Records retention policy

The purpose of this record retention policy is to outline documents retained by the federally-funded programs, state-funded programs, and privately-funded program that comprise the Student Services First-Generation Student Center (FGSC). By listing which information to keep and how long documents must be retained, our department ensures the accuracy and security of important records. Employees must uphold this policy and follow the guidelines detailed below. The federally and state-funded programs of the FGSC follow guidelines provided by the United States Department of Education (US DOE) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). University specific policies are available in the University of Nevada, Reno Administrative Manual.

Scope

This record retention policy applies to all programs under the FGSC. Programs serving secondary education students are 3 Upward Bound Classic grants (Northwest, Truckee, and Washoe) and 1 Upward Bound Math Science grant (Silver). Programs serving post-secondary/university students are 1 TRiO Student Support Services Classic grant (TRiO Scholars), 1 TRiO Student Support Services STEM (TRiO STEM), 1 Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement grant (McNair Scholars), 1 Fostering the Pack program, a privately-funded grant serving first-generation students who are also former foster youth, 1 CCAMPIS program, a federally-funded grant for students who have children in daycare, and 1 First in the Pack (FITP) program, providing state-funded services for first-generation students and serving as a pipeline program for the federally-funded programs. This policy covers any student documents created by our program or submitted by our administrative team. This can include new student folders, onboarding documents, and assessment & reporting information.

Procedures

Student records:

• Electronic documents: All students have an electronic file in our programs’ databases.  Within each file, received documents are retained by document type – which includes, but is not limited to - high school transcripts, tax documentation, social security numbers, parent contract, progress reports, etc. Security to each document type is maintained by the Executive Director of the FGSC in accordance with OIT (Office of Information Technology) security policies. All databases are housed in the OIT.
• Current/historic documents: Copies of student documentations are stored in physical student folders in accordance with the guidelines provided by the US DOE. All student folders are stored in locked cabinets, per grant requirements. The senior administration of the programs (e.g., Executive Director, Associate Directors, Assistant Directors, and Administrative Assistants) have the ability to access said folders.
• National Student Clearinghouse (NCS): The McNair grant and the four Upward Bound Classic and Math Science programs use the NSC in accordance with required grant regulations to track former program participants. The University partners with the National Student Clearinghouse for enrollment reporting, enrollment verification, and degree verifications. Records are kept by the NSC and are available to the Executive Director, Associate Directors, Assistant Directors, and Associate Directors, and Administrative Assistants of each grant.