret the course schedule and register for each semester, and deal with academic problems as they arise. It is the student’s responsibility to meet all academic requirements. The following is a list of offices which maintain the educational records:
- Academic records and transcripts—Registrar
- Correspondence on student conduct proceedings—Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences
- Placement folders (must be compiled by student)—Director of Career Services
- Financial aid records—Director of Student Financial Planning
- General financial records (including student accounts)—Vice President for Business and Finance
The College shares students’ personal identifiable information for relevant reasons with the following: American College Testing Program; Balfour; Cappex.com LLC; College Bound Selection Service; Chegg; College Board; College Sports Project; Colleges That Change Lives, Inc.; Corcoran Communications; Council for Aid to Education; Council of Independent Colleges of Virginia; Educational Testing Service, Inc.; Hobsons; iData; National Research Center for College and University Admissions; National Survey of Student Engagement; Noel-Levitz; The Outcomes Survey; and The Parish Group.
As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education’s FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records — including Social Security Number, grades, or other private information — may be accessed without consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (“Federal and State Authorities”) may allow access to student records and PII without student consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state- supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is “principally engaged in the provision of education,” such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to education records and PII without student consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or do not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive PII, but the authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without student consent PII from education records, and they may track student participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about the student that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.
My Hub and Academic Records
The Registrar’s Office provides student access to information about their academic record through an online student system. Students can access their grades and register for classes through My Hub.