Edison State College respects each student’s right to privacy and releases, provides access to, and maintains a student’s record in accordance with all applicable state and federal regulations.
Edison State College has designated the Registrar as the official custodian of general student records. The Director of Financial Aid has been designated as the official custodian of student financial aid records. The information contained in a student’s record becomes the property of Edison State and is not released without the written permission of the student.
Under the terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Edison State has established the following as directory information:
Although the above directory information may be available for release to the general public, Edison State does not routinely release such information to third parties. Under FERPA, students have the right to inform Edison State that any or all of the student’s directory information is not to be released. Edison State honors the student’s request to restrict the release of “Directory Information” as stated previously. To withhold information, a student must notify the Office of the Registrar in writing prior to the end of the add/drop period each semester. Status of disclosure at the last registration period is binding and all records are noted: “Restricted Information, FERPA. No information is to be released without the written consent of the student.”
Edison State College has designated the National Student Clearinghouse and Higher One Inc. as agents of the college, authorized to release student information in the performance of their contracted duties.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights are:
Under a 1997 rule adopted by the United States Department of Defense, the College, if requested, must provide to the U.S. military the student’s name, address, telephone number, date of birth, level of education, current major and degrees received.
In compliance with Florida Statute 119.071(5), Edison State College collects and uses student social security numbers (SSNs) only for the following purposes in performance of the College’s duties and responsibilities. To protect student identity, Edison State College will protect all social security numbers from unauthorized access, never release social security numbers to unauthorized parties, and assign each student/employee a unique identification number (Banner ID#). This unique ID number is used for all associated employment and educational purposes at Edison State.
Federal legislation relating to the Hope Tax Credit requires all post secondary institutions to report student SSNs to the Internal Revenue Service. This IRS requirement makes it necessary for colleges to collect the SSN of every student. A student may refuse to disclose his or her SSN to the College, but the IRS is then authorized to fine the student in the amount of $50.00. (Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (Pub. L. No. 105-34, 111 Stat. 788).
In addition to the federal reporting requirements, the public school system in Florida uses SSNs as a student identifier (Florida Statutes 1008.386; Florida Public Records, FS 119.071(5)(a)2.a.(II). In a seamless K-20 system, it is beneficial for post secondary institutions to have access to the same information for purposes of tracking and assisting students in the smooth transition from one education level to the next. All SSNs are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and are never released to unauthorized parties.
The Office of Financial Aid requires students to submit their social security numbers on various forms in order to correctly identify applicants, match each applicant’s financial aid record with the student record, and help coordinate state aid programs with federal and institutional aid programs. (Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Sections 441-448, 483 and 484(p), 20 USC 1091 (p), 20 USC 1078-2(f); Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR 668.32(i) and 668.36; 38 USC 3471).
The SSN is used for legitimate employment business purposes in compliance with:
Student, faculty, and staff social security numbers may be used in the libraries’ patron database for online login authentication, patron verification and the elimination of duplicate records. (Florida Public Records, FS 119.071(5)(a)6.b).
The Upward Bound Program is a youth outreach (intervention) project funded by a discretionary grant from the U.S. Departments of Education. As such, each project is required to exclusively serve eligible participants that are citizens or nationals of the United States; or, are permanent residents of the United States. In order to verify a participant’s project eligibility, social security numbers are required and also later used when submitting information for the annual performance reports due to the U.S. Departments of Education. (Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Sections 402, 483, and 484(p), 20 USC 1091 (p); Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR 668.32(i) and 668.36).
Students needing official verification of their enrollment should submit a completed Enrollment Verification Request to the Office of the Registrar at least one week before the verification is needed. Enrollment Verification Requests should include the specific information needed, including actual dates of attendance, full-time/part-time status, residency status, etc. Enrollment Verification requests are only processed for the current or previous semesters. Future semester enrollment verifications are only processed after the last day to drop with a refund for that semester. Enrollment Verification requests are not processed for any student or alumnus with an obligation to Edison State such as unpaid fees, overdue loans, library books, audiovisual equipment, or whose admission records are not complete. Students are encouraged to contact National Clearinghouse at (703) 742-4200 for official enrollment verifications.
Final grades are available to students after the end of each semester through Edison State’s student online services or through the FACTS Web site. Edison State does not mail final grade reports.
A request for a grade correction must be made during the semester immediately following the semester in which the incorrect grade was assigned. The instructor who taught the class and the appropriate academic dean must approve the grade correction. No grade will be changed after a degree is awarded.
The Academic Second Chance policy allows students to request that transfer or Edison State coursework that is five calendar years or older be excluded from GPA calculations and determining graduation eligibility. To be eligible, students must complete all admissions requirements and be admitted to a degree or certificate program. Academic Second Chance is a one-time non-reversible opportunity.
The student must submit a completed Academic Second Chance petition to the Office of the Registrar on the Lee Campus, or to the Campus Dean at Charlotte, Collier and Hendry/Glades. The student must complete a minimum of twelve semester hours while maintaining a GPA of 2.00 or higher for the petition to be considered. ESL/ENS/EAP and college preparatory courses are not included when calculating the twelve semester hour minimum and the 2.0 GPA. Courses included in a previously awarded ESC degree program are ineligible for petition under this policy.
The following statement is added to the student’s transcript when the petition is approved: “Academic Second Chance policy has been applied.” All grades and courses remain on the transcript.
The Academic Second Chance policy is applied only once and it cannot be reversed. Students planning to transfer to another college or university are cautioned that the receiving institution may use all grades earned when computing a GPA for admissions eligibility or for other purposes. Academic Second Chance has no effect on the student’s financial aid award history. Students may request Academic Second Chance for a term or terms, but not individual courses within a term. Academic Second Chance has no effect on the calculation of course attempts related to the multiple course attempts surcharge.
The Petitions process is designed to review, based on a student’s written request, Edison State College policies or procedures related to:
Students begin the process by completing an official petition form available in the Office of the Registrar, Office of Counseling and Advising, or the Campus Dean’s Office. Completed petitions must be submitted to the same office by the end of the semester immediately following the semester in which the event occurred. Petitions that are more than one academic year old are not considered.
Many petitions, especially those regarding admissions processes are handled directly in the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar makes a determination based on the information collected by his/her office or provided by the student, and may request a meeting with the student for further information or clarification. If necessary, additional college administrators responsible for the area of the petition may be involved in the decision. The Office of the Registrar will inform the student of the decision by e-mail. Petitions without third party supporting documentation will not be considered.
A student has a right to appeal a decision made on an academic petition. A student wishing to appeal a decision must complete an appeal form, and return it to the Office of the Registrar or the Campus Dean or President’s Office. The appeal is forwarded to the appropriate campus or academic dean or the Campus President’s Office, if the appropriate campus or academic dean or the Campus President had not previously reviewed the petition. The appeal is forwarded to the Office of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs if the appropriate campus or academic dean or the Campus President made the original decision. A copy of the original petition is automatically part of the subsequent appeal. An appeal is not simply a review of the original petition decision but a request to reverse the original decision. The student must supply new, relevant, previously undisclosed information, or present an argument as to why the original petition decision should be reversed. For an appeal to be successful, new information must be critical to the case, and new consideration or arguments should prove the student’s case conclusively. The reviewing office may request a meeting or additional information for clarification. The Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs has responsibility for making the final academic decision for Edison State College. Appeal forms are available in the Office of the Registrar or Campus Dean’s office.
Edison State College may, without the written consent of the student, release information from the student’s education record to a court of competent jurisdiction in compliance with a court order of that court or to the attorney of record pursuant to a lawfully issued subpoena, provided that in advance of compliance with the court order or subpoena Edison State notified the student. A student who objects to the release of his or her records must file a motion to invalidate the court order or subpoena, and provide Edison State with copies of the relevant legal documents. All releases of student information are made in compliance with state and federal regulations.
Holds are placed on a student’s account, records, transcript, grades, diploma, or registration if the student does not fulfill all financial or other obligations to the College. Satisfaction of the obligation is required prior to the release of the hold by the appropriate College office.
Students needing an official Edison State College transcript should submit a completed Transcript Request Form to the Office of the Registrar at least one week before the official transcript is needed. Official transcripts may also be requested via Edison State’s student online services. Transcript requests are not processed for any student or alumnus with an obligation to Edison State College such as unpaid fees, overdue loans, library books, audiovisual equipment, or whose admission records are not complete. The completed transcript request should contain the student’s name (at the time they attended Edison State), student identification number, date of birth, the name and address of where the transcript is to be sent, and the student’s signature. There is a $5 charge for an official transcript. Unofficial transcripts may be obtained via Edison State’s student online services.