Student Conduct Record Retention and Privacy
Student conduct records are confidential to the extent allowed by University policy and the law, and the conduct-related contents of a student’s educational files cannot be shared with other individuals unless student signs a release permitting the information to be shared with specific individuals or, in the case of a student who is a minor, the eligible parent or legal guardian, except as stipulated by the Registrar’s Office and with the four following exceptions:
- Conduct-related information may be shared with other educational institutions and other university personnel considered those who have a legitimate need to know this information, such as a coach in his or her role as an advisor to a student athlete, or the Director of Athletics;
- Conduct-related information pertaining to repeated or major violations of the drug and alcohol policies may be shared with parents or other legal guardians. This exception does not apply if the student is 21 years old or over, if the Amnesty Policy policy has been applied, or if the student can demonstrate that they are financially independent.
- Parental notification may occur if the student’s actions result in hospitalization.
- Conduct-related information may be shared subject to a valid subpoena or other court order.
Copies of incident documentation are not released to students by default. Any copies of incident documentation that are released to students may be redacted. Any students who do not respect the privacy of other individuals with respect to conduct-related documentation may be subject to conduct action.
Conduct-related records in the Office of Student Conduct and Responsibility are retained in the student’s educational file while they are a student at the University of Mary Washington and until three years after they have last attended the University. However, in the case of conduct-related suspensions or expulsions from the University, relevant conduct records are retained indefinitely.
Students are encouraged to keep in mind that potential employers, in addition to graduate institutions, law enforcement, and the military, frequently request conduct information concerning candidates during the hiring or admissions process, and that the University complies with such requests whenever possible.