Confidentiality and Privacy
What is the difference between confidentiality and privacy?
Confidentiality and privacy are uniquely different. Confidentiality is limited to individuals who, by law, can keep information confidential (i.e., licensed counselors, medical professionals). Information communicated to mandatory reporters (i.e., the Title IX Coordinator, all faculty members, and most staff members), will be kept private, but not confidential, and is shared only with University employees who need to be involved in responding to or addressing a report. For more detailed information, contact Anitra Barrett, Title IX Coordinator, at
Confidential
The Counseling Center and University Health Services are completely confidential resources. That means that they will not disclose information to the University, except in limited circumstances (i.e., with your consent, if the incident reported involves someone under the age of 18, if you are a threat to yourself or others). Please keep in mind that resources are only confidential when the reporter is a patient or client of the resource, and the communication is received in the patient/client capacity.
Other Privacy Concerns
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, or FERPA, personally identifiable information concerning a student report to a University official who is not a law enforcement officer (i.e., the Title IX Coordinator) will not be disclosed to third parties outside the University without the consent of the student except in response to a lawfully issued subpoena or as otherwise required or allowed by law.
If, during a University investigation of misconduct, a respondent makes a request to review documents concerning the investigation, FERPA requires that the university grant the student’s request to inspect and review records that relate specifically to him or her, but the university will redact the complainant’s name and any other identifying information to the maximum extent possible, if a Request for Limited Action has been granted. However, after the University has formally charged a student or employee with violating University policy, the respondent will have a due process right to be informed of the nature of the allegations against him or her, including the identity of the person who accused him or her of misconduct.
Tennessee Public Records Act
In contrast to a report to a University administrative official, incident reports prepared by UTC Police Department (UTCPD) for law enforcement purposes are generally considered public records under the Tennessee Public Records Act and are not protected by FERPA, which means they will be made available to any Tennessee citizen upon request unless the report is part of an ongoing criminal investigation. In addition, the UTCPD is required by federal law to report the occurrence of certain crimes on campus, including sex offenses, in an annual report of crime statistics, but the report does not contain any personally identifiable information. The UTCPD is also required by federal law to issue timely warnings for certain crimes that represent serious or continuing threats to the safety of students or employees, but such warnings do not contain any personally identifiable information.