Texas Wesleyan University 2020-2021 Catalog

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Access to Student Records

The US Department of Education reiterates that FERPA rights (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) transfer to a student when s/he enters a postsecondary institution. Texas Wesleyan University supports this statement concerning access to individual student academic records and will not provide record access to parents without signature of the student. A specific form (located on the website) is available for this purpose. FERPA does allow institutions to disclose information to appropriate officials in a health or safety emergency, including parents if the emergency involves their child. Texas Wesleyan reserves the right to notify appropriate officials and parents in any situation determined to be an emergency.

Records Maintained

  1. The University maintains records for each student that may include: name; address; student identification number; contact information for parents, guardian, and/or spouse; general information on academic status at the University; previous school data; results of standardized admissions, examinations, official transcripts, admission applications, acceptance letters and courses previously taken or being taken; credits; and grades. The University Registrar is responsible for maintaining all of these records, except for those involving financial aid, or records pertaining to students in the Nurse Anesthesia programs which are maintained in that school. These records are available to the University Registrar, the Dean of Students, the President, the Provost and Senior Vice President, the Vice President for Enrollment and Vice President of Student Services, the Director of Financial Aid, and to the faculty of the University. Staff members affiliated with the University may be designated as having access to the records on a need-to-know basis. The University Registrar, in consultation with the Provost and Senior Vice President, will be the individual charged with responsibility for determining the need to know. Prior consent is not required for the release of educational information under certain circumstances such as the need to know by other school officials when a student transfers to another school, when requested by federal/state officials functioning in their official capacity, for financial aid purposes, to certain educational organizations, and in certain emergency situations.
  2. Applicants for financial aid have an additional file that contains information submitted as part of the process of applying for financial assistance. Records involving financial aid are maintained by the Director of Financial Aid and are available to the Director and staff, the President, the Vice President for Enrollment, the Provost and Senior Vice President, and to the Committee on Scholarships for the purpose of granting and administering the University's financial aid programs. All of these records also are available to such other organizations and persons as are entitled to them under Part 99 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
  3. The University complies with the federal record keeping requirements relating to all students to which it issues a Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility, as listed in the Code of Federal Regulations.
  4. The University considers the following to be directory information: student's name; university email address; hometown address; student's local address; telephone listing; date and place of birth; major field of study; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; weight and height of members of athletic teams; dates of attendance; grade level; enrollment status; degrees and awards received; the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student; and the student's thesis title.
  5. The University maintains a development database that is intended for the use of University employees and volunteers acting on behalf of the University. The database may include information on students as drawn from the registrar file and may include directory information. The information is not for sale to outside agencies and is released outside the internal campus community when necessary for University business. Research and gift information contained in the database is strictly confidential and will only be released outside the Office of Advancement when necessary for University business.
  6. The University also maintains for each student a medical record showing history, treatment, etc. These records are maintained at the Student Health Center and, while specifically excluded from Public Law 90-247, are still available for inspection by the individual student on request.
  7. The University also maintains for each student seen by the Counseling Center or the Section 504 Coordinator records of those visits and other relevant records in those offices.
  8. The University also maintains advising information on each student. Unofficial and informal advising materials may be maintained by individual faculty advisors.

Special Records

Student discipline records are maintained by the Dean of Students in that office and are available to the student life staff and disciplinary committee as needed. These records are also available to senior administrative officers or their designees as appropriate. The University will keep a record, available to the student and kept with the personal file, of all persons and organizations, other than those authorized within the University, requesting or obtaining access to the files. This information will indicate specifically the legitimate interest that each person or organization obtaining access has in such records.

Access Defined

  1. Access to student records by University officials is a by-product of the need to know. Such access is delineated in item 1 of this policy; the need for an individual to know information in order to fulfill her/his responsibilities does not allow that individual to share the information with other staff or with individuals external to the campus without the permission of the student.
  2. Neither student records nor those housed in the Office of Financial Aid nor any personally identifiable information, other than directory information (see #4 above), will be made available to anyone else, other than the student, without written consent. Where consent is required and given, the student, upon request, will receive a copy of the records to be released.
  3. No student can be required or asked to waive rights under Part 99 of the Code of Federal Regulations. However, a student may voluntarily waive right of access to confidential statements made by third parties respecting admission to education agencies or institutions, applications for employment, or the receipt of an honor or honorary recognition. In case of waiver, the confidential statements will be used solely for the purposes for which they were specifically intended, and the student will, upon request, be notified of the names of all persons making such confidential statements.
  4. Any student who desires to review her/his record may do so by making a written request to the appropriate office immediately responsible for the record. Students may inspect their academic transcripts during normal working hours. The process for specific record access and/or copying of the record is summarized here: To see other records, students must provide a written request to the Office of Student Records, the Director of Financial Aid, or the Dean of Students, as appropriate. A mutually convenient time will be arranged within 10 working days after receipt of the request for the student to examine the records in the file. At that time, the student may examine all records in the file with the exception of those specifically exempted by Part 99 of the Code of Federal Regulations. All reasonable requests for explanations or interpretations of the records will be honored, and if inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate data are found in the records, they will be promptly corrected or deleted. The student also has the right to insert into the records a written explanation respecting the contents of such records.

Appealing the Accuracy of the Record

  1. If the student and the University Registrar, the Director of Financial Aid, the Dean of Students, or their deputies do not agree on items contained in the records, the student may submit a written request to the Provost and Senior Vice President for a hearing to challenge the content of the records. The Provost and Senior Vice President will schedule such a hearing within 30 days after receipt of the request and will notify the student reasonably in advance of the hearing of its date, time, and place. The hearing will be before a board composed of the Provost and Senior Vice President or her/his designee, the Vice President for Enrollment and Vice President of Student Services or her/his designee, and at least one disinterested member of the faculty who shall be appointed by the Provost and Senior Vice President. None of those hearing the challenge may have a direct interest in the outcome. Students will be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present evidence relevant to the issues raised and may be assisted or represented by individuals of their choice at their own expense, including an attorney. The decision of the board on the correctness of the record, as determined by the majority vote, will be in writing and will be final. This decision will be based solely upon the evidence presented at the hearing and will include a summary of the evidence and the reasons for the decision.
  2. If, as a result of the hearing, the University decides that the information in the files is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of the student, the University shall amend the records accordingly and so inform the student in writing. However, if, as a result of the hearing, the University decides that the information is not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the privacy or other rights of the student, it shall inform the student of the right to place in the records a statement commenting on the information in the records and/or setting forth any reasons for disagreeing with the decision of the University.

Maintenance of the Record

The University reserves the right, after a three-year period, to destroy any and all records that it maintains on a student except to the extent that law requires their maintenance for a longer period of time.

The Office of Advancement will assist former students of the University in acquiring information related to their own individual record. No inquiries from outside organizations or agencies will be accepted. The Office of Advancement will also assist, where possible, former students in getting information about other students. This assistance will occur only after the student inquired about is notified.