Information Privacy Statement

Fairmont State University is committed to protecting your privacy and implementing practices and processes to safeguard your personal information. Fairmont State seeks to limit the collection and distribution of personal information to instances that reasonably serve the institution’s mission and academic and administrative functions.

This Privacy Statement governs how Fairmont State collects, stores, uses, and shares your personal information, and applies to data submitted to the University by you or collected by the University from your activities. In addition, it provides information on how the institution collects, possesses, and uses electronic information, institutional and personal data. By using Fairmont State University’s systems and resources, you consent to the practices described in this statement.

Purpose

Fairmont State University respects an individual’s privacy and seeks to limit the collection, access, use, disclosure, and storage of personal data. The purpose of this statement is to:

• Identify the personal information collected;
• Identify how personal information is collected; and
• Explain how the personal information collected is used and protected.

Scope

This statement applies to all University Staff, Faculty, Students, third-parties who are doing work on behalf of the University, and visitors to campus.

General

While using Fairmont State University’s technology systems, the institution collects personally identifiable information, such as your email address, name, home or work address, and telephone number. Fairmont State University also collects anonymous demographic information, which is not unique to you, such as geographical location, device, internet browser, and operating system.

Fairmont State University uses this information for legitimate business and operational purposes, including, but not limited to:

• Provide services, complete transactions, fulfill requests, and send administrative information;
• Provide newsletters and/or other promotional materials; and
• Analyze, aggregate, and anonymize data for reporting.

Types of Information Collected

Personal information

Personal information includes information concerning an individual created by the University or provided to the University, such as a name, home address, work address, telephone number, ID numbers, user account names, photos, etc. Other information collected includes one’s self-identified race, ethnicity, religious / philosophical beliefs, etc.

Technical information

If you access the University’s network, including its website, computers, or other hardware, information about your activities is automatically collected, including IP address, browser, domain names, access times, and referring website addresses. This information assists the University in maintaining the operation, security, and quality of our services and provides general statistics about the use of the University’s technology environment.

Information Usage

The following list the types of information collected and how they are used.

Academic Information

Information is used to analyze and improve Fairmont State University’s admissions process, outreach efforts, procedures and functions related to admission as a student, academic advising, develop and deliver programs, track academic progress, retention, accreditation, regulatory reporting, auditing, and other related processes and functions related to educational activities.

Student Life Information

Information is used to provide and administer housing to students, reasonable accommodations, career counseling and placement, administration of conduct processes, improvement and personalization of the student experience and interactions, marketing, regulatory reporting, auditing, and other related processes and functions.

Athletic Information

Information is used to recruit student-athletes, processes related to the student-athlete eligibility and admissions, academic advising; health and training; academic progress, regulatory reporting, auditing and other related processes and functions.

International Program Information

Information is used to support admission of international students and scholars, employment of individuals from foreign countries, study abroad, faculty and student exchange programs, execute agreements with foreign higher education institutions, identify activities of interest, regulatory reporting, auditing, and other related processes and functions.

Employee Information

Information is used to consider an applicant for employment, perform background checks, administer an employment contract (payroll and benefits), provide reasonable accommodations, assess capacity to work, analyze and improve hiring practices, regulatory reporting, auditing, and other related processes and functions.

Financial and Administrative Information

Information is used to enter into contracts, administer receipts and payments, analyze and improve cash and credit transaction processes, dispense financial aid and scholarships, regulatory reporting, auditing, and other related processes and functions.

General Information

Information is used to conduct general demographic and statistical research to improve programs, identify appropriate support services or activities, enforce policies, comply with applicable laws, regulatory reporting, auditing, and other related processes and functions.

Website Information

Information including cookies and other types of tracking technologies (beacon, tags, scripts) to help personalize your experience within the University’s website and to maintain the quality of services provided to you within the University’s technology environment.

Fairmont State University is committed to protecting your privacy and developing technology that gives you the most powerful and safe online and offline experience. The institution will only use your personal information for a legitimate business need. Personal information is also used to aid in maintaining system performance and security and inform students and employees of products or services available from Fairmont State University and its affiliates. Individuals are advised to be discreet and cautious in their use of University technology resources and are obliged to abide by the Acceptable Use of Data and Technology Policy.

Fairmont State University is not responsible or liable for the privacy statements or content contained within websites, applications, or social media outside of the University’s technology environment, including user activity on any websites, applications, or social media controlled or maintained by third parties referred to from the University’s technology environment. Therefore, it is advisable to be familiar with the privacy statements of each and every service that you visit which collects your personal information.

The University will not sell, market, or otherwise distribute personal information without authorization, except when necessary to provide a service or support its mission. The University may disclose personal information:

• To affiliates or third-party service providers with whom it has a contractual agreement;
• To facilitate business operations within the University;
• To protect the safety and well-being of individuals or the community; or
• As permitted or required by law

When the distribution of information is necessary, the distribution will be subject to reasonable terms and conditions that, among other things:

• Limit the access to and use of the data to only authorized individuals for legitimate business purposes;
• Ensure the data will remain secure; and
• Ensure the data will be returned or destroyed when its purpose for distribution ends

The University will implement safeguards to secure the integrity and confidentiality of information collected, including, but not limited to:

• Publishing associated standards and procedures, identifying the minimum requirements to safeguard information; and
• Educating and providing awareness to its workforce regarding protecting information.

Unauthorized access or disclosure of information must be reported to Information Technology Services within 24 hours of the event.

Fairmont State may disclose information designated as Directory Information at its discretion.

Fairmont State will destroy personal information following best practices and as required by applicable laws at the time of destruction

Fairmont State does not control websites, plug-ins, applications, and systems hosted by third-party vendors and is not responsible for their privacy policies. When you leave the Fairmont State's website, you are encouraged to read the privacy notice of every website or other link you visit.

Individuals have the right to:

• Expect that their personal information collected by the University will remain private and secure;
• Access and review their personal information to confirm accuracy and completeness;
• Be notified when personal information has been disclosed or accessed by an unauthorized person;
• Request to amend or delete any personal information, if appropriate; and
• Request the University withhold disclosure of their personal information.

Fairmont State University is committed to ensuring that your personal information is secure, and has instituted appropriate technical and organizational measures to safeguard the information processed. When deemed necessary or required by law, Fairmont State University will encrypt all outgoing transmitted information and information that is stored on external storage devices.

Personally identifiable information stored on computer servers is secured in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. When personal information (such as a social security number) is transmitted, it is protected with encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

Personal information collected by the University must not be misused. Misuse includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Seeking or soliciting Social Security numbers via email;
• Sending or knowingly accepting credit card information by email;
• Storing credit card information on University-owned computers;
• Unnecessarily accessing personal information of a student or employee;
• Using personal information of another person for personal gain;
• Not reporting when personal information is stored inappropriately or disclosed;
• Unilaterally updating personal information without the individual’s request or consent; and
• Compiling copies or duplicates of personal information without the individual’s approval, except for backup or disaster recovery purposes.

Misuse of personal data is a violation of this statement.

• Any Faculty or Staff who violates this statement shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
• Any Student who violates this statement shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.
• Any individual affiliated with Fairmont State University who violates this statement shall be subject to appropriate corrective action, including, but not limited to, cancellation of their relationship with the University.

Fairmont State University will occasionally update this Privacy Statement to reflect institution and visitor feedback. Fairmont State University encourages you to periodically review this Statement to be informed of how Fairmont State University is protecting information.

Fairmont State University welcomes your comments regarding this Privacy Statement. If you believe that Fairmont State University has not adhered to this Statement, please contact the Fairmont State Office of Information Technology.

Fairmont State’s Deputy Chief Information Officer will coordinate with appropriate University entities to implement and enforce this statement and other privacy policies.

Responsibility for interpretation of this statement rests with the Deputy Chief Information Officer.

(Updated: 03/05/2024)