Your right to know

This page provides prospective and current students access to certain information about SC4 that is required by the federal government under the Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act (Public Law 101-542 as amended by Public Law 102-26, the Jeanne Clery Act), and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (FERPA).

Information on graduation rates, crime statistics, equity in athletic participation, special services available for disabled students and other institutional information required by this legislation can be found through the links included below.

• Equity in athletics
• Campus security policies
• Campus crime statistics
• Special services for disabled students
• Privacy of and access to student records

Graduation and transfer rates

The federal government requires that all colleges and universities report the proportion of full-time, degree-seeking students who graduate and transfer within a period equal to 150% of the time normally required for a full-time student to complete their degree programs. For a community college that offers degree programs that normally require about 60 credits or two years of full-time study, that period is three years. This time period does not allow a full and perhaps appropriate representation of the achievements of community college students.

See SC4’s graduation and transfer rates.

For more information, the U.S. Department of Education provides access to the official SC4 graduation rate and other data reported to the federal government.

Equity in athletics

The following links provide access to athletics data submitted annually as required by the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act for all co-educational colleges and universities that participate in Title IV funding (federal student aid programs) and have an intercollegiate athletics program.

Graduation and transfer rates for athletes
Equity in athletics data analysis cutting tool  

• Click on “Get data for one institution.”
• Omitting the quotation marks, enter “St” (without a period), followed by “Clair County Community College.”
• Click “Search.”
• Click on the college name.

Campus security policies

Ensuring a safe environment for all students and employees of SC4 is the professional responsibility of the chief of campus patrol and campus patrol staff. Concern for the safety and well being of all members of the college community is also a shared human responsibility for all of us who work and study at SC4. To sustain SC4 as a safe and pleasant environment for students and employees, the college has established procedures in compliance with Federal Public Law 101-542. Campus security information is available here:

Campus security information  

The Campus patrol office is in the Main Building, Room 207.

Campus security can be reached by dialing (810) 989-5757 or extension 5757 from any campus telephone.

Campus crime statistics

Federal regulations include the requirement to report on serious campus crime. View statistics for the most current reporting year at campus crime statistics.

The official statistics reported to the federal government for prior years are available at ope.ed.gov/security.

To access:

• Click on “Get data for one institution”.
• Omitting the quotation marks, enter “St” (without a period), followed by “Clair County Community College”.
• Click “Search”.
• Click on the college name.

Special services for disabled students

The college is committed to providing access to all programs and services to all students. The Achievement Center offers special services to students with disabilities. Contact them at (810) 989-5759.

Privacy of and access to student records

It is the policy of St. Clair County Community College to comply with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Federal law that governs release of and access to student education records.

Definitions:

A student is an individual for whom the college maintains education records and who is or has been enrolled in and attended credit bearing courses at the college.

Education records include those records which contain information directly related to a student and which are maintained by the college or by a person acting for the college. The following are not education records: records kept in sole possession of the maker, law enforcement records, records relating to individuals employed by the college, records related to treatment provided by a health professional, records that contain information about an individual after that person is no longer a student, i.e. alumni records.

Directory information may appear in public documents and may otherwise be released to individuals outside the college without the student’s specific consent. St. Clair County Community College has designated the following items as directory information:

• Name, hometown, college email address
• Student status; part-time/full-time
• Major field of study
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Dates of attendance, degrees, date of graduation and awards

Non-disclosure of directory information may be requested by currently enrolled students. Non-disclosure means the college may not release any directory information about the student, except as permitted under the provisions of FERPA. The college may not even acknowledge to third parties that the person is a student.

Legitimate educational interest is the need to review an education record in order for a college official to carry out their responsibilities in regard to performing an administrative task outlined in the official’s duties, or performing a supervisory or instructional task directly related to the student’s education.

A college official is any person employed by the college in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support position; a person elected to the Board of Trustees; a student or college graduate serving on an official college committee or assisting another college official in performing their tasks; a person employed by or under contract to, or serving as the agent of, the college to perform a specific task.

Authorized disclosures without the student’s prior written consent include but are not limited to information necessary to the health and safety of the student or other individuals if the college determines that there is an articulable and significant threat to the health or safety of a student or other individuals, internal disclosures for legitimate educational reason, information returned to the author/sender of the information, information forwarded to schools where the student plans to enroll or transfer, notice to parents about drug and alcohol violations.

Student Rights

Beginning the first day of class, you have the following rights concerning your student records:

• The right to inspect and review all material in your file(s) except:
  • Professional mental health treatment records to the extent necessary, in the judgment of the attending physician or professional counselor, to avoid detrimental effects to the mental health of the student or of others. These records may, however, be reviewed by a physician or other appropriate professional of your choice.
  • Financial information furnished by your parents in support of an application for financial aid.
  • Confidential letters of recommendation that were placed in your file prior to January 1, 1975.
  • Confidential letters of recommendation concerning admission, employment or honorary recognition, for which you have waived access. (The college may not require you to sign a waiver in order to obtain services, but a person writing a recommendation may insist on a waiver as a condition for them writing it.)
  • Personal notes made by a faculty member or counselor that are accessible only to that person and are not shared with others.
  • Materials in any admissions files, until you have been admitted to, and have attended the college.
  • All other records which are excluded from the FERPA definition of education records.

Education records are maintained in a number of college offices. Requests to review records must be made in writing to the responsible official of each office that maintains the records. The responsible office will comply with the request within 45 days of receipt.

• The right to request an amendment of your education records if you believe it is inaccurate or misleading. If you believe there is an error in your record, you should submit a statement to the college official responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record you want changed and why you believe it is inaccurate or misleading. That office will notify you of the decision and advise you regarding appropriate steps if you do not agree with the decision.
• The right in most instances to control access to information in your records by persons or agencies outside the college. With respect to college officials, information from your records will be made available only if the college official can demonstrate a legitimate educational interest consistent with their official functions for the college and consistent with normal professional and legal practices. Except for directory information, however, persons outside the college – including your parents and/or spouse – will be given information from your records only:
• when you authorize it in writing, or
• in connection with your application for or receipt of financial aid, or
• in connection with studies conducted for the purpose of accreditation, development and validation of predictive tests, administration of student aid programs, or improvement of instruction, or
• when disclosure is required in a health or safety emergency or by federal or state law or by subpoena. If information from your record is subpoenaed, a reasonable attempt to notify you will be made as quickly as possible. In addition, the results of a disciplinary hearing conducted by the institution against the alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence will be made available to the alleged victim of that crime.
• The right to limit disclosure of your directory information. If you do not want the college to release those items designated as directory information, you must file a written request to that effect with the Registrar. Be cognizant of the consequences of that action before making the decision to do so. Information is not withheld selectively. If you choose to have directory information withheld, all items designated as directory information will be withheld from everyone who inquires. If you have requested non-disclosure of directory information and wish to repeal that request, you must file a written request to that effect with the Registrar.
• The right to a hearing if you believe that you have been improperly denied access to your records, your records contain information that is inaccurate or misleading, or information from your records has been improperly released to third parties. If you believe that one or more of these situations has occurred, contact the head of the office responsible for the record or send an email to the Registrar at cbearss@sc4.edu detailing the specifics of the situation including the office(s) and records involved. If the head of the office does not agree with your contention, you may request a hearing by a hearing panel or hearing officer designated by the Registrar. If the decision of the hearing panel or hearing officer agrees with you, the necessary corrective action will be taken. If the decision of the hearing panel or hearing officer disagrees with you, you have the right to submit an explanatory statement, which must be included as a permanent part of your record.
• The right to file a complaint to federal officials if you believe that there has been a violation of the rights afforded you under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. The complaint must be submitted in writing within 180 days of the alleged violation to:

U.S. Department of Education
The Student Privacy Policy Office
400 Maryland avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-5920
Phone: (800) USA-LEARN (800-872-5327)

As of Jan. 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education’s FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records – including your Social Security Number, grades, or other private information – may be accessed without your consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (“Federal and State Authorities”) may allow access to your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a federal or state authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is “principally engaged in the provision of education,” such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, federal and state authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or do not request such research. Federal and state authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive your PII, but the authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, state authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without your consent PII from your education records, and they may track your participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about you that they obtain from other federal or state data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service and migrant student records systems.

Questions about the policies and procedures of any unit should be directed to the head of that unit. Questions about the college’s “Policies on Student Rights and Student Records” or about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 should be directed to:

Carrie Bearss
Registrar
St. Clair County Community College
323 Erie St.
P.O. Box 5015
Port Huron, MI 48061-5015
Phone: (810) 989-5501