Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132 et seq., public records may be released to the public upon request. Public records are defined as any document, regardless of physical form or storage location, that is made or received in the scope of conducting University business.
Records held in any medium may be considered a public record, including but not limited to documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, and electronic communications.
Although a wide range of University records may be considered releasable to the public, Federal and State law preclude certain records from being released. Such records generally include, but are not limited to:
- Personnel Records, under Article 7 of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 126;
- Research Records, under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 116-43.17; and
- Student Records, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Appalachian is committed to operating in an environment of openness, transparency and cooperation with members of the public while observing the integrity and confidentiality of content that is not designated as a public record. In order to ensure Appalachian’s commitment to openness and integrity are met, the University has developed a process for facilitating public record requests. For more information please visit the following website University Communications – Public Record Requests.
Revised: Dec 16, 2019