FAQs
What records are available from ASU?
Under Arizona Public Records Law, records made or received by ASU and its employees that relate to the work of the university are generally considered open to inspection and copying, unless there is a reason that they are confidential.
What records are not available from ASU?
ASU is only the custodian of its own records, and does not maintain or produce for inspection the records of other people or entities. The personal records of ASU employees, such as the records of their personal and family matters or their community activities, are not ASU records available for inspection or copying.
What ASU records are not available for inspection and copying?
ASU records are available for inspection and copying unless they are confidential by law, personal privacy interests outweigh the public’s right to know, or disclosure is not in the best interest of the state. Where possible, records will be redacted to maintain confidentiality, unless they need to be withheld entirely.
For records held by ASU, some common reasons a record may need to be withheld or redacted are:
· The records are student records made confidential by federal and state law. (ASU Policy SSM 107-01: Release of Student Information.)
· The records relate to unpublished research, unfunded grant applications or proposals, or involve trade secrets shared with the university. (A.R.S. 15-1640.)
· The records contain information about donors or potential donors to the university beyond basic facts about the donation. (A.R.S. 15-1640.)
· The records are confidential personnel records. (ABOR Policy 6-912.)
How can I request records?
Records may be requested using this portal or by contacting the ASU Office of General Counsel:
Office of General Counsel
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 877405
Tempe, AZ 85287-7405
480-965-4550 (phone)
480-965-0984 (fax)
Making a request through this portal is recommended, because the portal permits two-way communication about the status of requests and a mechanism to make any required payment and receive records when ready.
Requests received by other methods (such as email, mail, fax, or phone) will be entered into the portal for tracking. You will be encouraged to use the portal for further communications regarding the request, but will not be required to do so.
In-person requests are also permitted, but please be aware that, as most ASU records are not stored in the Office of General Counsel, it is unlikely that records will be available for immediate inspection or copying. You may find it more efficient to use one of the other methods of submitting a request.
What should I include in my records request?
Please be as specific as you can about the records you are requesting, because this will help us locate responsive records as efficiently as possible. Information that is helpful in finding responsive documents includes date ranges, subject matter, search terms, likely custodians, and the like.
Please be sure to include information about how we can contact you with any follow up questions, as well as when the records are available for you. Please be on the lookout for an email from our records request portal asking you to confirm your email and establish an account password – doing so will let you track your request and obtain documents through the portal, and once you have established an account you can use it for future requests as well.
Are there any tips for submitting requests?
Please be as clear and specific as you can be about what you are looking for, as this helps us answer your request more quickly and accurately.
Please watch for follow up messages from us, as we may need additional information from you to complete your request. Often, we will not be able to proceed until we receive the additional information we have requested from you, so responding quickly will help us keep your request moving forward.
If you use the Next Request portal, be on the lookout for alerts that pop up in response to the terms you enter. These alerts provide information that may help you get the information you are seeking faster. For example, the information you are requesting might already be posted on a website you can access without needing to make a request. Alerts may also inform you about limitations on our ability to provide records (such as the confidentiality requirements applicable to student records) so that you can decide whether you want to proceed.
What ASU records are not available for inspection and copying?
ASU records are available for inspection and copying unless they are confidential by law, personal privacy interests outweigh the public’s right to know, or disclosure is not in the best interest of the state. Where possible, records will be redacted to maintain confidentiality, unless they need to be withheld entirely.
For records held by ASU, some common reasons a record may need to be withheld or redacted are:
· The records are student records made confidential by federal and state law. (ASU Policy SSM 107-01: Release of Student Information.)
· The records relate to unpublished research, unfunded grant applications or proposals, or involve trade secrets shared with the university. (A.R.S. 15-1640.)
· The records contain information about donors or potential donors to the university beyond basic facts about the donation. (A.R.S. 15-1640.)
· The records are confidential personnel records. (ABOR Policy 6-912.)
In addition, if the requested records are already available on a university or other public website, the requestor will be directed to that website and no additional documents will be provided, unless the requestor requires copies as a reasonable accommodation of a disability.
Is there any charge for requesting copies of records?
The following charges apply to all requestors, with the exception of requestors seeking records under the Solomon Act or to make a claim against the United States. Requestors making a request for either of these purposes should clearly state that they are doing so in their request.
Copying Charges: You will be charged per page (per side) for copies of documents requested.
There is no charge for the first 50 pages (though multiple related requests by the same requestor may be consolidated and considered as a single request). After the first 50 pages, electronic copies are 20¢ per page and paper copies (standard-size, black-and-white) are 25¢ per page. Oversize documents may be subject to additional charges if the actual cost of reproduction is more than 25¢ per page.
Staff time to prepare copies of documents will be charged in quarter-hour increments at the rate of $25.00 per hour.
Commercial Requests: In addition to the copying charges described above, requests for records for commercial purposes will be assessed an additional charge that includes the following:
· A portion of the cost to ASU of obtaining the original or copies of the records;
· A reasonable fee for the cost of equipment and personnel used in producing such record or reproduction;
· The value of the record or reproduction in the commercial market.
Staff time to search for, prepare copies of, and provide documents requested for a commercial purpose will be charged at actual cost.
If you make a commercial purpose request, you will be contacted with an estimate of the expected charge and asked to provide a deposit before we will proceed to gather the records and review them.
What makes a request for a commercial purpose?
Arizona law requires that you disclose whether or not you are requesting documents for a commercial purpose.
Under A.R.S. 39-121.03(D), a “commercial purpose” means the use of a public record for the purpose of sale or resale or for the purpose of producing a document containing all or part of the copy, printout or photograph for sale or the obtaining of names and addresses from public records for the purpose of solicitation or the sale of names and addresses to another for the purpose of solicitation or for any purpose in which the purchaser can reasonably anticipate the receipt of monetary gain from the direct or indirect use of the public record.
CAUTION: A.R.S. 39-121.03(C) sets forth possible penalties and damages for obtaining a record for a commercial purpose without disclosing you are doing so, obtaining a record for a commercial purpose and then knowingly using it for a commercial purpose or letting someone else do so, or obtaining a public record from someone other than the custodian and uses it for a commercial purpose.
What happens after my request is submitted?
When we receive your request, we will send you a confirmation that we have received it.
We will then begin looking at the request to confirm that it is seeking university records and, if so, identifying where in the university those records are stored. We may reach out to you at this stage if we have identified any obstacles to fulfilling your request or if we need additional information or clarification about what you are seeking.
As potentially responsive records are gathered from around the university, we will review them to determine whether they are responsive to the request you have made. If so, we will also look for any confidential information that might need to be redacted or withheld.
Once the records are reviewed and any redactions made, you will be notified that the records are ready and given information about any copying or other charges. Once you pay any required charges, you will be able to download the records from the portal (or receive them via another method, if you request).
How long will it take to receive the records I have requested?
How long it will take to respond to your request varies based on the overall volume of requests pending at the time, the steps that must be taken to locate potentially responsive items, and the amount of time needed to review those items to determine whether they are responsive and whether there is any reason they would need to be redacted or withheld.
How can I check on the status of my request?
Please consider signing up for an account with Next Request, as this will enable you to track your request and obtain documents through the portal, and once you have established an account you can use it for future requests as well. You will get an email inviting you to do so when you submit a request or when we enter one you have submitted by another means. If you need a new invitation or have questions, please contact us at publicrecords@asu.edu.
You can reach out to us at any time with questions. The portal is the preferred method because it helps us to keep information about the status of your request together, but you can also send email to publicrecords@asu.edu or use any of the contact information above.
How can I make sure I receive notifications from Next Request?
All Next Request notifications are sent by email to the email address you have provided. If you need to update your email address with us, please contact us at publicrecords@asu.edu. If email notifications from Next Request are going to your spam or junk folder, follow the instructions provided by your email service to add support@nextrequest.com to your safe senders list.
Who can I contact with questions?
You can submit questions through the Next Request portal, by email to publicrecords@asu.edu, or using any of the contact information for the Office of General Counsel above.