Delegated Access coming to UH
DSAES News
July 21, 2022
Students at the University of Houston will soon be able to grant access to their records or campus finances to people they trust. Campus Solutions Services, in conjunction with University Information Technology's Enterprise Systems, is adding “delegated access” to myUH.
Delegated access will allow students to authorize someone else — such as a parent or other trusted relative — to access and take care of things like paying campus bills, viewing grades or even updating emergency contacts.
We know students often need the support of people who are not at UH, said Katina McGhee, assistant vice president of Campus Solutions Services in the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services. “This new functionality will provide delegates with secure access to myUH using their own unique sign in credentials,” McGhee said. “As a result, students can better share information and communicate with those helping to support their academic career.”
Campus Solutions Services has been working for a while to add the feature, which will soon be available to all students through myUH in AccessUH. Because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), McGhee said, students must grant permission to UH before faculty or staff can release academic or financial information about them to anyone — including parents. Students may not realize this, McGhee said.
McGhee said students have already had many questions about delegated access, and they have been working to address many of those questions and concerns:
What is this new feature?
Delegated Access is a feature that allows a student to authorize a person to view their student information or perform transactions on behalf of the students. For example, a student may allow a parent to view grades or to make a payment on tuition that is due.
Why add delegated access?
This feature is being added to enhance the student experience in viewing and communicating students’ information to their family, friends, and others. This feature is one of the most requested features by parents of those who are currently enrolled at an institution of higher education.
How long has Campus Solutions Services been working on this?
This feature has been an on-going effort for the past few years. It was originally developed by Oracle and was then enhanced by Campus Solutions Services and Enterprise Systems for the University of Houston System.
How does this affect FERPA or other privacy concerns students may have?
Information that is displayed on the delegates’ page is covered by FERPA as stated on the User Agreement when a student assigns access to a delegate; however, this FERPA agreement does not cover any student education records that are being requested by phone or in-person. Access to any student education records outside of the delegated access functionality will require a written request to be submitted to the Office of University Registrar (OUR).
What kind of permissions can students set for delegated access?
For personal information details, financial aid information, and grades, students can provide view only access for delegates. As for making tuition payments, students can assign access to allow delegates to make payments directly.
Why would a student want to set this up?
An example of why a student may want to set this up is if he/she/they would like to share their grades with their parents. In addition, if a student would like their parents to make a payment on a tuition balance, they can authorize their parents to make that payment directly.
What transactions can a student delegate?
Students will be able to share the ability for delegates to view their personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, holds, to do list, financial aid information, and grades. In addition, students will also be able to assign a delegate to make a payment on their behalf. Students determine which of these transactions to delegate access to.
Is this in AccessUH?
This feature is available in the Campus Solutions Student Self-Service portal which is accessible through AccessUH. Once logged into AccessUH, click on the myUH portal to get to Student Self-Service.
Why did students get it?
This feature is being rolled out to help students share information with family or friends and to also simplify the ability for others to make payments on behalf of the student.
What is the point of it if folks can see a student’s tasks, such as on the To Do list, but not help complete them?
Some information would be better controlled by the students themselves to preserve data integrity and security.
How long does this delegate access last?
It will last until the student revokes the access that has been granted to a delegate.
Do students need to update this each term?
No, it does not need to be updated each term but we do recommend students periodically review the access they have granted to delegates.
Will there be a guide on how to set up delegated access?
Yes. Step-by-step instructions will be posted online once delegated access goes live.