Your Rights – Safeguarding Your Privacy
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What Are Your Rights to Privacy at UCSB?
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (also known as the Buckley Amendment) the University of California, Santa Barbara must protect a student's legal right to privacy. Once you are enrolled at UCSB, you have access to all records about you maintained by the University except those considered to be confidential under the Act. Because of the Act and its regulations, the University prevents release of your personal records and most information about you to your parents or other parties. This includes academic evaluations, transcripts, test scores, general counseling and advising records, disciplinary records, financial aid records, and medical records.
Are Grade Reports Confidential?
Your quarterly grade reports are available only to you each quarter on the Gaucho On-Line Data system (GOLD); they will never be shared with your parents by the University. As a student at UCSB you are expected to assume responsibility for your own affairs; this includes the responsibility to keep your parents informed of your progress, if you so choose.
What is Directory Information?
Certain information about you is considered "directory information," meaning that the University may release it to anyone who requests it. This "directory information" includes your name, current local and permanent address and telephone number, date of birth, major, dates of attendance, number of units enrolled in, degree/honors awarded, most recent school attended, athletic information, including height and weight, participation in officially recognized organizations, class level and email address.
How Can I Prevent Information About Me From Being Released?
If you prefer that any or all of the above information not be released to the public, you may request that it be maintained by the University in confidence. In order to do this you must visit the Office of the Registrar and ask to fill out a form that will designate any or all of the above information about you as "Not for Release" or "NFR." Students requesting such restrictions should be aware of the implications of limiting public access to information. For example, if a request is made to withhold from disclosure a student's name and degrees and honors received, the campus cannot make public any honors received by the student and cannot include the student's name and degree earned in any campus publication (such as the official commencement booklet). If a student's last instruction to the campus is to withhold from disclosure the degree granted, that information cannot be confirmed for a third party such as an employer or graduate school.
What is the Student Directory?
On a yearly basis, you may also be asked to designate on your Personal Information Form (PIF) at the beginning of fall quarter whether or not you would like your name, current local and permanent addresses, local telephone number, and email address printed in a student directory that is published yearly by the Associated Students or included in an on-line directory. These directories can help you to locate other UCSB students and help them to locate you. Although A.S. expressly prohibits use of the directory for marketing and sales campaigns, copies are occasionally picked up by off-campus vendors for this purpose. You may elect at any time not to be included in the Student Directory by changing your designation using GOLD. To exclude directory information from the A.S. Directory you must change your designation before the third week of fall quarter. Indicating that you do not want to be included in student directories is not the same as restricting the release of personal information to the public.
Why is it Important to Keep My PIN a Secret?
Your PIN (Personal Identification Number) provides access to your official UCSB records such as quarterly registration records, grades, and other confidential information. Your PIN allows you to restrict others from accessing this information or tampering with your records. It is important that you keep your PIN confidential to prevent unauthorized access to your records.
Where Can I Get More Information about My Rights to Privacy?
More information about your rights to privacy can be obtained from the Office of Public Affairs, or by referring to the section of the UCSB General Catalog entitled "Confidentiality and Accessibility of Student Records."
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