By Holly Tormey, sports editor

How much of your personal information do you want your parents to know? Your grades, your attendance record, your drinking habits, dorm violations, drug abuse, your financial status?

As a student at Friends University, you signed a Request for Release of Educational Record Information sheet in the registrar’s office. When you did that, you may have signed away your rights. But could it save your life?

Parents’ right to know is an issue brought to light by the death of Jason Wren, 19, a pre-business major at Kansas University. He died on March 8 in a fraternity house from alcohol poisoning two weeks after being kicked out of his dorm for continuous drinking violations.

Before his death his parents were refused any information about their son’s problems because of FERPA laws.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to schools that receive U.S. Department of Education funds, including all public school districts and nearly all higher education institutions, public or private.

Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student (over age 18, or in an education program that is above the high school level) to release information from the student’s education records.

Interpretations of FERPA vary among different universities. Friends University officials make decisions based on an individual student’s situation.

“If the student is in harm of him/herself or others, then we contact the parents,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Carole Obermeyer.

“We always give the students the chance first to come clean to their own parents before we get involved,” she said.

For instance, if an ambulance or the police department is called, the University will contact the parents. If drinking, partying, drugs, fights or gaming consume your days over attending class, your parents could get a call.

“If you have not signed away your rights granting Friends University the right to release information, then they will not call your parents unless you are at harm,” said Obermeyer.

Dorm violations, financial status, grades and attendance record are not issues the University would inform parents about.

According to the Kansas City Star, the father of the young man who died at KU had contacted the university and begged for a description of his behavior in the dorm. He was told those records were protected by FERPA.

If those laws were not in place, his father would have pulled Jason Wren out of KU and brought him home to take control of the situation, and would not have allowed his son to consume the margaritas, beer and whiskey that killed him that night.

The FERPA law was passed in 1960s and then revised in 2008.

Before the change in 2008, FERPA laws did not allow institutions to disclose student information to parents even in emergencies.

In 2007, a mentally troubled student shot and killed more than 30 people including himself and wounding others at Virginia Tech. FERPA then changed the definition of an emergency from an “extreme situation” to a “significant threat to the health or safety of the student or other individuals.”

Friends student Adam Klausmeyer, 23, a business administration and education major, admits to signing away his rights to inform his parents of any educational situation. He signed yes on the Request for Release of Educational Record Information sheet.

“I have no problem with my parents knowing what I’m doing on campus,” said Klausmeyer.

Klausmeyer’s mother works on campus and he still lives at home. He sees no problem with allowing his parents the right to his education records.

Kylie Noller, a junior marketing major, also signed yes. Noller also lives at home, and her parents help support her academics.

“My parents are a really active part in my life and help pay for my school, so I figured it was fair,” Noller said. “Also, I tell them anyways.”