Using the Authorization to Release Page

Sonoma State University (SSU) is committed to maintaining the privacy of student records which are considered confidential in accordance with state and federal laws and University policy. The information contained in student records is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Once you become a student at SSU, except under specific circumstances, your information may not be released without your consent.

To facilitate the release of any confidential record information, you will use the Authorization to Release page in MySSU.

Definitions

Designee: The person you identify by first and last name who will be granted access to the specific records you request.
Access Code: A four-digit number you assign to your designee. They will need to provide this PIN when they contact SSU to access the records you allow them to access.
Expiration Date: The last day a designee will be able to request the records you have granted them access to. The maximum expiration date is 365 days from today. You can update the expiration date as necessary.
Department: The organization within the university that maintains your records.
Records to Release: The specific records you can choose to share with your designee(s).

Contact Info

If you have questions about the records to be released, contact the corresponding department below regarding their specific records:

Office of the Registrar and Advising Programs

Admissions

Financial Aid

Housing

Seawolf Service Center & Student Financial Services

Adding Your First Designee

Log in to MySSU. From your Student Center click the "Authrorize to Release" link under Personal Information near the bottom of the page:
The Authorize to Release link in a red box at the bottom of a sample Student Center page

At the bottom of the page, enter the designee's first and last name. Create a 4 digit access code for them and enter an expiration date for their access:
The Authorized Records to be Released to section of the Authorize to Release page. A first name of Charlie, last name of Brown, access code of 1234, and expiration date of 01/01/2021 are filled in within form fields and highlighted in a red box.

Then, choose a department. You can use the magnifying glass icon to search for available departments:
A Look Up Department pop-up window with the Authorized Records to Be Released page grayed out behind it. The magnifying glass icon after the Department field is circled in red.

Once you’ve selected a department, select a record type to release. You can use the magnifying glass for a list:
A Look Up Records to Release pop-up window with the Authorized Records to Be Released page grayed out behind it. The magnifying glass icon after the Records to Release field is circled in red.

Add a purpose of release for your reference:
An Authorized Records to be Released to Charlie Brown with a department of Admissions, Records to Release of Academic related communications to student, and the purpose of release listed as Sharing SSU communications. The Purpose of Release field is surrounded by a red box.

You can release more than one kind of record to an individual. Next to the “Purpose of Release” box, click the Add Row aka the plus button. This will create a new row under that individual’s name. Select a department and records to release, then add your purpose. You can add as many rows for an individual as you need to, but note that access to all records for the same person must expire at the same time.
The Charlie Brown designee with three sample rows of records to be released, listing a department, record name, and purpose of release on each row.

Click Save when you’re done.

Adding Additional Designees

If you have more than one individual you would like to allow to access your records, click the Add Row aka the plus button next to any expiration date. This will create a new blank entry for a different individual.
The Authorized Records to be Released to section. A row with first name Charlie and last name Brown has a red box highlighting the plus button after the expiration date field.

Fill in the information in the same way you did when you added your first designee:
The Authorized Records to be Release to section with a blank set of first name, last name, access code, expiration date, department, records to release, and purpose of release fields blank below the existing section for designee Charlie Brown.

Click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Extending a Designee’s Access

Your authorizations will expire on the date you specify. To extend the period when a designee can access your records, simply update their Expiration Date.

On the Authorization to Release page, find the row for the designee you want. In the Expiration Date field, pick a new date within the next 365 days.

Pro tip: If you click the calendar icon, click “Current Date” and then use the year drop-down menu, you can easily extend the expiration date for a whole calendar year, in this case from 2020 to 2021:
A designee row for Lucy van Pelt. Next to the Expiration Date field is a number 1 flag pointing to a plus button. Next to that a calendar. The link titled Current Date has flag number 2 next to it. The drop-down menu for year is expanded and a red flag number 3 points to it.

Click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Removing a Designee

On the Authorization to Release page, click "Delete Row" aka the minus button for any expired authorizations you do not intend to renew.
A single row for a designee with a first name of Linus, last name of van Pelt. The minus button following the Expiration Date field is surrounded by a red box.

Click the Save button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.