Employee Records
The Office of Human Resources maintains a personnel file for each employee that contains vital employment information. Upon request, employees will be provided with the opportunity to inspect and verify the accuracy of their personnel file. To ensure that personnel records are up to date, it is the employee's responsibility to promptly notify the Office of Human Resources in writing of any changes in name, home address, marital status, number of dependents, beneficiary changes, telephone number, and person to notify in case of emergency. It is also important to notify the Office of Human Resources of scholastic achievements that may enhance your opportunities for advancement. Updates in such information can also be initiated through the employee self-service portal.
Access to employee records is subject to state statutes on personnel records. Georgia College & State University is a public university and is therefore subject to the Georgia Open Records Act, which means that employee information can be made available upon request.
As a service to employees, the Office of Human Resources will furnish upon written request of third parties outside the University an employee's dates of employment at the University and his or her title or position. In instances where payroll information is requested (e.g., salary information for the purpose of obtaining a mortgage), the requesting party will be advised that this information will only be made available with the written consent of the employee. Such requests should be submitted to Payroll Services.
Georgia's Open Records Act
As an employee of Georgia College, certain information maintained by the University about you and your employment record is considered to be a matter of public record and is subject to the Open Records Act of the State of Georgia. This means that any citizen may request access to certain information contained in your personnel file without your knowledge or consent.
To be in compliance with the Open Records Policy, all open records requests must be made to the Office of Legal Affairs. Although some information is excluded by law and cannot be accessed under provisions of the Georgia Open Records Act, your employment and salary history and performance evaluations are among the material that may be available for review.
If someone asks you for documents under the Open Records Act or sends you an open records request, please forward the request to the Office of Legal Affairs. You should not release documents to anyone except the Office of Legal Affairs.
Confidential Information
Some employees must deal with confidential information in the performance of their duties. Such information should not be discussed or made available to anyone until it has been approved for release by the proper authority. Certain University records are strictly confidential.
Additional resources:
- Also see FERPA Policy regarding student records.
HIPAA Policy
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996 and created national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information.
In support of the health and safety of our employees and students, Georgia College (GC) maintains personal health care information about its students, employees, and others. All GC employees are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of this information. GC fully supports and complies with all federal and state statutes and rules regarding the use, maintenance, transfer, and disposition of health care records and information.
Related links:
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. They are:
- The right to inspect and review the student's educational record within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
- The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading.
- The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Georgia College & State University to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
Questions the University's procedures regarding release of academic information may be directed to the Office of the Registrar, Parks Hall 107, (478) 445-6286. To access the FERPA policy in its entirety, visit: http://www.gcsu.edu/registrar/ferpa.htm.
Related link: