Registrar’s Notes – November 17, 2014
Fall 2015 Schedule Edits
Departments have until Friday to update Banner with changes to their Fall 2015 schedules. All edits must be completed in Banner by the end of the day on November 21. If you have schedule building questions or need assistance, please contact Laura Thomas at laura.thomas@wmich.edu.
Faculty Regalia
Faculty participating in the December 13 commencement ceremony may order regalia online through the Willsie Cap and Gown Company. Regalia will be available for pick up in the Textbook Alley in the lower level of the Bernhard Center from Dec. 8-12. Regalia will also be available for pickup on Saturday, Dec. 13,beginning at 8 a.m. in the York Arena Theatre. Regalia should be returned to York Arena Theatre immediately following the ceremony.
Fall 2014 Grading
Grading for the Fall 2014 semester is open. Grades are due no later than noon on Tuesday, December 16. As a reminder, instructors will be required to enter the last date of attendance or academic activity when submitting all "E" or "X" grades.
Degree Works Upgrade
The Degree Works system was upgraded over the weekend. As part of the upgrade, advisors will see a new Plans tab. The Plans feature provides advisors and students with the ability to create semester by semester degree completion plans for students. The tab will be rolled out to students once we determine plans are working properly for advisors. Detailed instructions on creating plans will be coming soon to the Registrar's Office website.
40 Years of FERPA
FERPA is hopefully an acronym you are familiar with. What you may not know is some of the history behind FERPA. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was signed into law by President Ford on August 21, 1974 and became effective on November 19, 1974 (40 years ago this week).
FERPA is commonly referred to as the Buckley Amendment after its principal sponsor, Senator James Buckley of New York. Senator Buckley authored the bill because of his concern with the misuse of student records. Senator Buckley stated that his amendment would counter the growing trend toward "violation of confidentiality and abuse of personal data".
When the Department of Education was established in 1979, they took over the administration of FERPA. To this day, the Department of Education is still responsible for overseeing FERPA and addressing violations.
See the FERPA Brochure on the Registrar's Office website to learn more.
Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday, November 26-Thanksgiving recess starts at noon
- Monday, December 1-Classes resume
- Saturday, December 13-Commencement
- Tuesday, Dec. 16-Final grades due at noon