FERPA

As faculty and staff at Western Michigan University we have a responsibility to protect the privacy of our students as well as to follow federal law. This responsibility begins with the requirement that we have a good knowledge of FERPA, that we understand how it affects the way that we handle student records, grades, GPAs, letters of recommendation, etc.

• Please do not post grades by any part of the Social Security number or Western Identification number.
• If you must post grades, use a randomly generated number known only to you and the student.
• Do not leave graded work in a public place for pickup.

The policy regarding student work which not returned is outlined in the catalog (see below). All work not returned must be retained for at least one semester.

“Students have the right to have all their examinations and other graded material made available to them with an explanation of the grading criteria. Faculty will retain all such materials not returned to the student for at least one full semester (or through spring plus summer sessions) after the course was given. Faculty are not required to return such material to the student, but must provide reasonable access.”

Any student work to be discarded after the one semester time frame must be shredded.

Directory information, as defined below, is the only information the University may disclose without consent, unless the student has requested that it not be disclosed. If a student has requested confidentiality, this is noted on the student record in Banner.

WMU has defined directory information as:

• name
• address
• telephone number
• email address assigned by WMU
• curriculum and major field of study
• dates of attendance
• enrollment status (full/part time)
• degrees/awards received
• most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student
• participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• weight and height of athletes