Access to University Records
Messiah University respects student rights guaranteed by law and appropriate to a private, Christian educational setting. Messiah University maintains student records under the guidelines of the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which gives enrolled students the right to inspect their “education records” and to restrict the release of those records. Education records are defined generally as records, files, documents, and other materials maintained by the University which contain information directly related to the student and from which a student can be individually identified. Examples include academic records, student account records, and many records maintained by Student Affairs. Education records do not include personal records of instructors or administrators, medical records, financial records of parents, or Public Safety records created for the purpose of law enforcement.
Education records may be released to parents/guardians only with the written consent of the student or upon written evidence that the student has been declared as a dependent on the parent/guardian’s most recent income tax return.
FERPA permits the University to release “directory information” without student consent to anyone requesting information. Directory information at Messiah University includes a student’s name, home address, campus address, home telephone number, campus telephone number, campus email address, photograph (available only on an internal online student directory and faculty class rosters), dates of attendance, degree for which a student is a candidate, academic major, academic awards or honors, class year, full-time/part-time status, and weight and height for members of athletic teams. Additionally, the University may provide lists of student names by religious preference (if known) once each year in response to inquiries by local churches. The University does not, however, release directory information to outside organizations for commercial solicitation. Any student may opt for directory privacy by going to the Student Directory Profile (Privacy Settings) found in BANNER Self-Service. This option allows students to block any or all of the directory information that appears in the campus wide online directory. Students who opt to block all of their directory information will be excluded from any lists that may be provided to authorized internal and external departments. Thus, information that may otherwise be communicated to a student’s parents/guardians/spouse (campus events, commencement, etc.) will not be. Any student who for legal or other legitimate reasons requires the highest level of records privacy must meet with the Associate Dean of Students and the Registrar to discuss the circumstances involved.