Fall 2013 Academic Schedule - Wayne County Community College

THE FAMILYEDUCATIONAL RIGHTSAND PRIVACY ACTThe Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, FERPA is afederal law that states (a) that a written institutional policy must beestablished and (b) that a statement of adopted procedures coveringthe privacy rights of students be made available. The law providesthat the institution will maintain the confidentiality of studenteducational/financial records.WCCCD accords all the rights under the law to students who aredeclared independent. No one outside the institution shall haveaccess to, nor will the institution disclose, any information from thestudent's educational/financial records without the written consent ofthe student except to personnel within the institution, to officials ofother institutions in which the student seeks to enroll, to persons ororganizations providing the student with financial aid, to accreditingagencies carrying out their accreditation function, to persons incompliance with a judicial order, and to persons in an emergencyin order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons.All these exceptions are permitted under the Act.Within the WCCCD community, only those members, individually orcollectively, acting in the student's educational interest are allowed accessto student educational records. These members include personnel in theOffices of Admissions and Records, Student Services, and academicpersonnel within the limitations of their need to know.At its discretion, the institution may provide Directory Information inaccordance with the provisions of the Act to include: student name,address, telephone number, email address, date and place of birth, majorfield of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, the mostrecent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student,participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight andheight of members of athletic teams. Students may withhold DirectoryInformation by notifying the Vice Chancellor of Student Services in writingwithin two weeks after the first day of class for the semester.Requests for nondisclosure will be honored by the institution for onlyone academic year. Therefore, authorization to withhold DirectoryInformation must be filed annually with the Vice Chancellor of StudentServices. Forms utilized to make this request are available in the Office ofAdmissions and Records at all campus locations.Social Security Number Privacy ActThe State of Michigan has recently enacted the Social Security NumberPrivacy Act that requires all public and private businesses and institutionsto enact a policy regarding the protection and disclosure ofsocial security numbers. In compliance with this law and in furtheranceof Wayne County Community College District’s commitment toprotect the privacy of its students, a Social Security Number ProtectionPolicy has been adopted by the District.In accordance with this policy, all students should be aware that theirsocial security number will not be publicly displayed with more thanfour (4) sequential digits, or used as a primary account number bythe District. Furthermore, students will not be required to supply theirsocial security number to gain access to any computer system, internetwebsites or networks administered by the District.Additionally, in order to avoid inadvertent disclosure, no documentwill be mailed or electronically transmitted by the District that containsmore then four (4) sequential digits of a student’s social securitynumber unless required by state or federal law, a court order orunder the other conditions expressly stated in the District’s Policy.Also as part of its Social Security Number Protection Policy, theDistrict has adopted disposal procedures that require all documentsthat contain a student’s social security number be either eradicated ordestroyed.If students have any questions about this policy, or need clarificationon any of the District’s procedures concerning social security numbers,please either consult the District’s Policy Manual online atwww.wcccd.edu or contact the Administration.Student Rights and ResponsibilitiesThe District publishes a document – the Student Handbook whichincludes the Student Code of Conduct and expects that every studentwill become familiar with this information. This document is designedto help you successfully navigate through the educational process atWCCCD and outlines our expectations for student behavior. It is thestudent’s responsibility to become familiar with this publication andrefer to it as needed. You may obtain a copy of the Student Handbookon our website at www.wcccd.edu.For additional information regarding the Family Education Rights andPrivacy Act please visit our website at www.wcccd.edu and reference theStudent Handbook.149General Information (313) 496-2600