The Registrar’s Office at Paul Smith’s College is the institution’s official custodian of the academic records of enrolled students, and complies with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This office retains records and disposes of records within the guidelines noted below. This policy will supersede all other policies on student records retention and destruction pertaining to the academic records in the Registrar’s Office. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that necessary records and documents are adequately protected and maintained and to ensure that records that are no longer needed or are of no value are discarded at the appropriate time. In the event of a governmental audit, investigation or pending litigation, record disposal will be suspended at the direction of the Registrar.

In addition, the Registrar should be informed of any situation that might give rise to legal action as soon as the situation becomes apparent. The Registrar’s Office will release information from the student’s academic record to college personnel who have demonstrated legitimate educational interest in the materials. A legitimate educational interest exists if the information requested has an educationally related purpose and is necessary for the college official to perform appropriate tasks or make a judgment within the scope of her/his assigned responsibilities or is related to a matter of safety and security of a student or the campus community.