The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, also known as FERPA, was first enacted in 1974 to protect student records, but has expanded to a much more comprehensive function.

According to Clifton Williams, the university records officer for the Office of General Counsel, the term “student records” now encompasses much more than grades, as it originally did

“One of the most common misconceptions regarding FERPA is that it only covers grades,” said Williams. “In reality it covers a student’s entire student record, which consists of any record or document pertaining to a student that is maintained by the University.”

According to Williams, the concept of FERPA is relatively old, but recent developments and changes in January 2009 have increased protection of student information.

“Over the years, FERPA has been modified for various technical reasons, but the biggest changes have occurred in the last year,” said Williams. “The changes have affected three major areas: campus safety, exchange of information between universities, and the protection of basic personal information.”

 According to Williams, following the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, the University changed FERPA regulations so Campus Police are able access a student’s basic information should they have a need to access it for safety purposes.

“After the Virginia Tech tragedy, the University felt there needed to be changes set in place to ensure a higher level of safety on campus,” said Williams. “The changes to FERPA provide for that. For example, if Campus Police needed to access a student in a physical or mental emergency, the new revision of the FERPA regulation gives them the ability to access the student’s housing information faster and without consent.”

Williams said the act has also been modified to make the process of transferring between collegiate institutions faster and smoother.

“Another problem student used to have in regard to FERPA protected information was with the transfer of their information from one university to another,” said Williams. “Now that this particular restriction has been loosened, we can send their information from here to, let’s say UNC Chapel Hill, without a problem. This helps students keep track of their academics and other information following the transfer, which helps them excel in their new environment.”

The third updated section of the FERPA regulation, according to Williams, changes the accessibility of a student’s personal information.

“FERPA now protects student information such as date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, and many other pieces of information that could reasonably identify a student,” said Williams. “It even protects information on a student’s fingerprints. The intent here is to protect student records and to afford a level of privacy students need. And yes, I think this is effective.”

The privacy allotted to students through the FERPA regulation not only covers the general student body, but also members of student government, from student senate members to Kelly Hook, the student body president, according to Williams.

“The university has custody of a student’s private information and fed law requires us to maintain a level of student privacy,” said Williams. “This applies to any student’s information, correspondence with campus officials, and any information that could potentially identify a student.”

Kelsie Morris, a freshman in elementary education, said she is appreciative of the efforts the University makes to protect student information.

“People should be able to get an education without having to worry about their information getting out, so yes, I think this is a good policy,” said Morris. “There comes a point where it is ultimately up to the students to what they do with their information. It also helps protect from identity theft, which is a major problem these days.”