Confidentiality and Release of Information
STUDENT EDUCATIONAL RECORDS AND DIRECTORY INFORMATION
Enrollment Services - Records maintains all official academic records of enrolled students including transcripts, registration forms, transfer credits and degree evaluations. For record keeping purposes, the College considers Web registration as part of a student's official record. Enrollment Services - Financial Aid maintains all student aid and scholarship records.
Central Oregon Community College follows the Federal Health Education and Welfare Guidelines for the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 - Pell-Buckley Amendment (FERPA), which gives students attending post-secondary institutions the right to inspect their educational records. Those rights are:
1. The right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the day COCC receives a request for access.
Students should submit to the registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The registrar will make arrangements and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. The College reserves the right to withhold transcripts from students who are in debt to the institution. Students have the right to discuss the matter with a representative empowered to resolve such disputes.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
Students should write the registrar, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, COCC will notify and advise the student of the decision and of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. The College also will provide additional information regarding the hearing procedures.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by COCC in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom COCC has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Directors; or 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 legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by COCC to comply with the requirements of FER PA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-5901.
Directory/Release of information
The College does not publish a student directory. Requests for directory information must clearly state the student's name. Central Oregon Community College considers the following information to be directory information and may release it if requested on an individual basis:
student's full name
terms of attendance (not daily attendance)
major field of study
full- or part-time enrollment status
degrees, certificates and honors awarded
address and telephone number
email address
participation in officially recognized activities and sports
most recent previous school attended
class standing (freshman or sophomore status)
Students who do not wish the above information to be released by the College must submit a signed statement requesting that this information be withheld. Contact Enrollment Services for the necessary form and additional information. The request to withhold information remains in effect until the student submits a signed and notarized statement in person with their photo ID indicating that directory information may be released. Students should keep the College notified of current addresses and telephone numbers. Current students can update this informantion through their Bobcat Web Account.
Information such as grades, progress in coursework, financial aid status and class schedule will not be released, except as authorized by law. If students wish to have this information released to parent/guardians, employers or other non-college entities, students must submit a "Release of Information" form, in writing, to Enrollments Services-Admissions and Records in the Boyle Education Center. The release is valid until revoked in writing by the student's submission of a new Release of Information form.
Release of directory information for military recruiting purposes
Under the Solomon Amendment Interim Rule to implement the National Defense Authorization Act of 1995 and of 1996, and the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997, schools receiving Title IV funding must provide military access to directory information for students 17 years of age or older. For purposes of the act, directory information is defined as name, address, telephone listing, e-mail address, date and place of birth, level of education, degrees received and the educational institution in which the student most recently was enrolled. Students who have formally requested COCC to withhold all directory information from third parties will not be included.
Social Security Number/Information Consent
The College adheres to the following policy statement of the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development:
"Providing your social security number is voluntary. If you provide it, the College will use your social security number for keeping records, doing research, aggregate reporting, extending credit and collecting debts. Your social security number will not be given to the general public. If you choose not to provide your social security number, you will not be denied any rights as a student. Providing your social security number means that you consent to use of the number in the manner described."
OAR 589-004-0400 authorizes Central Oregon Community College to ask students to provide their social security numbers. The numbers will be used by the college for reporting, research and record keeping. The numbers will also be provided by the college to the Oregon Community College Unified Reporting System (OCCURS ), which is a group made up of all community colleges in Oregon, the State Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and the Oregon Community College Association. OCCURS gathers information about students and programs to meet state and federal reporting requirements. It also helps colleges plan, research and develop programs. This information helps the colleges to support the progress of students and their success in the workplace and other education programs.
OCCURS or the College may provide a student's social security number to the following agencies or match it with records from the following systems:
State and private universities, colleges and vocational schools, to find out how many community college students go on with their education and to find out whether community college courses are a good basis for further education.
The Oregon Employment Department, which gathers information, including employment and earnings, to help state and local agencies plan education and training services to help Oregon citizens get the best jobs available.
The Oregon Department of Education, to provide reports to local, state and federal governments. The information is used to learn about education, training and job market trends for planning, research and program improvement.
The Oregon Department of Revenue and collection agencies only for purposes of processing debts and only if credit is extended to the student by the college.
State and federal law protects the privacy of student records. The social security number will be used only for the purposes listed above.
CONFIDENTIALITY REQUESTS: If students do not want the above information to be released by the College, the STUDENT must complete "Confidentiality Request" form and submit it in person, with picture ID, to Enrollment Services (Boyle Education Center, Bend campus or Redmond campus). Note that by completing this form, students may not conduct enrollment-related business over the phone, but must do so in person (with picture ID) and/or over the secure online student system.
RELEASE OF INFORMATION REQUESTS: If students wish to have any information about grades, financial aid documents and information, class schedule or other private information released to someone other than the student, the STUDENT must complete a Release of Information form using their COCC account credentials to log-in and complete the form electronically. If a student wishes to submit the form in-person or fax, with picture ID, please visit an Enrollment Services office at any COCC campus or email welcome@cocc.edu to request the hard-copy form.