Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (FERPA; also known as the Buckley Amendment) is a Federal law which allows students the right to inspect their education records and provides that colleges and universities will maintain the confidentiality of those records. The law basically says that no-one outside the institution will have access to your education records nor will the institution disclose other than Directory Information from those records without your written consent, except in an emergency. A copy of the full text of the law is available at the Registrar's Office. The only non-directory information California Lutheran University releases to a third party is academic standing, released only to parents of students placed on academic probation or suspension.
Campus personnel who are allowed access to educational records are those who are acting in the students' educational interest. The group is defined by the University to include personnel in the Registrar's Office, the Office of Enrollment and Student Life, Student Financial Planning, Institutional Research, and University officials with a legitimate educational interest as determined by the Registrar. Faculty advisers are included under the latter category.
California Lutheran University's FERPA policy allows university employees to release Directory Information to anyone, but we will not release information on students in bulk for commercial purposes (credit card agencies, etc.). The items defined as Directory Information at California Lutheran University are:
- name
- address
- telephone number
- campus residence hall
- campus box number
- campus telephone number
- date/place of birth
- dates of attendance
- degree date
- degrees awarded or anticipated
- honors
- majors
- previous institution most recently attended
- participation in recognized campus activities or sports
- height and weight of members of athletic teams
You have the right to have Directory Information withheld completely. This means we will not release any information from your education records, including the items listed above, without your prior written consent. If you withhold directory information, your name will not appear in the student directory. To request Directory Information be withheld, complete a "Disclosure of Directory Information" form and file it with the Registrar's Office. The form is in effect through the end of an academic year; it must be re-filed annually.
