Policy on Release of Information
Barry makes every endeavor to keep the student’s educational records confidential and out of the hands of those who would use them for other than legitimate purposes. All members of the faculty, administration, and clerical staff respect confidential information about students which they acquire in the course of their work. At the same time, Barry tries to be flexible enough in its policies not to hinder the student, the institution, or the community in their legitimate pursuits.
Original documents submitted by or for students in support of an application for admission or for transfer credit cannot be returned to the student, photocopied, nor sent elsewhere at his/her request. In exceptional cases, however, where another transcript is unobtainable, or can be secured only with the greatest difficulty (as is sometimes true with international records), copies may be prepared and released to prevent hardship to the student. The student should present a signed request to the Office of the Registrar. Usually a certified copy of what is in the student’s file is released. In rare instances the original may be released and the copy retained, with a notation to this effect being placed in the file.
Students have the right to access information in their file (per the Buckley Privacy Act, 1974), with the following exceptions:
- transcripts—Students must request a copy of the transcript from the originating institution.
- health records.
- confidential recommendations, if:
- the student has waived the right to see the recommendations, and/or
- the person making the recommendation has noted on the form that the student is not to see the comments.
Students may receive a copy of their records except for the above-listed documents, at the discretion of the University official.