GENERAL COUNSEL

CSU System C logo

The mission of the Office of the General Counsel is to protect the legal interests of the Board of Governors of the CSU System and its constituent institutions.

The General Counsel is the chief legal officer of the System and represents the Board of Governors and its constituent institutions in all legal matters. The General Counsel is selected by the Board of Governors upon the recommendation of the Chancellor.

The Office of the General Counsel does not provide legal advice or representation to individual members of the CSU System regarding matters against the university or where the interests of the university and the interests of the individual are not aligned. Further, the Office of the General Counsel does not provide legal services or representation for personal matters. If you need legal assistance for a personal matter, please see the Links & Resources section.

Please note: material and links presented on this site are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice from the Office of the General Counsel. Links to non-CSU System webpages are provided solely for your convenience. The Office of the General Counsel does not accept responsibility for, nor does it ensure the validity of, the content on the linked webpages. Please contact the Office of the General Counsel directly regarding any legal issue involving or affecting the CSU System.

**Service of Process update**

In light of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, for service of process, please contact the Office of the General Counsel directly by e-mail. The General Counsel of the CSU System is authorized to accept service on behalf of the Board of Governors of the CSU System, the CSU System and its institutions, as well as the Chancellor. The Deputy General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel in Fort Collins is authorized to accept service on behalf of Colorado State University and its President. The Deputy General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel in Pueblo is authorized to accept service on behalf of CSU Pueblo and its President.  

Please contact the appropriate person listed below by e-mail to inquire about accepting service of process. Please understand that simply sending an e-mail to one or more of the persons below does not constitute effective service; a formal waiver of service is required. When sending an e-mail requesting a waiver of service, please include as attachments to the e-mail all of the documents that are sought to be served as well as a waiver of service form. These forms are available at various websites, including here.

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office may be contacted about service of process at:

Attorney General
Colorado Department of Law’s Office
Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center
1300 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80203

FAQs

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

CSU and CSU Pueblo comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the areas of employment, public accommodations and services, public transportation, and telecommunications.

CSU and CSU Pueblo provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities in the application and testing process for employment.

CSU in Fort Collins:

To request accommodations when applying for an Academic Faculty or Administrative Professional position, contact CSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, whose information about disability can be found here.

To request accommodations for a State Classified position, contact Human Resources.

CSU Pueblo:

Please contact Human Resources.

CSU and CSU Pueblo provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities to assist them in performing the essential functions of their jobs. 

CSU in Fort Collins:

To request accommodations, contact CSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, whose information about disability can be found here.

CSU Pueblo:

Please contact Human Resources.

CSU and CSU Pueblo provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities to assist them with physical and programmatic access to all academic and co-curricular programs, activities, and services. 

CSU in Fort Collins:

To request accommodations, contact CSU’s Student Disability Center.

CSU Pueblo:

Disability resource information for students can be found here.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND COMMITMENT

CSU in Fort Collins:

All of the University’s policies are listed in alphabetical order here, under the heading “Policy Library.”  There are links to the policies for Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment in the Policy Library. You will also find references to the applicable sections of the Faculty and Principal Investigator’s Manuals on the Conflict of Interest summary page.

CSU Pueblo:

For CSU Pueblo’s Conflict of Interest Policy, see the Faculty Handbook.

To report a concern regarding an ethics conflict of interest or similar matter, go to the CSU System’s Compliance Reporting Hotline for details on how to make a report, at:

CSU in Fort Collins:

http://reportinghotline.colostate.edu/

CSU Pueblo:

https://www.csupueblo.edu/reporting-hotline/

CONTRACTS AND SIGNATURE AUTHORITY

CSU in Fort Collins:

The delegations of authority are available here, under the section “Resources” and the subheading, “Signature Authority.” If you are still unsure if you have authority to sign a contract, you should contact the Office of Contracting Services at contracts@colostate.edu.

CSU Pueblo:

Delegated Contract Signature Authority information can be found here.

For more information, contact the Office of the General Counsel.

CSU Fort Collins:

The contract review guidelines are available here, under the section “Training” and the subheading “Contracts Training.” Depending on the amount, type, and terms of the contract, you may need to have it reviewed by Contracting Services or the Office of the General Counsel prior to signature.

CSU Pueblo:

All contracts must be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel. You should first discuss the issue with your Dean, the VPFA, or Athletic Director and request that they forward the contract to the Office of General Counsel for review.

DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT, AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

It is the policy of CSU and CSU Pueblo that no member of the University community may discriminate against another member of the community on any basis for which discrimination is prohibited by state or federal law or University policy, including but not limited to: race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability, and genetic information.

CSU and CSU Pueblo have specific policies and procedures in place to address complaints of discrimination. Discriminatory acts can also be the subject of complaints to the Department of Education (Office for Civil Rights), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Colorado Civil Rights Division, or the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.  

CSU in Fort Collins:

Complaints by students against students shall be handled in accordance with procedures set forth in Student Conduct Code. Administration of Student Conduct Code is handled by Student Resolution Center.

Complaints against State Classified staff may be brought to CSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, whose discrimination policy and grievance procedure can be found here. State Classified staff who wish to have a claim of discrimination reviewed by the State Personnel Board are required to file a petition for a hearing in accordance with Chapter 8 of the State Personnel Rules, which can be found here.

Complaints against Academic Faculty, Administrative Professionals, and other employees may be brought to CSU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, whose discrimination policy and grievance procedure can be found here.

CSU Pueblo:

Student complaints are handled by the Office of Student Conduct and Case Management in accordance with The Code of Student Conduct & Community Standards.

Complaints against State Classified staff should be brought to the Office of Human Resources. Complaints against administrative professionals may also be brought to the Office of Human Resources for a determination on the appropriate forum for such a complaint.

The Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Employment Opportunity is responsible for CSU Pueblo’s commitment to prevent prohibited discrimination. CSU Pueblo’s Policy on Discrimination can be found in the Faculty Handbook, along with the grievance procedure.

CSU and CSU Pueblo strive to create and maintain a work and study environment that is fair, humane, and responsible so that each member of the University community is treated with dignity and rewarded for such relevant considerations as ability and performance. Abusive treatment of individuals on a personal or stereotyped basis is contrary to the concepts of academic freedom and equal opportunity. Sexual harassment is one such form of abuse and cannot be tolerated. 

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when such conduct is directed toward an individual because of his or her gender, is severe and/or pervasive, and has the purpose or effect of (1) creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive academic environment or (2) unreasonably interferes with another’s academic performance. Generally, a single sexual joke, offensive epithet, or request for a date does not constitute sexual harassment; however, being subjected to such jokes, epithets, or requests repeatedly may constitute hostile environment sexual harassment.

Sexual violence is a severe form of sexual harassment, and refers to physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or where a person is incapable of giving consent, including but not limited to rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual coercion or similar acts in violation of state or federal law.

CSU and CSU Pueblo have specific policies and procedures in place to address complaints of discrimination. Sexually harassing behavior can also be the subject of complaints to the Department of Education (Office for Civil Rights), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Colorado Civil Rights Division, or the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.   

CSU in Fort Collins:

Complaints by students against students shall be handled in accordance with procedures set forth in Student Conduct Code. Administration of Student Conduct Code is handled by Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct Services

Additionally, any student who believes that he or she may be the victim of sexual harassment or sexual violence should also consult the University Student Sexual Harassment or Sexual Violence Policy.

Complaints against any person affiliated with the University, including its students and employees, can be brought to the Office of Equal Opportunity, whose sexual harassment policy can be found here.

CSU Pueblo:

Concerns of sexual harassment must be reported to the Office of Human Resources / Affirmative Action. The Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy can be found here.

Sexual Harassment Complaints against students are governed by the Code of Student Conduct & Community Standards.

Yes. Both CSU and CSU Pueblo have affirmative action programs with respect to hiring.

CSU in Fort Collins:

CSU’s Affirmative Action program can be found here.

Hiring decisions are made by various CSU administrators. Human Resource Services administers the selection process for all State Classified personnel. 

The Board of Governors of the CSU System has delegated authority to appoint most Administrative Professionals to the President. The President has further delegated this authority to the Provost and the vice presidents for the administrative units under their authority. The Board of Governors must approve the appointments of the Provost, vice presidents, and, if requested by the Board, senior administrators. The Board may elect to exercise any authority delegated to the President.

Academic Faculty are appointed pursuant to Section E of the Academic Faculty and Administrative Professional Manual

CSU Pueblo:

CSU Pueblo’s Affirmative Action Program Policy can be found in the Faculty Handbook.

The President makes final approval on all hires at CSU Pueblo. Employment opportunity information for Administrative/Professional employees, Classified employees, Faculty employees, and Student employees can be found here.

CSU in Fort Collins:

As the Appointing Authority, Human Resource Services has the authority to terminate State Classified personnel. Under special circumstances, this authority may be further delegated.   

The Board of Governors of the CSU System has delegated the authority to terminate most Administrative Professionals and non-tenured faculty to the President. 

Termination of tenured faculty can only occur after University policies are followed to their full extent. For more information, consult Section of E of the Academic Faculty and Administrative Professional Manual.

CSU Pueblo:

The President has the authority to terminate Faculty, State Classified, and Administrative-Professional personnel.

For information about the State Personnel System, see C.R.S. § 24-50-101 et al.

For faculty termination, see the Faculty Handbook.

For Administrative-Professional termination, see the Handbook for Administrative/Professional Employees.

For student termination, see the Student Employment Policies and Procedures Handbook.

ETHICS

CSU in Fort Collins:

The Research Integrity and Compliance Review Office (RICRO) provides assistance to researchers, staff, and faculty oversight committees in maintaining an ethical environment for activities in various research areas.

CSU Pueblo:

Research compliance efforts are directed by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP).

EXPORT CONTROLS AND TRADE REGULATIONS

Export Controls refer to federal regulations promulgated and enforced by the Department of Commerce, Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and the Department of State, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), that prohibit the unlicensed export of specific technologies for reasons of national security or protection of trade. If University research involves such specified technologies, the EAR and/or ITAR may require the University to obtain prior approval from State or Commerce before allowing foreign nationals to participate in the research, partnering with a foreign company, and/or sharing research — verbally or in writing — with persons who are not United States citizens or permanent resident aliens.

Export control regulations have the potential to harm the quality of University research, undermine publication rights, and prohibit international collaboration. The consequences of violating these regulations can be quite severe, ranging from loss of research contracts to monetary penalties to jail time for the individual violating these regulations.

CSU System Export Policy

CSU in Fort Collins: 

For more information, see the Export Control, Research Integrity and Compliance Review Office.

CSU Pueblo:

For more information, contact the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

Employers, including colleges and universities, use the Form I-129 “Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker” to temporarily bring foreign national employees to the United States. The petition, once approved, usually facilitates the issuance of a nonimmigrant visa to the employee, who may then apply for admission to the United States and report to work. The I-129 form is required as part of the H-1B, H-1B1, L-1 and o-1A visa filings. Part 6 of this form requires the employer to certify as follows:

  • A license is not required from either the U.S. Department of Commerce or the U.S. Department of State to release such technology or technical data to the foreign person; or 
  • A license is required from the U.S. Department of Commerce and/or the U.S. Department of State to release such technology or technical data to the beneficiary and the petitioner will prevent access to the controlled technology or technical data by the beneficiary until and unless the petitioner has received the required license or other authorization to release it to the beneficiary.

CSU in Fort Collins:

To complete this certification, an analysis should be conducted of whether the individual coming to the University will have access to information or technology subject to export control limitations. This form has been created to assist you in conducting this analysis.

Economic sanctions maintained by the United States are generally known as “embargoes,” and prohibit most imports, exports, and transactions with certain countries absent a general or specific license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) within the Department of Treasury. They affect all U.S. citizens and permanent residents and all branches, subsidiaries, and controlled affiliates of U.S. organizations, wherever they are located.

OFAC administers both comprehensive sanctions programs, which prohibit almost all exports to, imports from, and transactions or dealings with the designated countries, and targeted sanctions, which are sanctions that target the precise nature of the threat to the United States.

Sanctions programs may contain general licenses — provisions that appear in the regulations and which authorize a transaction as long as it meets certain requirements. No license application is needed for a general license so long as the activity meets these requirements. Some general licenses applicable to universities are discussed in this paper.

Sanctions programs may also provide for specific licenses for designated activities. A specific license must be applied for (no particular application form is required) and approved by OFAC. It must include all necessary information required by the application guidelines or the regulations pertaining to the particular embargo program. Specific licenses should be requested early, as a license approval (or denial) from OFAC can take months.

OFAC also administers the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list of suspected or known terrorists, or persons connected to terrorism. Other government agencies such as Commerce and State maintain lists for other purposes.

Each sanctions program is described on OFAC’s website, with helpful links to other guidance documents and regulations.

Anti-boycott laws must be considered in particular when a university contemplates global engagement with countries that participate in the Arab boycott of Israel, a boycott which the U.S. does not sanction. As of May 17, 2009, the following countries participate in the Arab boycott of Israel: Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Yemen.

Two U.S. laws separately maintained by the Commerce and Treasury prohibit or penalize participation in, or cooperation with, foreign boycotts. These laws are extremely complex. However, considering the following two questions will help you determine if you need to be concerned about this issue and need to seek additional assistance from the Office of the General Counsel: 

  1. Is the university, or its employees, conducting business in countries that participate in the Arab boycott of Israel (Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, or the Republic of Yemen), or any other boycott not sanctioned by the U.S. government?
  2. Has the university, or its employees, been asked to participate in a boycott against Israel, for example, in letters of credit, in a contract or other academic agreement, or in verbal question form, or in any other boycott?

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) should be considered when a university’s activity involves foreign government officials, their representatives, or representative agencies (including government-owned or controlled colleges, universities, and research institutions). The FCPA contains anti-bribery bribery restrictions.

Consideration of the following three questions will help you determine if you need to be concerned about this issue and need to seek additional assistance from the Office of the General Counsel:

  • Is the university, or its employees, engaging in international activity with officials of a foreign government?
  • Has the university, or its employees, offered or given anything of value to the foreign official for the purpose of influencing or inducing the official in order to secure an improper advantage or obtain or retain business?
  • If the university, or its employees, has offered or given something of value to a foreign official, was it for the purpose of facilitating the performance of a routine governmental action (the “grease exception”), or does it otherwise appear to meet the requirements of an affirmative defense under the FCPA?

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: TRADEMARKS, PATENTS & COPYRIGHT

Trademarks, copyrights, and patents protect different types of intellectual property. A trademark typically protects brand names and logos used on goods and services. A copyright protects an original artistic or literary work. A patent protects an invention. For example, if you invent a new kind of vacuum cleaner, you would apply for a patent to protect the invention itself. You would apply to register a trademark to protect the brand name of the vacuum cleaner. And you might register a copyright for the TV commercial that you use to market the product.

CSU in Fort Collins:

Intellectual Property Policy.

CSU Pueblo:

For all Intellectual Property questions, please contact the Office of the General Counsel.

A trademark is generally a word, phrase, symbol, or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.  A service mark is the same as a trademark, except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than goods.

For additional information about Trademarks, click here.

CSU in Fort Collins:

University Licensing Program

CSU Pueblo:

Marketing/Advertising Policy

A patent is an intellectual property right granted by the Government of the United States of America to an inventor “to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States,” for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted.

There are three types of patents. Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof. Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.

For additional information about Patents you can go here.

CSU in Fort Collins:

New inventions are to be disclosed to CSU Ventures.  Information about inventions and disclosure requirements can be found here.

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.  The Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright exclusive rights to the work which, depending on the nature of the work, includes the exclusive right to make copies of the work, modify the work, perform or display the work. 

Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentage of a work. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances.

In most cases the owner of the copyright is the person who actually created the work (pen to paper, fingers to keys).  This person is known as the “author.”  The term “author” under copyright law is narrower than the use of “author” in academia.  A person listed as an author of a paper may not be an “author” for copyright purposes. 

While Fair Use may permit the legal use of materials authored by others without first seeking their permission, that use must always be properly acknowledged. Failure to acknowledge materials that may be usable under the Fair Use doctrine will constitute plagiarism. Whether directly copying a few sentences from another source (“quoting”) or paraphrasing a unique idea, a footnoted reference to the source of the materials should be provided.

For additional information about Copyrights, click here.

CSU Fort Collins:

Copyright Essentials for Educators

External Relations also provides copyright clearance services.

CSU Pueblo:

Contact the Office of Marketing, Communications and Community Relations for use of University logos and trademarks.

LAWSUITS, SUBPOENAS, & INVESTIGATIONS

Contact the Office of the General Counsel immediately. A subpoena is an order of the court that may require you to appear at a specified date and time to testify, or to produce certain documents. It is essential that an attorney review the subpoena to determine the University’s rights and responsibilities for compliance. Do not ignore a subpoena, even if it addresses something you are unfamiliar with or asks for documents you don’t have. Failure to respond to a subpoena may result in sanctions from the Court.

Contact the Office of the General Counsel immediately. By law, the University must respond to lawsuits within a specified time period after you are served. It is essential that you notify an attorney as soon as you are served so the Office of the General Counsel can review the matter in a timely fashion and respond appropriately.

Contact the Office of the General Counsel immediately. Your response to an interview request by a government investigator, an informal request for documents, or a search warrant should be coordinated and supervised by the Office of the General Counsel. If a government investigator asks you to grant them an interview you are free to do so, but you are under no legal obligation to grant an interview. If you do decide to participate in a government interview, you have the right to be represented by counsel.

For additional guidance on these topics, click here.

For service of process, the Office of the General Counsel at the System Office is authorized to accept service on behalf of the Board of Governors, the CSU System, the Chancellor and CSU Global. The Office of General Counsel in Fort Collins is authorized to accept service on behalf of CSU and its President. The Office of General Counsel in Pueblo is authorized to accept service on behalf of CSU Pueblo and its President.

LEGAL SERVICES, GENERAL AND STUDENT

No. The Office of the General Counsel represents the CSU System as a whole, and can only advise the Board of Governors, CSU in Fort Collins, CSU Pueblo, and CSU Global administrators, faculty, and staff acting within the scope of their employment on matters of University concern.

If you need personal legal assistance, you must hire an attorney on your own. You can find a lawyer by searching the Colorado Bar Association’s Attorney Directory.

CSU in Fort Collins:

If you are a student and need legal advice, please contact Student Legal Services.

CSU Pueblo:

If you are a student and need legal advice, you must hire your own attorney. You can find a lawyer by searching the Colorado Bar Association’s Attorney Directory.

PUBLIC RECORDS (OPEN RECORDS ACT)

The CSU System has a policy that governs requests under the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. § 24-72-201.  Persons interested in submitting a request under the Colorado Open Records Act (“CORA”) should consult this policy in order to understand the applicable rules and requirements. A request under CORA must be sent to the designated custodian of record. Please be advised that, as allowed by CORA and the policy, persons making a request under CORA will be charged for the reasonable costs associated with responding to the request, including a research and retrieval fee of at least $25.00 per hour and a $.25 per page printing charge. 

To facilitate obtaining documents or other information from the CSU System or its institutions, before submitting a CORA request, we encourage the media and others to contact the System or the appropriate university media relations officer.  Some information, such as a request for a specific document, can be made available quickly and easily through an informal request, which can save the requester and the CSU System both time and money. The CSU System institutions are not required to create or construct a document that does not exist.

The CSU System and its institutions are committed to being open and transparent.  However, state and federal law prohibit the institutions from releasing certain types of information, including:  (1) student records, which are protected under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974; (2) personnel records, including any record that contains home addresses, phone numbers, financial information, and other data kept because of the employment relationship; (3) information protected by the attorney-client and attorney work product privileges, or other applicable legal privilege; (4) medical, mental health, sociological, and scholastic achievement data on an individual; (5) the specific details of bona fide research projects being conducted by the university; (6) confidential or proprietary information; and (7) any records that contain information related to the identity of a donor or prospective donor, the amount of any actual or prospective gift or donation to a university-related foundation, proprietary fund-raising information, or agreements or other documents relating to gifts or donations or prospective gifts or donations.

PURCHASING AND CONTRACTING

CSU in Fort Collins:

The Department of Procurement and Contracting Services handles all requests to purchase services and/or goods and the process is described here, and in the Colorado State Purchasing Manual which can be accessed on the aforementioned web page under the Section “Manuals” and the subheading “Purchasing Manual.”

CSU Pueblo:

Contact the Purchasing Department.

REAL ESTATE AND LEASING

CSU in Fort Collins:

Contact the CSU Research Foundation Real Estate Office for assistance in locating space and negotiating a lease on your behalf. 

CSU Pueblo:

Contact the Office of Finance and Administration.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CSU in Fort Collins:

Yes, you should apply to have your social media account officially recognized by the University. The University has developed a Social Media Policy and an application process. You can find this information and more here. This website also contains a link which lists all social media sites that have been recognized by the University as well as an FAQ link specific to this topic.

CSU Pueblo:

Yes, contact the Office Marketing, Communications, and Community Relations

STUDENT EDUCATION RECORDS (FERPA)

Student education records are governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). The primary purposes of FERPA are to ensure students can access their education records, and to prevent disclosure to unauthorized parties without student consent.

FERPA defines the term “education records” broadly to include all records maintained by or on behalf of the University and relating directly to a student. The following records are not considered education records for FERPA purposes:

  • An administrator’s or faculty member’s own notes that are used only by that individual and are not shared with anyone else, commonly referred to as “sole source” notes
  • Records that relate to students as employees
  • Medical or mental health records not shared with the institution
  • Records containing only information about a student after graduation, such as alumni records
  • Records maintained by University law enforcement that were created by that unit for law enforcement purposes

Generally, FERPA gives students the right to 1) inspect and review their education records; 2) request to amend their education records; 3) limit disclosure of public or directory information; and 4) consent to the release of their education records to third parties.

Generally, the University cannot disclose student education records to anyone other than the student without the student’s written consent. However, FERPA contains several exceptions that allow the University to share or disclose student records without prior consent. Some of those exceptions are:

  • To other school officials with a legitimate educational interest
  • To officials of other schools the student seeks to enroll in
  • Records relevant to a student’s financial aid
  • If disclosure is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or others
  • To respond to a lawfully issued subpoena
  • If the information disclosed is considered public or “directory information”

Directory information may be disclosed without student consent, and includes:

  • Student name
  • Current mailing address
  • E-mail address
  • Telephone number
  • Major field of study
  • Classification level (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
  • Dates of attendance
  • Current or previous enrollment status
  • Anticipated date/term of graduation and expected degree(s)
  • Honors and degrees awarded
  • Participation in official recognized activities and sports
  • Height and weight of athletic team members
  • Video and photographic images of students with the exception of the official University identification photograph

CSU in Fort Collins:

Yes. For more information regarding FERPA and forms related to directory information, click here.

CSU Pueblo:

Yes. Contact the Registrar’s Office.

Yes. If a student is a legal dependent of a parent or legal guardian for federal income tax purposes, the University may, but is not required to, share education records without student consent. While the University always reserves the option of sharing information with parents or legal guardians as deemed appropriate, generally the University encourages information to be shared between students and parents/legal guardians as a private family matter, and may deny parent/guardian requests for information. 

CSU in Fort Collins:

For forms to be filled out by students or parents related to education records, click here.

For additional questions regarding student education records, forms or releases, please contact your campus Registrar’s Office as listed below:

CSU in Fort Collins:

Centennial Hall – 1063 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1063
(970) 491-4860
http://registrar.colostate.edu

CSU Pueblo:

Records Office, Administration 202
2200 Bonforte Blvd., Pueblo, CO 81001
(719) 549-2261
registrar@cspueblo.edu
https://www.csupueblo.edu/registrar/