Public records FAQs

Many of NAU’s records are available online. If your request is related to:

·     Budget: Check NAU’s budget book, which goes back six years.

·     Enrollment and other data: Visit Institutional Research and Analysis

·     Employee contact information: NAU directory

How do I get records from the NAU Police Department?

The NAU PD has a separate public records process. Please call (928) 523-3611 or fill out the release request form and email it to PDRecords@nau.edu. PD records are not available through this portal.

How will I get information about my request?

All information will come through this portal. You will receive an email notifying you when the request is complete, and you can log in and view/download the responsive documents. You can reach out through the portal with additional questions.

Who can see my contact information?

Requesters’ contact information is not published on this portal. However, all information sent to and received by any NAU employee is subject to the Arizona’s public records statute, so any communications and data sent from or received by NAU is a public record and may be released in response to a public records request.

What information should I include in my request?

More details will allow NAU to do a more focused search. We recommend including:

·     The specific nature of the record being requested and/or provide the name or identification number of the records to the best of your knowledge.

·     The time frame or date range you are interested in

·     Whether your request is commercial or non-commercial[HET1] 

How does NAU determine what records are public

NAU follows the Arizona public records law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Arizona Board of Regents regulations regarding employee information and privacy.

What NAU records are not available for inspection and copying?

NAU 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 NAU, 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. 

·        The records relate to unpublished research, unfunded grant applications or proposals, or involve trade secrets shared with the university.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 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 NAU 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.

For all requests, 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.

How do I know if my request is commercial?

Persons requesting copies of public records for a commercial purpose must provide a statement setting forth the commercial purpose for which the records are requested. Under Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) §39-121.03(D), “commercial purpose” means the use of a public record for the purpose of any of the following

·     sale or resale

·     producing a document containing all or part of the copy, printout or photograph for sale

·     obtaining of names and addresses from such public records for the purpose of solicitation or the sale of names and addresses to another for the purpose of solicitation

·     any purpose in which the requestor can reasonably anticipate the receipt of monetary gain from the direct or indirect use of such public records