Elizabethtown College recently made changes to the layout and student access of the student directory to include students’ home addresses and home and personal phone numbers.
The directory was made available exclusively through Jayweb about a year ago. The directory used to be available both online and in print. “Ultimately, the change took place for sustainability and privacy,” Elizabeth Harvey, communications manager for the Office of Marketing and Communications, said. “It was found in the last few years of the printed directory that most were being thrown away, wasting natural resources.”
Unless they opted to hold any of their personal information, the directory displays each student’s name, campus email address, mailbox number, home address, phone number and academic year. Additional information such as fields of study can be found within the email directory. Students were given the option to withhold any or all parts of their information, such as home address and personal phone number, at the start of the year. Any permission that was previously allowed can be retracted at any time through Office of Registration and Records.
The directory changes are in line with the policies of FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Protection Act of 1974, a federal law designed to protect the rights of students and their families. Students were given the option to omit any and all information from outside parties. The Protection Act covers all personal student assets from directory information, such as name and address, to non-directory information, such as grades and academic standing. The Office of Registration and Records oversees adherence to FERPA policies on campus.
Many students are fully aware of the directory change, and most students agreed to allow complete access to their information. “I don’t have a problem with people knowing my address or phone number,” first-year Nicole McGlyn said. “I don’t think it’s unnecessary for people to know that info, especially in the future.”
Some students, however, decided to omit parts or all of their information from the directory. “I knew my personal info was going to be seen by everyone,” first-year Jaime Ramos said. “I checked ‘no’ on that [FERPA hold release], though. I don’t want my information made available to everyone I know.”
While the option is valid, omitting parts of their directory information could jeopardize a student’s being recognized in their hometown newspaper or having their enrollment verified for future employers. Anyone who opts to hold all of their FERPA information will not appear within the Jayweb directory, either by name or address. However, they can still be contacted by anyone with an email on campus.
The Office of Marketing and Communications implemented these changes about a year ago. However, the Office does not manually manage the student directory.
