Information regarding the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is contained in the class schedule each semester. This Federal law indicates that you have a right to request that your "directory information" not be made public. "Directory Information" includes:
The University of Wyoming has the responsibility for effectively supervising any access to and/or release of official data/information about our students. However, because Wyoming is a Public Records state, the above information may be released to any outside entity that requests it unless a student has requested that a Privacy Flag be placed on his or her records.
If you do not want any of the above information to be released to anyone outside the university, you need to complete a Request for Privacy Flag form and submit it to the Office of the Registrar. This form must be received no later than the 10th class day in order for your information not to be included in the Campus Directory. A Privacy Flag means that your name and address will not appear in the Campus Directory, that your name will not be included in any news releases (including honor rolls or graduation). Information will not be released to prospective employers, insurance companies, credit agencies, etc. If anyone requests information in person, by fax, mail or telephone, UW will respond to the requestor with the following statement: "We do not have any information available on that individual."
As of January 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.
