Quarterly RAC meeting Dec. 1

The quarterly Registrar’s Advisory Committee (RAC) meeting will be at 9 a.m. on Monday, December 1 over Zoom. Agenda items include end-of-term reminders, updates on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” act, and FERPA guidance on communicating with students via email. If you would like to attend, join the RAC Google Group to have the meeting added to your calendar. For more details about RAC and the quarterly meetings, see the RAC information page.

FERPA Q&A

Q: A student has opted out of directory information and wants to be anonymous in an online course. Are we required to allow the student to take the course anonymously?

A: No. Under FERPA, a student may not use their right to opt out of directory information disclosures, because this prevents school officials from identifying the student by name or disclosing the student’s electronic identifier or institutional email address in class.

FERPA Q&A

Q: Is it a FERPA violation to have an open office door while meeting with a student who is asking questions about their academics? 

A: Individuals who are having sensitive conversations or discussing specifics of a student's record/academics/etc. should make every effort to ensure that the conversation is private to avoid unintentionally sharing personally identifiable information (PII) data with anyone other than the student.

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can I share my work calendar with my personal email account if my meetings have student information in them? 

A: No. It is important to maintain security around student data. This kind of sharing reduces that security. You can consider other ways to access your calendar on personal devices (e.g., Google’s calendar app) or find ways to remove student data from your calendar (e.g., keep the data in a restricted Google doc linked in the calendar). 

FERPA Q&A

Q: Our Events staff have asked for student names, email addresses, and mailing addresses to forward to the commencement photographer who will use the information to mail photo proofs taken at the ceremony to students. This information is considered limited directory information. Does this mean we need to receive permission from each individual student in order to release their information to the photographer? Or can we share the information so long as the student has not fully suppressed this information in their record? 

A: Student contact information that hasn't been suppressed is in the "limited directory category," which means we can share it within the institution.

In a case like this, there are two potential options: 

1. The photographer has a contract with the University, and the contract designates the photographer as a school official and obligates them to securely handle student data.
2. Students provide consent.

ASR recommends option 2. Most graduation processes have a student consent component built into them. This is typically for the student to give consent to have their name in the program or to have content on a website, regardless of whether they change their directory suppression status. Consent for the photographer can be built into this process similarly.

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can an instructor or faculty member share progress information with a student’s advisor?

A: Yes, an instructor or faculty member can share information (e.g., current grades or progress) that the advisor needs to know in order to assist the student. This is within FERPA's "need to know" legitimate educational requirements.

FERPA Q&A

Q: What is the appropriate use for or sharing of class rosters and/or class photos? 

A: Class rosters (including photos) are considered private data. They are only to be used by people who support class activities (e.g., professors, instructors, TAs, administrative staff). Students may know the other students in their class (and usually can see this information in Canvas).  

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can a student challenge a grade by using their FERPA right to request an amendment to their student record?

A: No. The right to amend a student record is for information that is inaccurate or misleading due to a recording error; it does not apply to a substantive decision, such as what grade was awarded. Students do have the right to receive an explanation for their grades under University policy and can seek assistance from the Student Conflict Resolution Center if needed. 

FERPA Q&A

Q: What applies related to suppression after a student graduates? Are we able to publish our graduate’s information on our website or social media? 

A: Suppression status remains in place after graduation and needs to be honored unless/until the alumni chooses to change it. If you are interested in listing them on the website or other publications, you need to contact the person and ask for their signed/written permission in order to share the information. That goes for confirming their degree awarded as well.

New FERPA training requirement

If you have access to PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and/or APLUS, you will need to complete the new FERPA training course by October 31, 2024. This training needs to be completed regardless of any previous FERPA training recorded. If you do not complete the new training on time, you will lose your PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and/or APLUS access. 

The new course should take 20-30 minutes to complete. If you are required to take the training, you will be automatically enrolled through Training Hub the first week of October. You will receive additional information and reminders by email. 

Moving forward, FERPA training will need to be completed on a regular basis to maintain access to PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and APLUS. This is to ensure that those with access to private student data remain informed of their responsibilities and to prevent FERPA violations. If you have questions, you can contact cctraining@umn.edu. 

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can college or department staff communicate with students who have a directory or full suppression of their record?

A: It depends. College staff, including those in a marketing department, can send college-related communication to students, including those who have suppressions on their records if the information pertains to their role as a student. University staff who have a "need-to-know" may access student contact information, regardless of suppression level. The information of students with address or full suppressions, however, cannot be given to individuals or organizations outside of the University. Colleges should, of course, be respectful of any student's desire to "opt out" of marketing-type communications.

FERPA Q&A

Q: We set our students up into groups for various cohorts. We would like to provide contact information (e.g., email) for each student in the group so the students and instructors can communicate with each other. What are the FERPA rules regarding this information?

A: For students that are registered in the same class section, the information can be shared as long as it is done securely. If the information is shared more broadly, such as with an entire cohort, the information is more limited. The access to student information must be limited to only those who need it and should exclude students with full suppression, as well as exclude address, phone, and email information unless you have their written permission to include it. For example, you could send a Google form to everyone in the group to get their permission.

Additionally with the "limited directory" policy for student contact info, students' home addresses, phone numbers, and emails are not shared with other students unless it is part of a student group or similar activity. 

 

FERPA Q&A

Q: I’m new to the University. What resources are available to better understand FERPA and student data access?

A: The following resources are available for you to learn more about FERPA and other policies: 

• FERPA resources page on the ASR website
• Managing Student Records Policy (updates to this policy will be reflected soon)
• Sharing Enterprise Data resources and training

FERPA Q&A

Q: What if a parent comes with a student to orientation? How does FERPA apply to students admitted to the University but haven’t started classes?

A: It is not unusual for a parent to attend the orientation and registration sessions for an incoming student. From a FERPA perspective, you should obtain written permission from the student prior to allowing the parent to attend either of these activities. In practice, the most practical thing to do is to speak to the student privately and ask if they want the parent to be present during these sessions, explaining to the student that it truly is their choice. 

If the student agrees to the parent being present, they should agree to this in writing. If the student does not want to have the parent present, politely explain to the parent that orientation and registration activities are only for the student.

FERPA Q&A

Q: May a faculty member include a student’s grade in an email if the email is sent to multiple students?

A: Suppose a faculty member needs to communicate midterm grade information to two of their students, Mary and Bob. The faculty sends an email, with both students' email addresses on the “to” line, and in the body of the message gives information about Mary’s grade and Bob’s grade. This would violate FERPA because it discloses private student data. Faculty and staff should take care to only include private student data in an email when the recipients are allowed to view that information. Incidents such as these can be referred to security@umn.edu. 

FERPA Q&A

Q: Our program would like to have alumni reach out to potential applicants or current undergraduate students to apply to a graduate program. What is the best way to do this? 

A: If the alumni is associated with the University in an official capacity, you are not able to share potential applicant information without consent. As an alternative, you could share the first names of students and ask the alumni to write cards out to "Dear First Name," and then the department could send the cards directly to the students on the alumni’s behalf. You would still want to make sure they are not sent to anyone with a full suppression.

Some departments reach out to specific students and ask them if they are interested in hearing from alumni, engaging in conversations, etc. If they "opt in," you could share their contact information more widely. 

 

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can a student challenge a grade by using their FERPA right to request an amendment to their student record?

A: No. The right to amend a student record is for information that is inaccurate or misleading due to a recording error; it does not apply to a substantive decision, such as what grade was awarded. Students do have the right to receive an explanation for their grades under University policy and can seek assistance from the Student Conflict Resolution Center if needed.

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can a parent join a virtual meeting with a student, such as an advising appointment?

A: Sharing a student’s private information with a parent or other guest is not allowed unless we have written permission from the student. Even though the student may verbally agree to having the parent present, we need to document this with written permission. 

FERPA Q&A

Q: Can I email a student their final exam or paper grade?

A: Yes, provided you are sending to the individual student’s umn.edu email account and no other students are copied on the message. You may also wish to review additional information on the safe handling of grading information. If you are using Canvas, encourage students to look up grade information securely there. Once you submit final grades in the Faculty Center, students will be able to view them securely in MyU.  

FERPA Q&A

Q: May a faculty member include a student’s grade in an email if the email is sent to multiple students?

A: Suppose a faculty member needs to communicate midterm grade information to two students. The faculty sends an email, with both students' email addresses on the “to” line, and in the body of the message gives information about both students’ grades. This would violate FERPA because it discloses private student data. Faculty and staff should never share information like this with multiple email recipients. Emails with private student data should only be sent to that particular student. Incidents such as these can be referred to abuse@umn.edu.