Web Privacy Statement

At Calvin University, we strive to respect the privacy of our website visitors because your privacy is important to us. This privacy statement describes what information we collect and how that information is protected and used.

Information Gathered

Websites you visit may gather information about you. Sometimes you are asked to supply information such as your name, address or e-mail address. Other times processes built into the website gather information.

We may ask you for information to answer a request that you have submitted to Calvin University. An example would be your name and address for mailing admissions or employment information. Information sent to Calvin University via web data entry may be read, filed, stored, forwarded, responded to or printed by Calvin University staff members for the purpose of answering and tracking your request. In some cases, the university may outsource the collection of information, such as with admissions or employment applications, and your information may be read, filed, stored, forwarded, responded to or printed by employees of a third-party vendor providing services under contract with the university.

You may be asked to enter your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address or other information on a Calvin University website. This information may be kept by the university and used for future communications.

The university may release your personal information to third parties under provisions of Calvin University's Policies and Procedures. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs student data and information, and usage of website information must comply with this law.

Collection of Other Information

Most information we gather does not identify you personally. We automatically collect information such as the type and identity of the Internet service provider you are using, your Internet protocol (IP) address, the time spent on the website, or the navigation path you took on the website. We use the gathered information to improve the navigation, flow and content of the website to provide you with the best possible information service. In some cases, faculty, students and staff or others using Calvin University web sites will be asked to provide user credentials including a user ID and password to access a service. In this case, your access to the related services may be personally identified.

Some of Calvin’s website locations or third party partners may place online tracking technology such as a "cookie" in the browser files of a user's computer. The cookie itself does not contain any personally identifying information, except when such information has been supplied by you. In addition, cookies placed in the browser files of a user’s computer by a third party may be used to collect web viewing data to personalize or customize the web experience.

Special Disclosure Cases

Calvin University may disclose user information in special cases when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) Calvin University's rights or property, other Calvin University users, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. We reserve the right to use information to identify any visitors who refuse to comply with the Calvin University CIT Policies and Agreements and to identify visitors who threaten or disrupt the service, site, customers or others. The university may disclose information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it.

E-Commerce Transactions

Some of our website features may use applications to collect data to facilitate an e-commerce transaction. In this case we use third party services with an approved banking relationship to process credit card transactions. All credit card information is encrypted and only the information needed to complete a transaction history is stored on secure servers.

Public Forums, Directories, Chat Rooms and Mail Lists

This privacy statement does not protect you when you use Calvin University public forums. As a service to our users, Calvin University may offer directories, chat rooms, bulletin or message boards, or mailing list groups for website visitors. Any information shared in a directory, chat room, bulletin board, or other posting or online discussion is public information and may be seen, disclosed to or collected by third parties that do not adhere to this privacy statement.

Other Links

The Calvin University website may contain destination links to other independently run websites for Calvin University student groups or organizations and to some third-party sites outside the "calvin.edu" domain. Calvin University is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of such websites. These destination links are provided only for your convenience, and as such, you access them at your own risk. Any information you reveal on any such site is not subject to this privacy statement, therefore, you should consult the privacy policies of each site you visit.  However, we wish to ensure the integrity of our website and its destination links, so any comments pertaining to any sites accessed through destination links on our website are greatly appreciated.

Security

Calvin University treats your personal information as an asset that must be protected against loss and unauthorized access. The website has information security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. We restrict access to our data center and server rooms to authorized personnel and limit access to personal information to those employees who have a legitimate business need to access such information. Despite these security measures, we do not represent or warrant that personal information will be protected against loss, misuse or alteration by Calvin University or third parties.

Privacy Statement Changes

We may change this privacy statement at any time by posting revisions to our website. Your use of the website constitutes acceptance of the provisions of this privacy statement and your continued usage after such changes are posted constitutes acceptance of each revised privacy statement. If you do not agree to the terms of this privacy statement or any revised statement, then please exit and discontinue use of the website immediately.

Reporting Personal Privacy Issues

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, your personal information, the practices of this website or your interaction with this website, please contact Calvin University CIT at helpdesk@calvin.edu

Version 1202141149 Final

Reviewed: Legal, CIT, Communications & Marketing October 2014.

Reviewed: Data & Metrics Task Force of the PPC November 2014.