UW-Whitewater University Handbook

Last policy revision: 8/1/84

University Records - Accesss

SOURCE: Office of the Chancellor

This subject is governed both by federal law, which protects the confidentiality of student records, and by state law, which guarantees public access to records. To respond to requests for access to records without violating either law, the University has provided the appointment and training of a Deputy Custodian of Records for every office in the University and the designation of some Deputy Custodians as single University-wide access points for certain sensitive classes of records.

A University employee to whom a request is made for access to University records or to information possessed by the University should respond as follows:

  1. Be courteous and pleasant.

  2. Do NOT ask the requester to give his/her name or explain his/her purpose in making the request.

  3. If the information requested is available in the directory, the timetable, the catalog, or some similar university publication, provide it at once or, if the publication is not on hand, refer the requester to a place where it is available (such as another office, the Reference Desk in the Library, or Documents and Research Collections in the Library).

  4. If the information requested is not in such a publication, refer the request to the Deputy Custodian of Records for the office who will respond to it or refer it to another Deputy Custodian.

  5. If you refer a requester to another office or person, first use the telephone to be sure the referral is appropriate and then check to see that the requester knows whom to ask for and where to find him/her.

Each university office will display a sign naming the Deputy Custodians of its records and containing other information for persons seeking access to public records. This sign will be provided by the Legal Custodian of University Records as part of the training of a Deputy Custodian for each office.

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