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Student's Responsibility

Each student must be constantly aware of her/his progress in meeting requirements for graduation. If there is any question about an individual record, the Registrar's Office should be consulted. Each student must also be aware of deadlines set within each academic year that pertain to academic action and deadlines: these are identified in the Academic Calendar found in the Lasell course catalog, as well as email messages from the Registrar.

Students are expected to activate their Lasell email account and to check it regularly, official notices from the administration and the faculty are sent only as electronic mail.

Student Confidentiality

Lasell University regulates access to and release of a student's records in accordance with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as amended (PL 93-380, Section 438, The General Education Provisions Act). The purpose of the act is to protect the privacy of students regarding: ·     

  •   the release of records, and 

  •   access to records maintained by the institution

In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (the Buckley Amendment), Lasell University has committed itself to protecting the privacy rights of its students and to maintaining the confidentiality of its records. A copy of the law is available in the Registrar's Office. The following is a summary of the rights of students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Policies and Issues of General Conduct

Lasell University is committed to creating an environment that fosters student growth and development. The quality of life at Lasell is directly tied to the actions of the members of the community, and their mutual respect and consideration. Members of the Lasell University community are expected to:

  • Contribute to the creation of an environment that supports learning, personal development, and civil discourse;

  • Honor the rights of others to work and live in the Lasell University community without concern for verbal or physical abuse, or the threat thereof;

  • Respect the differences inherent in the diversity of our community members; and

  • Commit to behaving in ways that acknowledge the dignity of each individual.

Lasell University students, and Lasell University student organizations and teams, are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that demonstrates an understanding of the above-noted expectations. Behavior inconsistent with these expectations is a violation of the Lasell University policy on general conduct.

Members of the Lasell University community are held accountable for respecting the personal and property rights of others. The responsibility of all citizens to comply with local, state, and federal laws applies both on- and off-campus. Violations of local, state, and federal laws will likewise constitute a violation of Lasell University's policy on general conduct.

Students (organizations and teams) are personally and financially responsible for their own conduct, and (if applicable) for the conduct of any and all guests. Students are expected to comply with the requests of Campus Police officers, Residential Life staff, and members of the faculty, staff, and administration; failure to do so will be regarded as a violation of the University's policy on general conduct. Disrespectful behavior (including but not limited to: verbal abuse; misrepresentation of facts; and use of foul and/or obscene language or gestures) towards any employee of the University (including student staff members) will not be tolerated, and will be regarded as a violation of the University's policy on general conduct.

Similarly, disrespectful behavior (including but not limited to: verbal abuse; misrepresentation of facts; and use of foul and/or obscene language or gestures) towards any guest of the University (including visiting athletic teams) or towards approved vendor of the University will not be tolerated, and will be regarded as a violation of the University's policy on general conduct.

Students' Rights

Review and Inspection of Records

Students have the right to review and inspect their educational records as defined in Section VII of the Policy within a reasonable time of a request to the Registrar's Office. All requests to inspect records will be fulfilled within forty-five (45) days. The University has an obligation to respond to reasonable requests from students for explanation of their education records. If a student is unable to inspect personally their education record, the University is obligated to provide a copy of the record requested upon the payment of a copying fee.

Right to request an Amendment of Records

A student has the right to request that the University amend education records which the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the privacy or other rights of the student. The University will decide whether or not to amend such records and so inform the student.

Rights to a Hearing to Challenge the Contents of Records

A student has the right to challenge the contents of education records the student believes are inaccurate, misleading or in violation of the privacy or rights of the student. The hearing is conducted by the Vice President of Graduate and Professional Studies. If the student prevails at the hearing, the student has the right to request an amendment to the record. Should the student not prevail, the student may enter an explanation in the records setting forth the reason(s) for disagreeing with the hearing decision.

Right to Refuse Designation of Directory Information

Lasell University considers the following as public information (described in the Policy as "directory information"): name, term, home and electronic address, campus address and mailbox number, telephone (home and cell) and voice mailbox number, date and place of birth, photograph, electronic portfolio (EPortfolio) major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, program of enrollment, expected date of graduation, degrees and awards received, and most recent previous institutions attended by the student. Some or all of this information may be published in directories such as a student directory, an electronic student directory, a sports program, the Lasell intranet (MyLasell), the Lasell University website, or other campus publications.

A student has the right to refuse to permit the designation of any or all of the categories of personally identifiable information as directory information, except to school officials with legitimate educational interest and government agencies. A school official is defined as a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff ); a person or company with whom the University has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University.  

If a student decides to withhold disclosure of directory information, a Request to Prevent Disclosure of Information needs to be completed within three days of their registration, which states the desire not to permit the designation of one or all of the categories of directory information. The decision to withhold the disclosure of directory information remains in effect for one academic year and needs to be renewed annually, if so desired. With regard to external inquiries, the Registrar's Office will verify directory information, unless advised to the contrary by the student as indicated above. "Verify" means to affirm or deny the correctness of the information. The University will not provide corrections for inaccurate information. All non-directory information, which is considered confidential, will not be released to outside inquiries without the express consent of the student except under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). However, the University will verify financial awards and release data for government agencies. 

Right to file a Complaint

Complaints regarding violations of the rights accorded students under this policy should be directed to the Registrar. Complaints failing resolution internally may be filed directly with the Department of Education, 330 Independence Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20202. or by submitting an electronic form to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (https://www.mass.edu/forstufam/complaints/complaints.asp). Students residing outside of Massachusetts may file a complaint in their home states through NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) by visiting the State Distance Education Complaint Process Page (https://www.lasell.edu/discover-lasell/facts-figures-and-faces/our-institution/consumer-information-policies.html).