Access to College Files

CUNY guidelines from the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York and the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 permit only the following information concerning current and former students to be made available to those parties having a legitimate interest in the information: name, attendance dates, most recent address, major field of study, degree(s) received, and date(s) of receipt. By filing a letter with either the Office of the Registrar or the Office of the Dean of Students, a student or former student may request that any or all of the above information be released with the student’s prior written consent. This may be completed, withdrawn, or modified at any time. Students may have access to their college records by completing a request form available in the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar will inform students of the dates (when) and places where their records may be inspected. Students will be charged a fee for the duplication of records.

The parents of a student younger than 18 years of age, who is dependent within the definition of section 152 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954, have right of access to those student records to which the student has right of access. Where a student has waived right of access to a particular document or record, the parent has no access right. Dependency status may be demonstrated by submitting a copy of the last filed federal income tax form or other appropriate documents.

Parents of a student 18 years of age or older have no right of access, regardless of their child’s dependent status, without the consent of the student.

Academic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the development of students, and the general well-being of society. Free inquiry and free expression are indispensable to the attainment of these goals. Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom.

Students “have a distinctive role which qualifies them to share in the responsible authority on campus; the exercise of the authority is part of their education. Joint efforts among all groups in the institution - students, faculty, administration, and governing board - is a pre-requisite of sound academic government. Joint effort, to be effective, must be rooted in the concept of shared authority. The exercise of shared authority in College and University government, like the protection of (student and faculty) academic freedom, requires tolerance, respect, and a sense of community.”

The responsibility to secure and respect general conditions conducive to the freedom to learn is shared by all members of the academic community.

Students’ rights are not limited by what is enumerated in this statement. The purpose of the statement is to outline some basic principles and guidelines, many of which are now met. Specific implementation will have to be continuously adjusted as conditions at the College change.

Academic and Personal Files

1. Improper disclosure, even within the College, of academic, personal, and disciplinary records is a serious invasion of privacy. To minimize the risk of improper disclosure, academic, personal and disciplinary records should be kept in separate files.

2. All files may be made available only to specially authorized College staff. Express consent of the student involved is otherwise required.

3. Academic records and transcripts should contain only information about scholastic achievement.

4. No records should be kept which reflect the political and off- campus activities or beliefs of students.

5. Non-current medical and disciplinary records should be periodically destroyed.

6. Students have the right to periodically review their academic, medical and disciplinary records and to appeal for removal of items improperly included. If the appeal fails, the student has the right to append a written rebuttal to the record.