Notice to all students Northern Illinois University shall consider as “directory information,” subject to public disclosure in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the following items: A student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, e-mail address, electronic or photographic picture or image, major field of study, classification, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, full or part time status, degrees and awards received, and most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Any individual that does not want the foregoing information publicly disclosed should access your MyNIU account. From the Student Center under Personal Information select “Privacy Settings”. Then click the “Edit FERPA/Directory Restrictions” bar to restrict release of your information. Please also be advised that during this past year, NIU incorporated “Shared Access.” This functionality allows a student to grant, up to 2 individuals, access to view their student information. The student can limit the information that these other parties can view. For more detailed information go to http://www.niu.edu/erptraining/myniu-sa/sharedaccess-faq.shtml. NOTE – Information that is shared with another individual through shared access may be subject to redisclosure by the recipient and no longer protected by FERPA. If you have any questions or need additional assistance please contact the Office of Registration and Records at 815.753.0681 or email regrec@niu.edu.
Attention to all Students Northern Illinois University informs all students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. This Act, with which the institution intends to comply fully, was designed to protect the privacy of educational records, and affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. These rights include, but are not limited to: the right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access; the right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading; 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; The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. A student who wishes to inspect and review his/her education records should submit a written request to the appropriate university office while identifying the records he/she wishes to inspect. The university office will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected within 45 days following receipt of such request. A student has the right to challenge the content of a record on the grounds that it is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of privacy or other rights and to have inserted in the record his or her written explanation of its contents. To initiate such a challenge, the student shall, within 60 days after he or she has inspected and reviewed the record in question for the first time, file with the university office responsible for maintaining such records a written request for a hearing, in a form specified by the university. Within 30 days following receipt of such request the head of such office, or a designated representative, shall review the record in question with the student and either order the correction or amendment of such alleged inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate portions of the record as specified in the request or notify the student of the right to a hearing at which the student and other persons directly involved in the establishment of the record shall have an opportunity to present evidence to support or refute the contention that the portions of the record specified in the request are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate. The student shall be given written notice of the time and place of such hearing not fewer than 10 working days in advance. The hearing will be conducted by a university representative who does not have a direct interest in the outcome. The student shall have the right to attend the hearing, to be represented and advised by other persons, and to call witnesses in his or her behalf. The student shall be notified in writing of the decision within 10 working days following the hearing or within 10 working days of a decision without a hearing. Such decision is final. University policy, as printed in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs, explains in detail the procedures to be used by the institution for compliance with the provisions of the Act. Copies can be found in the Office of Registration and Records. The Office of Registration and Records also maintains a DIRECTORY OF RECORDS which lists the types and categories of education records maintained on students by the Office of Registration and Records specifically and the University, in general. Questions concerning The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act may be referred to the Office of Registration and Records.
SPECIAL NOTE: FERPA Annual Notice to Reflect Possible Federal and State Data Collection and Use As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education’s FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records – including your Social Security Number, grades, or other private information – may be accessed without your consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (“Federal and State Authorities”) may allow access to your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when the University objects to or do not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive your PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without your consent PII from your education records, and they may track your participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about you that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.