on 12/9/99 10:21 AM, Renner, Michael at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Also, I disagree with John Serafin concerning how far the student's right to
> privacy extends. It is appropriate for university officers -- which we are,
> in this context -- to discuss a student and her or his performance. What
> would be inappropriate would be for us to use such information for
> nonacademic purposes or to disclose it to persons who have no legitimate
> right to access it (including persons who aren't university officers). Using
> discretion, as John suggested, is required, but I don't see that consulting
> about appropriate academic issues, within the university, is a breach of
> confidentiality.
Needing a break from reading student papers, I spent a short time searching
out college sites to see what they had to say about this privacy issue. I
was sure I was going to find many schools that agreed with me. But I
discovered that the opinion I expressed (not to reveal the identity of a
student to colleagues when investigating possible cheating) is definitely
the minority position. There are schools that, individually, take the
confidentiality issue to that extreme; but I think Michael is correct that
this is not strictly required.
So I stand corrected, and thank those who straightened me out on this.
John
----------
John Serafin
Professor of Psychology
Saint Vincent College
300 Fraser Purchase Rd.
Latrobe, PA 15650
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
