Dear Rice Community,
We are writing to let you know that Rice Policy 837 - Student Record Retention, Access and Disposition Policy has been significantly updated. The Office of the Registrar (OTR) took the lead in drafting the revision and consulted with a wide range of stakeholders across campus for feedback during the revision.
The original policy, which had not been substantially revised since 1997, has been entirely rewritten to:
- Be up to date to Rice's current landscape and be broad enough to cover the entire campus
- Include both FERPA-protected and non-FERPA protected records
- Define terms that we have not officially defined anywhere
- Create an annual FERPA training requirement component
- Introduce a records retention schedule requirement
We encourage you to review the policy as it will affect any individual who and any department that comes into contact with any type of student information. Most directly, you may be affected by the FERPA training requirement and the records retention schedule requirement.
FERPA Training Requirement
FERPA training is required annually for any student records data access, and failure to maintain training may result in access to student records being revoked. Data stewards are responsible for ensuring access to student records is revoked should FERPA training not be maintained.
FERPA training is currently available from the OTR, and information is available here. Over the next year, OTR will review and revamp training so that all who need training are on the same schedule.
Records Retention Schedule Requirement
The policy requires all units adhere to a records retention schedule. A Department or office wishing to implement recommendations in the suggested student/academic records retention schedule developed by the OTR should carefully review the schedule before implementing it to ensure that the suggestions do not conflict with any regulatory requirements or business needs that may exist in the records they maintain.
Questions?
If there are any questions regarding this policy, FERPA training, or a records retention schedule, please contact us at registrar@rice.edu.
Thank you,
Office of the Registrar
