The Board of Trustees provides two guides to the faculty on the matter of records.
They are:

  • Title XI, Section 1, of the Statutes of Trinity College: “The Faculty shall keep a record of the progress in study, and general conduct of students.”
  • Title XI, Section 2, of the Statutes: “The students shall be ranked in the several classes according to their progress in study.”

The policy and guides set forth below on record maintenance and on confidentiality were prepared by an ad hoc committee of administrators and were put into effect by the president of the College after being reviewed by the Student Government Association and a faculty committee. They are consistent with the trustee directions cited above and with applicable legislation.
No statement of policy can be made without reference to the manner in which records are maintained by various offices of the College. Confidentiality is dependent not only upon the good judgment of persons who keep information but also upon the kind of information kept and the manner in which it is kept. Consequently, the policy on the confidentiality of student records begins with specific guides to the keeping of specific types of records.

  • Enrollment, good student driver, good standing, etc., verifications (all types) are retained for one year after the date submitted.
  • Health Center records can only be obtained with a written “Release of Information” and are only given directly to students. Health Records will be retained for at least seven years from the date of graduation.
  • Information provided by a student to the Alumni, Development, or Communications offices, or information obtained by these offices from the public record, will be retained for such periods as the officers in charge deem necessary.
  • All records and forms connected with a student’s advance registration, registration (e.g., add/drop schedules), housing, and participation in the meal plan will be destroyed as soon as they cease to be useful to the administrative offices involved.
  • The files of the Counseling Center will be available only to members of the counseling staff, and their contents will not be made available to others in or out of the College without the mutual consent of the student involved and the counselor, except under legal compulsion or in cases where the safety of persons or property is involved.
  • It is the responsibility of the registrar to exclude from the student’s central file information that does not bear directly on their academic performance or conduct.
  • A designated member of the College staff shall have the opportunity to cull from records scheduled for destruction material of historical value to the College. Such material may be entered into the College archives if approved by the president of the College.

 

Guides to the Keeping of Student Records

  • College Entrance Examination Board scores (aptitude and achievement)
  • American College Testing Program test scores and student profile report
  • Advanced Placement test scores
  • Secondary school grade record (i.e., “transcript”)
  • Application for admission
  • Previous college transcripts of transfer students
  • Any documents from foreign educational institutions, including transcripts
  • Transcript from institution attended on Academic Leave of Absence
  • Transcript from Twelve-College Exchange institution attended by Trinity student
  • Thesis/independent study form
  • Grade change letter or form from instructor
  • Forms indicating change of information or status regarding an undergraduate (e.g., voluntary withdrawal, required withdrawal, marriage, name change)
  • Teaching assistant/research assistant/tutorial form
  • Application and approval for  individually tailored, interdisciplinary major
  • Application and approval for student-designed interdisciplinary minor
  • Internship application and approval forms
  • Application and approval for credit by examination
  • Student request to see contest of file
  • Open Semester application
  • Description of student-taught course
  • Intensive Student Program description
  • Letter notifying a student they have been required to withdraw for deficient scholarship
  • Consortium grade sheet
  • Trinity College/Rome Campus agreement
  • Letter officering admission
  • Notice of credit awarded transfer student
  • Form requesting readmission and application for readmission after required withdrawal
  • Senior progress toward degree clearance sheet
  • Senior application for degree
  • Letter regarding graduation requirements
  • Consortium registration form
  • Appeals to and letters from Curriculum Committee regarding such matters as course credit, additional credit, etc.
  • Major declaration form
  • Minor declaration form
  • Letter regarding academic probation

Enrollment, good student driver, good standing, etc., verifications (all types) are retained for one year after the date submitted.

  • Admissions Office interview notes and phone notes
  • Evaluative comments contained on secondary school transcripts, midterm school reports, and final school reports
  • Headmaster’s or principal’s recommendation and secondary school teacher’s recommendation
  • College faculty and administrator recommendation submitted in support of an application to transfer to Trinity
  • Any other letters of recommendation submitted in support of an application for admission
  • Letter to or from applicant regarding Admissions Office interview appointment
  • Letter from applicant requesting application form, Bulletin, etc.
  • Letter to applicant regarding Admissions Office visit to applicant’s school
  • Form used to report alumni interview of applicant
  • Receipt for payment of application fee or note indicating fee has been waived
  • Records of disciplinary actions leading to fines, pensums, admonitions, and restrictions will be destroyed at the time the student graduates, unless a different time of destruction is specified to the student at the time the penalty is imposed. (Certain penalties, admonition foremost among them, are sometimes imposed for a period of one semester or one year, with the proviso that all records of the action will be destroyed at the end of the specified period if the student commits no new offense.)
  • Records of disciplinary actions leading to censure of a limited duration will be destroyed at the time a student graduates unless the period of censure continues to a date later than the student’s graduation, in which event the records shall be destroyed when the period of censure ends.
  • Records of disciplinary actions leading to permanent censure and to suspension or expulsion will be permanently retained.
  • Notice of approval of loan
  • Notice of work-study employment
  • Notice of award of scholarship
  • Loan application
  • Letter from student accepting financial aid
  • Need analysis
  • Financial aid form/Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • Student budget
  • Letters of recommendation placed on file in the office at the student’s request will be retained for 10 years following the date of graduation, unless
    specifically requested otherwise.

All other materials will be destroyed as soon as the director of Career Development believes they are no longer useful to the student — ordinarily five years after the student graduates.

Health Center records can only be obtained with a written “Release of Information” and are only given directly to students. Health Records will be retained for at least seven years from the date of graduation.

Information provided by a student to the Alumni, Development, or Communications offices, or information obtained by these offices from the public record, will be retained for such periods as the officers in charge deem necessary.

All records and forms connected with a student’s advance registration, registration (e.g., add/drop schedules), housing, and participation in the meal plan will be destroyed as soon as they cease to be useful to the administrative offices involved.

The files of the Counseling Center will be available only to members of the counseling staff, and their contents will not be made available to others in or out of the College without the mutual consent of the student involved and the counselor, except under legal compulsion or in cases where the safety of persons or property is involved.

It is the responsibility of the registrar to exclude from the student’s central file information that does not bear directly on his/her academic performance or conduct.

A designated member of the College staff shall have the opportunity to cull from records scheduled for destruction material of historical value to the College. Such material may be entered into the College archives if approved by the president of the College.

Age of Majority

Eighteen is the age of majority under Connecticut law, except regarding the provision and sale of alcohol (see Policy on Alcohol Use, p. 71).With regard to the age of majority, the following have been approved by the Trustees as College policy:

That catalogs, viewbooks, student handbooks, and similar materials prepared by the College inform those who read them:
a) that in Connecticut the age of majority is 18 and that under the law, students that age and older have the full rights and responsibilities of all other adults, except as limited by the provisions of Title 30, Chapter 545 of the Connecticut General Statutes, the Liquor Control Act; and
b) that, as a matter of principle, in keeping with College policy, students normally be dealt with directly in matters pertaining to College bills, grades, academic credit, and academic and disciplinary status.