3-21-00
Judge Smith has ruled that student disciplinary records are confidential under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and we will, of course, comply with that ruling. Violations of law reported to university police will continue to be public record as provided by Ohio law, whether committed by students or others on campus, and statistics concerning those violations will continue to be reported in uniform crime reports to the FBI, which are published annually and nationally. In addition, both those statistics and statistics of campus disciplinary proceedings will also continue to be published, and we will continue to issue crime alerts in situations involving significant potential risks to the university community, as required by the Campus Right to Know Act. Ohio State is committed to providing a safe environment for its students and will continue to exercise sound judgment when dealing with campus law enforcement issues.