Fed ruling eases file disclosure

Transcript requests might occur online

By Erin Stock

The Daily Northwestern

A new interpretation of a federal privacy law will allow college students nationwide to request academic transcripts online rather than in writing — which university officials said will simplify graduate school and job applications.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that according to the law — known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act — schools have the option of allowing students to use electronic signatures to access and release private information, including transcript requests.

Michael Maysilles, Northwestern’s associate registrar, said the university is “very excited” to be able to provide this service.

“This is an online age, so fax and mail are not the preferred methods of communication,” Maysilles said. “We’ve been waiting for years for this to happen.”

He said that, despite the obvious benefits of convenience, he recognizes the possibility that individuals’ privacy still will be threatened.

“Exactly how do you know who you’re talking to?” he asked.

Maysilles said it will probably be a “little while” before students can order transcripts online, as his office investigates how to maintain privacy of student records.

Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said the Department of Education’s decision is the proper response to the increased popularity of electronic transactions.

“We can bring the type of service quality that is now possible through technology to students,” Nassirian said. “That’s a good thing because students are a tech-savvy crowd, and they generally don’t take to old-fashioned transaction methods. We want to be able to respond to those types of expectations and now we can.”

Some universities, including NU, already use electronic methods for certain transactions involving student information, such as registering for classes or accessing financial records.

But until the law’s clarification on Wednesday, Nassirian said, many university officials were hesitant to allow students to order transcripts online because the transaction involves releasing private information to a third party.

The privacy law does not stipulate how schools should approach implementation, Nassirian said, so school officials are faced with hammering out the details of electronic signatures and securing student privacy.

“The regulations that were issued last week are particularly important because they are ‘technology neutral’ — they don’t take an opinion on what type of technology you can use,” Nassirian said. “Instead they focus on what types of conditions you have to meet.”

Chris Stolte, an Education junior, said ordering transcripts via mail or fax is inefficient. Stolte, a transfer student who has taken classes at three different universities, said sending his academic transcripts to NU was a “tedious process.”

“(Online transactions) would cut the time in half,” Stolte said. “It’d be very nice to go online and request them and send everything right there.”

But Aalia Thobani, a Communication junior, said she worries about releasing her transcript online.

“Your signature’s a big deal,” Thobani said. “Even though we’re going through this (technology) revolution, some things shouldn’t change. It may make life easier, but what’s the risk?”