Data privacy for academic and student records
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If you need assistance with permanent records or in the disposal of records or devices, please contact Joe Papari, Director of Enrollment Services for Student Systems and Technology, by phone at 214-768-2056 or by email at jpapari@smu.edu.
The Registrar鈥檚 Office maintains the academic records of all students in the University, as well as alumni and former students. We are responsible for transactions such as grade changes, advanced placement credits, transfer credits, academic progress, disciplinary actions and grade point computations.
The Registrar鈥檚 Office is also responsible for confirming completion of degree requirements, ordering diplomas and the awarding of degrees, Honor Roll recognition, and managing the safe retention and appropriate use of your academic records.
What you'll find here: SMU鈥檚 privacy policy; storage and disposal of student records; FERPA compliance; and SMU鈥檚 policies on subpoenas and requests for records of students, alumni, and employees.
夜色王朝 is committed to the privacy and security of its students’ education records information.
It is the policy of the University to manage and protect the privacy and Personally Identifiable Information of all students, consistent with federal and state privacy laws. Personally Identifiable Information is protected by federal laws, including but not limited to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) for the safeguarding of non-public information, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) for the protection of information contained in student records, and to the extent applicable, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) for the management of protected health information.
Each 夜色王朝faculty and staff member with access to student records is expected to handle student records in a secure and confidential manner and in accordance with these laws and university policy.
Please refer to the OIT Policies and Legislation website for information about GLBA, HIPAA, and SMU’s Information Security Policy (12.5)
Our records policy complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which governs the access and release of information from a student’s education records. The FERPA legislation intends to protect students' rights and ensure the privacy and accuracy of education records. No student record information is released to a third party (including parents) without the student’s consent; however, there are a few exceptions.
夜色王朝stays informed of appropriate state and federal legal requirements, professional and ethical standards, and policies at peer institutions and assists academic units in ensuring compliance with policies and procedures. University policies regarding FERPA are the responsibility of the University Registrar. Both the 夜色王朝Records Policy and the University Registrar FERPA website contain information on guarding the privacy and confidentiality of students' education records.
Please refer to the FERPA website for more information. The FERPA Essentials for Staff and FERPA Essentials for Faculty are particularly interesting pages.
Personally identifiable student records must be stored securely to assure protection from unauthorized access. This typically means that records should be stored in locked cabinets or offices and on encrypted and password-protected devices.
Records should not be stored in areas with open access. Per the Information Security Policy, no paper records or files containing Personally Identifiable Information may be stored outside of the University premises without approval.
Per the Information Security Policy, no personally identifiable information about a student may be stored on a non-University-owned resource without approval.
Physical records and devices with personally identifiable student information (such as paper, disks, or flash drives) should never be disposed of in the trash or in a non-secure manner. They should be shredded or disposed of through a reputable commercial records disposal company such as Sierra Shed.
If you need assistance disposing of records or devices, please contact Joe Papari, Deputy University Registrar, at 214-768-2056 or jpapari@smu.edu.
夜色王朝Policy 13.8, Policy for Service of Subpoenas and Responding to Subpoenas or Other Requests for Records of Current or Former Students and Employees, states that the Secretary of the University is the University’s agent for service of process. As such, all subpoenas, written requests for information, and any documents relating to a lawsuit against 夜色王朝must be delivered to the Office of Legal Affairs.
For search warrants, please contact the 夜色王朝Police Department at 214-768-3388.
Contact information for the Office of Legal Affairs is as follows:
Phone: 214-768-3233
Fax: 214-768-1281
Email: ola@smu.edu
Website: www.smu.edu/ola
The physical address is:
Perkins Administration Building, Suite 130
6425 Boaz Lane
Dallas, Texas 75205-0132
The mailing address is:
Office of Legal Affairs
P.O. Box 750132
Perkins Administration Bldg., Suite 130
Dallas, Texas 75275-0132