Re: Parent Access to Deceased Students' eMail

[David Boyer <david () BVU EDU>]

I believe that would be our position as well. With college students typically not being minors, the parents have no 
greater legal entitlement to a deceased student's email than anyone else would. 

> > > Greg Jackson <gjackson () UCHICAGO EDU> 11:41 AM 7/17/2009 >>>
Our position has been that the student's executors (or presumed executors under state law, in the more typical case 
where the student died intestate) determine who can have access to email and other data.




 ( http://www.uchicago.edu )Gregory A Jackson
Vice President & CIO
The University of Chicago
+1-773-702-2828
gjackson () uchicago edu 
http://gjackson.uchicago.eduSuite 628
5801 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago IL 60637


Michael Carr wrote: 

 
How does your institution handle parental requests for access to deceased students' eMail?
 
Some parents would like to send notices to their son/daughter's friends about any funeral arrangements.  Others would 
like access to content (especially in cases of suicide -- for closure.)
 
University Council position is that the deceased student's FERPA privacy rights end with death; however, questions 
remain regarding the privacy rights of those persons/students identified in the deceased student's address book or 
eMail contents.
 
Thank you,
 
Mike
 
 
 
Michael G. Carr, JD, CISSP, CIPP
Director, Information Assurance
Office of the CIO
The University of New Mexico
MSC02 1520 
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM  87131-0001

desk: (505) 277-1212
mobile: (505) 720-2121
fax: (505) 277-8101
mcarr () unm edu