Zaria Hunter

I learned how an internal perspective can shape the company especially when it comes to training and team collaboration. The better we get along and the more information that we have, the more successful we will be at not only completing tasks at hand but also by assisting students with all the necessary information they are going to need to be successful. 

The perception of our institution goes far beyond just pleasing the students. It is important to make sure anyone who engages with our company, whether physically, electronically, or over the phone, is met with gratifying results and a positive attitude. 

Customer service is a forever growing thing that regularly changes, and shifts focus to meet customer's needs. It has altered the way that companies deliver their customer service as well as changed the way that customers themselves expect the service to be. Whether it is purchasing something, online, in store, or even just reading about it on the internet, customer service has a presence that has to be strong or else the company may not do too well. 

I learned that there are some acts that do interfere with FERPA such as the Solomon act and HIPPA. This applies to my line of work because we regularly admit students with a military background so it is important to understand who can receive information and exactly what information they are eligible to receive through the Solomon act. 

I learned that it is important to communicate with the student in all aspects of FERPA affairs. They need to understand what their rights and regulations are within that law and be provided a necessary amount of time to disclose whether they would like that information to be released or not. It is also important to notify a student any time information is released. 

I learned the extent to which FERPA is applicable. For instance, alumni do not always have the same protections under FERPA as they did when they were actively enrolled. This is also the case for those who are deceased as mentioned when the lesson poses the question of releasing information of a former president. Students also have important information that they have to understand regarding adding statements to something they believe is false.  

The biggest takeaway for me is understanding what rights students have through FERPA as well as what an institution is and is not capable of sharing. Coming from an associate registrar background, I am provided with information that is highly private and important to students so understanding what is classified as an educational record and knowing what can be shared with who is essential when it comes performing my job correctly.