Policies » Privacy Policy

Pacific University Web Privacy Policy

Introduction

Pacific University is dedicated to ensuring the privacy and accuracy of your confidential information. We do not actively share any personal information gathered from our web servers with any third parties, however in some cases we may be compelled by law to release information gathered from our web servers such as e-mails sent to the web site, and information collected from web-based forms.

Pacific University also complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits the release of education records without student permission. Although FERPA regulations apply only to Pacific students, Pacific University is equally commited to protecting the privacy of all visitors to our web site.

Pacific University's web site consists of hundreds of web servers. Some sites hosted by Pacific may adopt different privacy statements as their specific needs require. If another Pacific web site has a privacy statement that is different from this statement, that policy must be approved by University Relations and University Information Services, and it must be posted on their site. However, those sites cannot adopt a privacy statement that in any way supersedes federal or state regulations.

External Web Sites

Pacific University's web site contains links to hundreds of external web sites. The University is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of the external web sites we link to.

Information We Gather

Our web servers generate temporary logs that contain the following information:

• IP Address (Internet Address of the computer being used)
• web pages requested
• Referring web page
• Browser/Operating System used
• Date and Time

The data is used in aggregate by system administrators and web content managers to tune the web site for its efficiency and is not associated with specific individuals. Data from the web server logs are only shared with the content manager of each web site. Summary reports produced from the logs help web publishers determine what web browsers and pages are most popular. For example, if the aggregate reports show a particular web page is very popular or used more by freshmen than by seniors, we use this information to customize the content of that page and make it easier to find.

Cookies

Cookies are small pieces of data stored by the web browser. Cookies are often used to remember information about preferences and pages you have visited. For example, when you visit some sites on the web you might see a "Welcome Back" message. The first time you visited the site a cookie was probably set on your computer; when you return, the cookie is read again. You can refuse to accept cookies, can disable cookies, and remove cookies from your hard drive. In Netscape Navigator, choose Edit and Preferences to manage your cookie settings; in Internet Explorer select Tools and Internet Options.

The Pacific University site use cookies to track web traffic patterns anonomously and for authentication purposes to online portals such as Boxer Online and Alumni web . These cookies are used so you will not have to repeatedly enter user names and passwords when you go to different parts of the web site. Some websites within Pacific University may also use cookies to retain user preference information. It is against University policy to share this information with external third parties.

Security and Accuracy of Confidential Information

Pacific University does its best to ensure that the personal information we have about you is accurate. Users with a PUNETID can check and update personal information, such as their addresses and e-mail addresses at myaccount.pacificu.edu.

Although no computer system is 100 percent secure, the Pacific has deployed extensive security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control.

E-Commerce

Several sites within Pacific's domain may enable you to pay for products or services online with a credit card. Unless otherwise noted, these transactions are encrypted. It is University policy that the confidential information you enter in the transaction is used only for the purposes described in that transaction, unless an additional use is specifically stated on that site.

Sharing of Information

Consistent with FERPA, we do not release personal student information, other than public directory information, to other parties unless we receive explicit written authorization to do so. Examples of directory information include first and last name, e-mail address, and department, UC Box,and your current status (ie student). Enrolled students can restrict release of their directory information by logging in and changing their preferences at myaccount.pacificu.edu .

Public Forums

Pacific University may make chat rooms, forums, message boards, and news groups available to its users. The University does not ordinarily log public chat sessions, however, any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should therefore exercise caution when deciding to disclose your confidential information in such places.

Academic chat sessions and discussion forums may be logged. However, these educational records are protected from disclosure by FERPA.

Online Surveys

At any time there are numerous online surveys being conducted on Pacific's web site. It is University policy that confidential information gathered in these online surveys is used only for the research purposes indicated in the survey. Unless otherwise noted on the specified survey, your answers are confidential and individual responses will not be shared with other parties unless required by law. Aggregate data from surveys may be shared with external third parties.

Questions

If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent send e-mail to webmaster@pacificu.edu.