About requesting information —
The Texas Public Information Act entitles every person to prompt access to governmental information, unless otherwise expressly provided by law. An open records request is a request for public information contained in the files or records of a Texas governmental agency. For more information about the Texas Public Information Act or open records requests, please review the Texas Attorney General's webpage entitled Overview of the Public Information Act.
Please use the drop downs to the right to navigate this page and review our FAQs to answer any questions you might have. Please reach out at compliance@tamuct.edu for additional questions that are not addressed on this page.
Request Information and Records
A&M-Central Texas accepts records requests online through our independent web portal. Request documents, and track your document requests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us
- Deserie Mensch
Chief Compliance Officer, Civil Rights Administrator, Public Information Officer & Records Officer - 1001 Leadership Place
- Killeen, Texas 76549
- Email: d.mensch@tamuct.edu
- Phone: 254.519.5763
Open Records
Texas A&M University-Central Texas is dedicated to the principles of open government and strives to ensure compliance as set forth by the Texas Public Information Act.The Texas Public Information Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552) gives you the right to access government records; and you may not be asked why you want them. All government information is presumed to be available to the public, unless otherwise exempt. Certain exceptions may apply to the disclosure of the information. Governmental bodies shall promptly release requested information that is not confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision, or information for which an exception to disclosure has not been sought. The PIA does not require a record be created where one did not exist prior to the request for information. Additionally, A&M University-Central Texas is not required to answer questions when information is not in a university record. Subpoenas are not covered by the PIA. Student education records may only be disclosed consistent with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.
- Deserie Mensch
Chief Compliance Officer, Civil Rights Administrator, Public Information Officer & Records Officer - 1001 Leadership Place
- Killeen, Texas 76549
Procedures to Obtain Information
- No official format is required, but information must be requested in writing directed to that member’s Public Information Officer (PIO) and contain requestor contact information.
- Cooperate with the governmental body's reasonable efforts to clarify the type or amount of information requested.
- A public information request may only be submitted by one of the following methods to the PIO: hand delivery, US mail, email, or our electronic open records portal Public Records Online Portal.
- Request should include:
- Your name;
- Email address if request mailed or delivered in person;
- Mailing address if requesting hard copies mailed;
- Your phone number (in case we need to call you for clarification);
- A detailed list/description of the records you need, preferably with dates; The more specific you can be, the faster we can find them.
- Do you agree to the redaction of information that is subject to mandatory exceptions, provided such redactions are clearly labeled on the information you received? YES or NO
- Do you agree to the redaction of information that is subject to discretionary exceptions, provided such redactions are clearly labeled on the information you receive? YES or NO
Methods for Submitting an Open Records Request
Effective September 1, 2019, pursuant to section 552.234 of the Government Code, a person may make a request for public information only by delivering the request by one of the following methods to the governmental body’s public information officer or the officer’s designee:
- Open Records Office Electronic Open Records Portal
- Email to compliance@tamuct.edu
- US Mail (see mailing address above)
- Hand delivery (see physical address above)
Rights and Responsibility
Rights of Requestors
You have the right to:
- Prompt access to information that is not confidential or otherwise protected;
- Receive treatment equal to all other requestors, including accommodation in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements;
- Receive certain kinds of information without exceptions, like the voting record of public officials, and other information;
- Receive a written statement of estimated charges when charges will exceed $40, in advance of work being started and opportunity to modify the request in response to the itemized statement;
- Choose whether to inspect the requested information (most often at no charge), receive copies of the information or both;
- A waiver or reduction of charges if the governmental body determines that access to the information primarily benefits the general public;
- Receive a copy of the communication from the governmental body asking the Office of the Attorney General for a ruling on whether the information can be withheld under one of the accepted exceptions, or if the communication discloses the requested information, a redacted copy;
- Lodge a written complaint about overcharges for public information with the Office of the Attorney General. Complaints of other possible violations may be filed with the county or district attorney of the county where the governmental body, other than a state agency, is located. If the complaint is against the county or district attorney, the complaint must be filed with the Office of the Attorney General.
Responsibilities of Governmental Bodies
All governmental bodies responding to information requests have the responsibility to:
- Establish reasonable procedures for inspecting or copying public information and inform requestors of these procedures;
- Treat all requestors uniformly and shall give to the requestor all reasonable comfort and facility, including accommodation in accordance with ADA requirements;
- Be informed about open records laws and educate employees on the requirements of those laws;
- Inform requestors of the estimated charges greater than $40 and any changes in the estimates above 20 percent of the original estimate, and confirm that the requestor accepts the charges, or has amended the request, in writing before finalizing the request;
- Inform the requestor if the information cannot be provided promptly and set a date and time to provide it within a reasonable time;
- Request a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding any information the governmental body wishes to withhold, and send a copy of the request for ruling, or a redacted copy, to the requestor;
- Segregate public information from information that may be withheld and provide that public information promptly;
- Make a good faith attempt to inform third parties when their proprietary information is being requested from the governmental body;
- Respond in writing to all written communications from the Office of the Attorney General regarding charges for the information. Respond to the Office of the Attorney General regarding complaints about violations of the Act.
Texas A&M University-Central Texas Procedure
- University Procedure 61.01.02.D0.01, Public Information
For complaints regarding failure to release public information, please contact your local County or District Attorney. Please ask and you will be provided with this information.
You may also contact the Office of the Attorney General, Open Government Hotline, at 512-478-6736 or toll-free at 1-877-673-6839.
For complaints regarding overcharges, please contact the Office of the Attorney General at 512-475-2497, or toll-free at 1-866-672-6787.
For more information about the TPIA or open records requests, you may wish to refer to the Office of the Attorney General's Public Information Handbook. If Texas A&M University-Central Texas possesses information about an individual which is incorrect, the individual may request a correction of that information by e-mailing compliance@tamuct.edu.
If you need special accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact our ADA coordinator, Tina Flores-Nevarez, Executive Director of Human Resources, at 254.519.8015
Public and Non-public
Non-public Information
Some of the information maintained by Texas A&M University-Central Texas may contain information that is not public, such as the following:
- student information/records required to be withheld by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA);
- medical information/records;
- drivers license and motor vehicle information;
- attorney-client communications;
- personal records, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;
- attorney work product;
- documents made confidential by statute; and
- documents claimed to be proprietary by a third party (trade secret information).
If you want to review or get copies of the non-public information listed above, it will be necessary for Texas A&M University-Central Texas to request an Attorney General's opinion about this information within 10 business days of receiving the request. This non-public information will not be available for review until after the Attorney General issues a written opinion about whether the information is public or not public. The Attorney General's office has about 12 weeks to make a decision on whether the information is public or not public.
If part of the information you requested is considered public information, then you will be able to review or get copies of the public information, even if a request for an Attorney General's open records opinion is necessary regarding the non-public information. If public information and non public information are both included in a single document, the document will be provided to you. However, the information believed to be non-public or exempt will be redacted (marked out) while the request for an Attorney General's opinion is pending.
If you are not seeking access to non public or exempt information, you may simply state in your request that you do not want any information that is not considered public information by the Office of the Attorney General. If you indicate that you are only seeking information that the Office of the Attorney General considers public information, then it will not be necessary for Texas A&M University-Central Texas to make a request for an opinion.
Student Educational Records
A student’s request for his or her own education records is NOT a public information request and should NOT be sent through the university’s open records process. These requests should be directed to the custodian of records, such as the registrar’s office or the respective academic department. Students wishing to review their own FERPA records may contact the appropriate office listed below for certain records:
- Transcripts - Available online here
- Verification of Enrollment (VOE) – Please complete the Verification of Enrollment Letter Request Form
- Release of information - Please complete the Authorization for Release of Information Form
- Financial Aid Records - Submit your request to finaid@tamuct.edu
- Treatment Records - Counseling - Submit your request to swacc@tauct.edu and Student Disability Services - send request to access@tamuct.edu
- Other Student Records - Submit your request to records@tamuct.edu
Directory Information
Directory information is information contained in the education records of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Texas A&M University-Central Texas discloses "directory information" to third parties unless the eligible student restricts the disclosure of such information. 34 CFR § 99.3 and 34 CFR § 99.37.
At its discretion, the University may release directory information that includes the following, upon request:
- Student ID
- Full name
- Local & Permanent address
- Local and permanent telephone number
- University e-mail address
- First and last attendance term
- College
- Major field of study
- Campus
- Most recent previous educational institution attended
- Classification
- University degrees and certificates received
- Previous educational institution degrees
- Institutional honors
Procedure for Opting Out of the Release of Directory Information
Students may have all directory information withheld by completing the Information Release Restrictions form. The request for confidentiality will remain in effect until the student makes written authorization releasing the information. The request for confidentiality applies to all directory information requests. All Texas A&M University-Central Texas designated directory information is subject to restriction.
Cost and Billing
Charges for public information are determined by the Office of the Attorney General. Charges are based on the type of information requested, the number of pages and the amount of time required to produce the documents. Charges also include the cost of postage.
The most common charges are as follows:
- Standard Paper copy up to 8 1/2'’ x 14” @ .10 Cents per page
- Rewritable CD (CD-RW) - $1.00
- Personnel Charges for requests totaling more than 49 pages or require labor to locate, compile, manipulate, and reproduce the information @ $15 per/hr.
If the charge for fulfilling your requests exceeds $40, we will provide you with an itemized written estimate of the charges and indicate if a less costly alternative is available. You must respond in the portal within 10 days after the estimate is sent that you will accept the costs, or that you desire any stated alternative. If no written response is received in the time allowed by law, your request will be considered withdrawn.
If the estimated charge is more than $100, Texas A&M University-Central Texas will generally require a prepaid deposit or bond before providing the information. Also, if you have an unpaid balance of more than $100 relating to previous requests, a prepaid deposit or bond will be required. You may ask the governmental body to determine whether providing the information primarily benefits the general public, resulting in a waiver or reduction of charges.
Payments can be mailed to:
Texas A&M University-Central Texas
Institutional Compliance
1001 Leadership Place
Killeen, Texas 76549