The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal act that affords university students certain rights with respect to their education. It is the policy of Hollins University to follow those guidelines to protect the privacy of students. Once students become part of our community, they will be treated as adults. It is their responsibility to keep you informed of their activities and their academic progress. Please be advised that in accordance with FERPA, it is Hollins University's policy not to:

• Release information to parents about grades or academic progress without the written consent of the student.
• Release information to parents about Honor Code or student conduct violations and/or sanctions without the written consent of the student.
• Release information to parents about the student's whereabouts or social activities without the written consent of the student.
• Release information related to a student's health or counseling record (also covered under HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) without the written consent of the student.
• Notify a parent or legal guardian when a student is withdrawn or put on a leave of absence from the university.

The university will contact parents under the following circumstance:

• When the staff has ongoing concerns about a student's well being, or is concerned that a student presents a threat to herself or to others.

The university can provide parents with general information about a student's status. For instance, we can tell you if she is active or inactive.

Please be advised that faculty members are asked to submit unsatisfactory work notices on students beginning in the fourth week of classes, and midterm grade reports on first-year students around the sixth week of classes. Students who are doing poorly academically receive a letter from the dean of academic services asking them to meet with their instructor (and in some cases the dean of academic services) to see what can be done to help them improve. Letters regarding unsatisfactory progress go directly to students.

The Office of Academic Services also sends letters to students who are doing exceptional academic work. Under Hollins University's policy regarding FERPA, none of these letters or notices can be sent to parents. Again, it is the students' responsibility to inform parents of their academic progress. You may want to ask your daughter around midterm time if they have received any exceptional work notices or unsatisfactory work notices from their professors. Parents should not contact professors directly to inquire about a student's progress in a class, unless a FERPA waiver has been signed by the student.

Oftentimes, it is difficult for parents to understand why the university does not divulge specific academic information given that they are, most often, the individuals who are paying the bills. Again, Hollins, and every other institution of higher education, is bound by FERPA.

If your daughter wishes to waive her rights under FERPA, she can fill out a "FERPA Waiver" during orientation (a form will be provided in her orientation folder).

The following student rights are covered by FERPA and are afforded to all eligible students of the university:

• The right to inspect and review the student's educational records.
• The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
• The right to notify the university in writing if the student does not want any or all of the information designated as directory information to be released internally or externally.*
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Hollins University to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

The annual notification of these rights is found in the Student Handbook and the Academic Catalog.

* All or individual directory items may be declared confidential provided written expression is received by the dean of students no later than three days from the beginning of any term. Hollins designates the following as directory information:

• Category I Campus Directories and Publications — Student name, class year or program, nickname, local mailing address, local residence address, local telephone number, parent name, student's permanent mailing address (usually the parent address), e-mail address, weight and height of athletes, photographs, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, most recent previous school attended, field of study, dates of attendance, degree awarded and date, awards and honors, and full- or part-time status.
• Category II External Requests — The university reserves the right to provide directory information to callers external to the university who request information such as confirmation of a student's attendance at Hollins, dates of attendance (if known), degree awarded and date (if known), and withdrawal date (if known).