Office of the Registrar

As a staff or faculty member at MSU Denver, it is your responsibility to oversee and uphold the rights that FERPA grants to our students.  These basic guidelines should be used when working with all MSU Denver students:

• Student educational records are considered confidential and cannot be released without the student’s prior written consent.  If a student has provided written consent, you will see these in SPACMNT in the Banner system.

• As a student worker, staff, or faculty member, you are given access to student educational records for the sole purpose of performing your job.  It is your responsibility to protect educational records whenever they are in use and regardless of the medium in which they are accessed.  An education record are records directly related to a student and maintained by MSU Denver.

• The Office of the Registrar is the official University student record keeper.  If you ever have any questions about sharing student information, please do not hesitate to call the Office of the Registrar at (303) 556-3991.  A basic rule to follow is when in doubt, do not give it out.

Student rights, procedure for inspecting and reviewing education records, procedures for amending educational records, nondisclosure and exceptions, and directory information are found in the University catalog under student's rights and responsibilities.

The following questions will help to explain FERPA in greater detail:

• If a FERPA violation has occurred, what is the appropriate protocol to address the situation?
• What information is not included in a student’s educational record?
• What is considered Directory Information at MSU Denver?
• What is a Confidentiality Hold, and when do I need to look for it?
• What information can I include in a letter of recommendation?
• What must be included in a student’s written consent?
• Can I release a student's 900#?
• Can I release a student’s transcript?
• FERPA Tips for Faculty 
• Accessing student records from remote locations
• What FERPA training resources are available to my colleagues and me?
• What if the student is with their parent, guardian, or other person when discussing their status?
• What do I do if an officer of the law or someone shows their badge and a release to obtain student information?

If a FERPA violation has occurred, what is the appropriate protocol to address the situation?

If you suspect that a FERPA violation has taken place, please contact the Records and Registration Team in the Registrar’s Office. The team will determine the best plan of action based on the specifics of the situation.

What information is not included in a student’s educational record?

All MSU Denver student records are considered educational records, with the following exceptions:

• Personal notes written by staff and faculty

• Employment records

• Financial records of a parent or spouse

• Medical and counseling records used solely for treatment

• AHEC Police Department records

• Confidential letters and statements of recommendation for admission, employment or honorary recognition for which the student has waived the right to inspect and review

Otherwise, a student’s 900#, grades, GPA, class schedule, residency status, marital status and all other information we have on file are considered educational records and, thus, protected by FERPA.  As a school official, you are granted access to this information as long as you have a legitimate educational need to know.  Yet, it is your responsibility to protect this information whenever you access it.

What is considered Directory Information at MSU Denver?

Directory information is part of a student’s educational record; however, school officials are permitted to share this information with credible third parties.  When requesting for lists of students, the lists are limited to directory information only.  MSU Denver considers the following as directory information:

• Dates of attendance at the University
• Date of birth
• Degrees and awards received
• Enrollment status
• Last educational institution attended
• Major and minor fields of study
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Physical and email addresses
• Student classification
• Student name
• Telephone number
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams

All other personal information is considered private and cannot be disclosed to third parties unless we have prior written consent from the student.

What is a Confidentiality Hold, and when do I need to look for it?
Students can request to keep their entire educational record private—including directory information—by completing a nondisclosure request form in which a confidentiality hold will be placed on their account.  If a student has requested nondisclosure, a window indicating confidentiality hold will appear in the Banner System each time you try to access their record.

If this window does appear, you cannot disclose ANY part of the student’s record to anyone.  The only time you can discuss the record with the student is when (s)he comes to your office and presents a valid photo ID.  The nondisclosure request form can be found on the Office of the Registrar web-site under forms.

What information can I include in a letter of recommendation?

When writing a letter of recommendation for a student, you cannot disclose information from the student’s educational record (e.g., GPA) without the student’s written consent.  However, you can disclose directory information as long as the student does not have a Confidentiality Hold on their account.  You may have the student simply provide you a written consent to release the information.  It should contain the student name, student identification number, information to be released, and the individual or group to whom the record is to be released.  Maintain the records for your protection.  If a student files a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of the Registrar can refer to you to obtain the written consent.

What must be included in a student’s written consent?

In order to release private, personally identifiable information, we must obtain prior written consent from the student.  A statement of written consent must contain the following:

• Specific records to be released

• Purpose for releasing the records

• Names of the individuals or groups to whom the records should be released

• Student signature and Date

• Names of the individuals or groups to whom the records should be released

• The FERPA release can be found on the Office of the Registrar web-site under forms

Can I release a student’s 900#?

You can release a student's 900# to the student if you are able to verify their identity. The best way to verify an identity is to ask for a photo ID (e.g., MSU Denver Student ID, driver's license, passport). If the student does not have a photo ID or you are speaking with them over the phone, you will need to ask 3-5 questions and the student must be able to answer at least 3 of them with confidence. 

Questions to ask:

• What semester did the student first/last attend MSU Denver?
• What is the student's declared major, minor, and/or concentration?
• What high school did they attend? 
• What year did they graduate high school?
• What college did they transfer from?
• What year did they graduate MSU Denver?
• Name a course you completed at MSU Denver?

 Helpful hints: 

• When the questions are asked, DO NOT confirm after each answer.
• If the caller hesitates on the question or for some reason you are not comfortable with the responses, DO NOT provide the information.
• You can send the student an email through their Student Hub account with a code word and have them recite it back to you or the student can obtain information online and/or in person with appropriate identification.
• Information about a student can be released with a signed consent from the student.

Can I release a student’s transcript?
Official transcripts may only be released through the Office of the Registrar in the Student Success Building, Suite 160 (#3).

 FERPA Tips for Faculty:

• Do not link a student’s name with their Social Security or 900 numbers in any public manner.
• Do not use any portion of a student’s Social Security or 900 number when publicly posting grades or circulating any lists.
• Do not leave graded assignments in a stack for students to sort through and pick up.
• Do not circulate class lists with Social Security or 900 numbers or grades as an attendance roster.
• Do not provide anyone with student schedules, addresses, phone numbers, or assist anyone other than MSU Denver employees in finding a student on campus.
• Do not discuss a student’s progress with anyone other than the student, unless you have written consent from the student.
• Be cautious to discuss academic progress, GPA, etc. when multiple students are present.  If you need to discuss individual grades, GPA or other private information with a group of students, you should obtain written permission from each student.
• Send all third party requests (e.g. FBI, Aviation, Police) to review, retrieve student records, or to locate a student to the Office of the Registrar.  All third party requests to review student records throughout the year or longer would need to establish a contract with the University.
• You must obtain a written consent from the student if you are disclosing grade and GPA in order to write a letter of recommendation letter.  The request needs to indicate exactly what the student wants you to include in the letter.  Maintain the letter on file.
• Follow the Authentication Guidelines when providing information to the student over the phone.
• Send all emails that include information about the class to the student's @msudenver.edu email address.  Likewise, these emails must come from your @msudenver.edu email address. 
• Any time you are disclosing protected information through e-mail or any other source like the One Drive, obtain a release from your students. 

Always remember:  when in doubt, don't give it out!

Accessing student records from remote locations:

• Do not save reports that include personally identifiable information to a remote computer (e.g., home computer or laptop).  If you are using COGNOS, BRM, or another software system to access student records from a remote location, all reports should be saved to a removable drive that is kept secure until you return to the office.
• Do not print reports that include personally identifiable information at home or from another remote location.
• If you are accessing student records from a remote location, be aware of your surroundings and the visibility of your computer screen to bystanders.
• Drop Boxes are not secure. 

What if the student is with their parent, guardian, or other person when discussing their status?

Before discussing any progress in class or non-directory information including grades, you will need to have the student's written consent.  You may have the student simply provide you a written consent to release the information.  It should contain the student name, student identification number, information to be discussed, and whom this can be discussed with.  Maintain the record for your protection.  If the student files a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of the Registrar can refer to you to obtain the written consent.

What do I do if an officer of the law or someone shows their badge and a release to obtain the student information?

The Office of the Registrar is the official record keeper.  You will refer them directly to the Office of the Registrar.  We will verify the release and the person asking for the release to assist them with the request.

What FERPA training resources are available to my colleagues and me?
Contact the Office of the Registrar for a workshop or one-on-one training.