News

Keep it private, please

By Melany Fehrenbach
mfehren1@mscd.edu

Only 70 out of the 20,000 students that attend Metro request to keep all their personal information private, according to recent data from the Registrar's office.

Metro can release directory information such as a student's name, address, phone number, date and place of birth and any extracurricular activities or athletics the student is involved in. Students can also request that specific educational information be released, for a specific reason, if they provide the written request to the registrar's office.

But some students would rather keep such information private.

"No one wants that information given to anyone," Metro student Jared Miller said.

If students choose to keep this information confidential they must go to the registrar's office and fill out a confidentiality form.

"Not many students take advantage," said Metro head registrar Thomas Gray. "Every semester there are about 50 or 60 students who request their information be kept confidential."

There is information that Metro will always keep confidential, because students are protected under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

FERPA protects all Metro students' educational information, which includes grades, class schedule and class location, as well as financial information.

"What we are trying to do is protect the students academic and educational records," Gray said.