Student Records

Transcript of Record

All requests for transcripts must be made in person or in writing. New or first-time registered students will be charged a one-time transcript fee of $50.00 that covers up to 20 transcripts. An official transcript, bearing the seal and an authorized signature of Siena, will be issued upon the request of the student. A transcript or any information concerning a student may not be released if there is an outstanding indebtedness to the College. Transcripts are prepared in the order in which they are received, so it is recommended that all requests be made well in advance of the date the transcript is needed. After 20 transcripts, a student may be charged $5.00 per additional transcript. Fees are no longer assessed to graduates and former students for transcript requests.

Change of Address

Students should report at once to the Office of the Registrar all changes of campus or home residence address.

Student Records (FERPA) Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99, governs students’ access to and confidentiality of their education records maintained by Siena College. The College notifies students annually of their rights under FERPA. Students have the right to file a written complaint with the Office of Family Compliance at the U.S. Department of Education if they believe the College failed to comply with FERPA.

Education Records Defined

Education records are any records (in handwriting, print, tapes, film, computer or other medium) that are directly related to a student and maintained by the College or by a party acting for the College. They are not: 1) records that are kept in the sole possession of the maker, such as a faculty member, who makes the record for a personal memory aid and does not share the record with anyone other than a temporary substitute for him or her; 2) records created and maintained by the College’s Office of Public Safety for law enforcement purposes; 3) employment records; 4) records made or maintained by medical professionals if the records are used only for treatment of a student and made available only to those persons for providing the treatment; or 5) alumni records which contain information about a student after s/he is no longer in attendance at the College.

Student Access to Records

Records available for student inspection are those that fall under the definition of education records and generally include academic records, financial aid records and disciplinary records. References, ratings and/or observations completed before 1-1-75 are not available to students. Students do not have the right to inspect any financial data and income tax forms submitted in confidence by their parents in connection with an application for, or receipt of, financial aid. Concerning a record that contains information relating to more than one student, student access is limited to the portion of the record that pertains only to him or her.

Requests to inspect education records should be made in writing to the specific College office maintaining it. The records, files and/or data will be made available no later than 45 days from the time the written request is received.

Materials will be reproduced at the cost of $.50 per page for records and $5.00 for a transcript.

Amendment of Education Records

A student may request in writing an amendment to his or her education record that s/he believes to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of his or her privacy rights. If upon review of the student’s request and record, the College determines that the amendment is not warranted, the student will be advised accordingly and given the right to a hearing conducted by an administrative officer of the College who does not have a direct interest in the outcome. At the conclusion of the hearing, the College will either amend the record and inform the student in writing of the amendment or decide that the education record as written should stand. If the College determines that the record should not be changed, the student will be given the right to place a statement in the record commenting on the contested information and/or why s/he disagrees with the College’s decision.

Disclosure of Education Records

Siena College will disclose information from a student’s education records only with the student’s prior written consent, except that the College will not obtain the student’s consent if the disclosure is:

1. To other “school officials” whom the College has determined to have legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research or support staff position, including health or medical staff; a person elected to the Board of Trustees; a person employed by or under contract with the College to perform a special task, such as an attorney, auditor, or outside vendor; a person who is employed by the College’s Office of Public Safety; and a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if s/he is performing a task that is specified in his/her job description or contract agreement; performing a task related to the student’s education; providing a task related to the discipline of a student; providing a service or benefit relating to a student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement or financial aid; or maintaining the safety and security of the College;
2. To authorized officials, such as officials of other schools in which the student seeks to enroll, certain federal, state and local officials, or specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
3. To accrediting organizations or organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the College;
4. In connection with a student’s application for, or receipt of, financial aid;
5. In the case of an emergency if the knowledge of such information is necessary to protect the health and safety of the student or other persons;
6. To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena or is related;
7. to legal action involving the College and the student;
8. In connection with certain disciplinary actions;
9. To parents of a dependent student, as defined in section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.The College may, but is not required to, disclose information to parents of a dependent student; however, the College will not do so upon evidence that there is a court order, state statute or legally binding document relating to such matters as divorce, separation or custody that specifically revokes their rights as a parent. The College does not have an obligation to disclose any financial information about one parent to another;
10. Information the College has designated to be Directory Information.

Directory Information & Request to Prevent Disclosure: The following is considered Directory Information, which may be disclosed to third parties without the student’s prior written consent: the student’s name, address (both local and permanent, to include email 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, photographs, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Directory Information will not be made available to the party requesting it unless the appropriate administrative officer of the College has considered and approved the request.

Students may choose to suppress the release of the above Directory Information by written request to the Registrar’s Office. Students who do so will have a confidentiality hold on all of their records. If a student has a confidentiality hold on his or her records, not only will his or her information not appear in any College directories, but the College will also be unable to place the student’s name in the commencement program at the time of graduation, or verify the student’s degree, major or enrollment for possible employment, credit card applications, insurance, or mortgage qualifying purposes. A student who has a confidentiality hold on his or her records may rescind a “no release clause” at any time in writing to the Office of the Registrar.