FERPA Privacy Policy

Purpose

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA” – 20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to eligible students who are at least eighteen years old or who attend or attended a post-secondary institution, even if they have not reached the age of eighteen, and is effective on the first day of the term.

Policy

It is the policy of Centenary University (“University”) to comply with all provisions of FERPA.

FERPA Summary

Below is a summary of the important rights granted to students under FERPA. To view the definitive set of regulations and for other helpful information, please visit: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

For the FERPA Student Information Release Authorization form, visit the Registrar’s Office.

Definitions

Education Record

Education Record means any record (1) directly related to a student and (2) maintained by the University or a party acting for the University. There are several important categories of records that are specifically exempted from the definition of an Education Record:

1.       Records of instructional, supervisory, administrative, and certain educational personnel which are in the sole possession of the maker of the records, and are not accessible or revealed to any other individual except a substitute who performs on a temporary basis the duties of the individual who made the records,

2.       Records maintained by a law enforcement unit of the University that were created by that law enforcement unit for the purpose of law enforcement,

3.       Records relating to individuals who are employed by the University, which are made and maintained in the normal course of business, relate exclusively to individuals in their capacity as employees, and are not available for use for any other purpose,

4.       Records relating to a student which are: (1) created or maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professional or paraprofessional, acting in his/her professional capacity or assisting in a paraprofessional capacity; (2) used solely in connection with the provision of treatment to the student; and (3) not disclosed to anyone other than individuals providing such treatment.

5.       Records that only contain information about an individual after he or she is no longer a student at the University.

University Official

University Official means a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position, including health or medical staff; a trustee, public safety officer, or outside contractor such as an attorney or auditor acting as an agent for the University; a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee or who is assisting another University Official in performing his or her tasks; and any contractors, consultants, volunteers or other party to whom to whom the University has outsourced institutional services or functions as long as the individual: (1) performs a service for which an institution would otherwise have to use its own employees; (2) is under the direct control of the University with respect to the use and maintenance of the education record; and (3) is subject to the same conditions on use and re-disclosure of education records that apply to other University Officials.

Directory Information

Directory Information means the following student information:

1.   Student name
2.   Local address and telephone number
3.   Campus e-mail address
4.   Dates of attendance at the University
5.   Registration status
6.   Graduating Class
7.   College or University
8.   Major field of study
9.   Awards
10.   Honors
11.   Degree(s) conferred and date(s) received
12.   Past and present participation in officially recognized sports  and  activities
13.  Physical characteristics (height, weight) of NCAA athletes
14.   Previous educational institutions attended

Legitimate Education Interest

Legitimate Education Interest means an interest that a University Official has in the protected records when the University Official is performing a task that is:

1.   Specified in his or her position description or contract agreement;
2.   Related to a student’s education; or
3.   Related to the discipline of a student.
4.   Personally Identifiable Information

Personally Identifiable Information includes, but is not limited to:

§  The student’s name

§  The name of the student’s parent or other family members

§  The address of the student or student’s family

§  A personal identifier, such as the student’s social security number, student number, or biometric record

§  Other indirect identifiers, such as the student’s date of birth, place of birth, and mother’s maiden name

§  Other information that, alone or in combination, is linked or linkable to a specific student that would allow a reasonable person in the University community, who does not have personal knowledge of the relevant circumstances, to identify the student with reasonable certainty

§  Information requested by a person who the educational agency or institution reasonably believes knows the identity of the student to whom the education record relates.

Student Rights Under FERPA

Right of Inspection and Review

1. Current and former students have the right to inspect and review their Education Records within 45 days of the date that the University receives a request for access.

2. A request that identifies the Education Record(s) to be reviewed or inspected must be submitted in writing by the student to the University Registrar, a Dean, a Chair, or other appropriate University Official. That University Official will make arrangements for access to the records with the University Registrar and will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University Official to whom the request was made, that University Official shall advise the student of the correct individual to whom the request should be made.

Right to Request Amendment of Education Record

The University provides a student with an opportunity to request amendment to the contents of an Education Record which he/she considers to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of his/her privacy or other rights. A University Official who receives such a request will coordinate with the University Registrar and they will decide within a reasonable period of time whether corrective action consistent with the student’s request will be taken. The student must be notified of the decision. If the decision is in agreement with the student’s request, the appropriate record(s) must be amended. A student who is not provided full relief sought by his/her challenge must be informed by the appropriate University Official, in writing, of the decision and his/her right to a formal hearing on the matter.

Right to Consent to Disclosure of Education Records

1. The University will disclose information from a student’s Education Records only with the written consent of the student, unless one of the following exceptions apply:

· Directory Information may be made available to anyone who makes a request for such information, without first notifying the student, unless a Request for Non-Disclosure of Directory Information form is completed by a student while he/she is enrolled and the form is submitted to the Office of the University Registrar.

· The disclosure is to authorize federal and state representatives for audit or evaluation or compliance activities.

· The disclosure is to University Officials who are in the process of carrying out their assigned educational or administrative responsibilities and have a legitimate educational interest. The determination as to whether or not a legitimate educational interest exists will be made by the University Registrar, who serves as the FERPA Officer for the University. When the FERPA Officer has any questions regarding the request, the FERPA Officer should withhold disclosure unless he or she obtains consent from the student or the concurrence of a supervisor or other appropriate official that the record may be released.

· The disclosure is to provide a service or benefit relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement, or financial aid.

· The disclosure is to maintain the health or safety of the student or others on or off campus. When the University discloses personally identifiable information under the health or safety emergency exception, the University must record the significant threat to the health or safety of a student or other individuals and the parties to whom the information was disclosed. This documentation must be done within a reasonable period of time after (but not necessarily prior to) the disclosure and must be maintained with the student’s education records. This documentation should identify the underlying facts the University relied upon in determining there was a defined and significant threat.

· The disclosure is to officials of other institutions in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, as long as the disclosure relates solely to the purposes of the transfer, on the condition that the issuing institution makes a reasonable attempt to inform the student of the disclosure, unless the student initiates the transfer.

· The disclosure is in connection with financial aid for which a student has applied or received, if the information is necessary for the determination of eligibility, amount and conditions of aid or to enforce the terms and condition of aid.

· The disclosure is to organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, educational agencies or institutions to develop, validate, and administer predictive tests, to administer student aid programs or to improve instruction, provided that individual identity of students is not made and that the disclosure is restricted to the representatives of the organization that have a legitimate interest in the information. Information may only be disclosed per a written agreement between the University and the organization conducting the study on the University’s behalf that:

a. Identifies the purpose, scope, and duration of the study;

b. Requires the organization to use personally identifiable information from education records only to meet the purpose of the study as noted in the agreement;

c. Requires that the organization conduct the study in a manner that does not permit personal identification of parents and students by anyone other than representatives of the organization with legitimate interests;

d. Requires the organization to destroy or return the personally identifiable information to the University when the information is no longer need and specifies the time period in which the destruction or return must occur.

e. Requires the organization to use personally identifiable information from education records only to meet the purpose of the study as noted in the agreement;

f. Requires that the organization conduct the study in a manner that does not permit personal identification of parents and students by anyone other than representatives of the organization with legitimate interests;

g. Requires the organization to destroy or return the personally identifiable information to the University when the information is no longer need and specifies the time period in which the destruction or return must occur.

2. The disclosure is to accrediting organizations carrying out their accrediting functions.

3. The disclosure is to comply with a judicial order or a lawfully-issued subpoena, provided that the University makes a reasonable attempt to notify the student in advance of compliance. If a contractor receives a subpoena for a student’s information, the contractor is required to provide the appropriate notice. The University is not required to notify the student if a federal grand jury subpoena or any other subpoena issued for a law enforcement purpose orders the institution not to disclose the existence or contents of the subpoena. In addition, the University is not required to notify the student if disclosure is necessary to comply with an ex-parte court order obtained by the U.S. Attorney General or an Assistant Attorney General concerning certain criminal investigations and prosecutions.

4. The disclosure is to a victim of an alleged crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense, or to the alleged victim’s next of kin (if the victim dies as a result of the crime or offense). The disclosure may only include the final results of the disciplinary proceeding conducted by the institution, regardless of whether the University concluded a violation was committed or not. The University may not require students who are sexual assault victims to sign confidentiality pledges to protect from further disclosure the disciplinary proceedings.

5. The disclosure is to the parents of a student under 21 years of age who has been found responsible for a violation involving the use or possession of alcohol and/or drugs.

6. The disclosure is related to a student registered sex offender and is information that was provided to the University pursuant to the Wetterling Act and other applicable federal guidelines. In addition, the University may make available to the campus community additional information about a student who is also a registered sex offender where the information is relevant to protecting the public.

7. The disclosure is one where all personally identifiable information has been removed.  Written record of such a disclosure is not required.

8. In the event that a student wants to provide ongoing access to their Education Records to an individual such as a parent or family member, they must first complete a FERPA waiver. This will allow the individual named by the student to have complete or limited access to the student’s Education Record until such permission is revoked by the student.

Right to File a Complaint

Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue
SW Washington, DC 20202-5920

Telephone: 202-260-3887
FAX: 202-260-9001

Contact Information

In the event of questions or concerns regarding this policy or other matters pertaining to FERPA, a student can contact the Office of the University Registrar at 908-852-1400, ext. 2214, or email at registrar@centenaryuniversity.edu.

What information do we collect?

We collect information from you when you register on the site, place an order, enter a contest or sweepstakes, respond to a survey or communication such as e-mail, or participate in another site feature. When ordering or registering, we may ask you for your name, e-mail address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information or other information. You may, however, visit our site anonymously. We also collect information about gift recipients so that we can fulfill the gift purchase. The information we collect about gift recipients is not used for marketing purposes. Like many websites, we use “cookies” to enhance your experience and gather information about visitors and visits to our websites.

Please refer to the “Do we use ‘cookies’?” section below for information about cookies and how we use them.

How do we use your information?

We may use the information we collect from you when you register, purchase products, enter a contest or promotion, respond to a survey or  marketing communication, surf the website, or use certain other site features in the following ways: To personalize your site experience and to  allow us to deliver the type of content and product offerings in which you are most interested. To allow us to better service you in responding to your customer service requests. To quickly process your transactions. To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature. If you have opted-in to receive our e-mail newsletter, we may send you periodic e-mails. If you would no longer like to receive promotional e-mail from us,  please refer to the “How can you opt-out, remove or modify information you have provided to us?” section below. If you have not opted-in to  receive e-mail newsletters, you will not receive these e-mails. Visitors who register or participate in other site features such as marketing programs and ‘members-only’ content will be given a choice whether they would like to be on our e-mail list and receive e-mail communications from us.

How do we protect visitor information?

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information. Your personal information is contained behind  secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to  keep the information confidential. When you place orders or access your personal information, we offer the use of a secure server. All  sensitive/credit information you supply is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted into our databases to be only  accessed as stated above.

Do we use “cookies”?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site’s or service provider’s systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart. They are also used to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved services. We also use cookies to help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf except to help us conduct and improve our business. You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser (like Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge) settings. Each browser is a  little different, so look at your browser Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies. If you turn cookies off, you won’t have access to many features that make your site experience more efficient and some of our services will not function properly. However, you can still place  orders over the telephone by contacting customer service.

Do we disclose the information we collect to outside parties?

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information unless we provide you with advance notice,  except as described below. The term “outside parties” does not include our business. It also does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property, or safety. However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

How can you opt-out, remove or modify information you have provided to us?

To modify your e-mail subscriptions, please let us know by modifying your preferences in the “My Account” section.  Please note that due to email production schedules you may receive any emails already in production. To delete all of your online account information from our database, sign into the “My Account” section of our site and remove your shipping addresses, billing addresses & payment information. Please note that we may maintain information about an individual sales transaction in order to service that transaction and for record keeping. Third party links In an attempt to provide you with increased value, we may include third party links on our site. These linked sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these linked sites (including if a specific link does not work). Changes to our policy If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page. Policy changes will apply only to information collected after the date of the change. This policy was last modified on September 27, 2014.

Questions and feedback

We welcome your questions, comments, and concerns about privacy. Please send us any and all feedback pertaining to privacy, or any other issue.

Online Policy Only
This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.

Your Consent
By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy.

Data Protection

In compliance with both the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), our policy is to collect no personally identifiable information about you when you visit our Websites unless you affirmatively choose to make such information available to us.

Consistent with the Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), Centenary University’s website neither markets to persons who are less than 13 years of age nor knowingly collects personal information online from them.

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

All website content, including text, images, logos, wordmarks, and videos, on this website is the property of Centenary University and is protected by United States copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or use any content from this website without obtaining prior written permission. You may use this website for personal and non-commercial purposes only. You must not engage in any activity that disrupts or interferes with the functioning of the website or its content.

Thank you for visiting Centenary University at https://www.centenaryuniversity.edu, https://passwordreset.centenaryuniversity.edu/, https://alumni.centenaryuniversity.edu, or https://wnti.centenaryuniversity.edu. Centenary University exercises care and prudence in the handling of personal information collected via our websites and conducts its business in ways that demonstrate respect for personal privacy. This privacy statement applies only to the URLs listed above, and not to internal and external websites that might be linked to it, including but not limited to alumni2.centenaryuniversity.edu, you.centenaryuniversity.edu, opac.centenaryuniversity.edu, libguides.centenaryuniversity.edu, or libstaff.centenaryuniversity.edu. This policy protects no portion of sites connecting from www.CentenaryUniversity.edu and passwordreset.CentenaryUniversity.edu.

How We Collect Information

Our policy is to collect no personally identifiable information about you when you visit our Web sites unless you affirmatively choose to make such information available to us. However, our web servers do automatically recognize some non-personal information such as volume and timing of access as well as the Internet domain and IP address from which you accessed our sites.

Centenary University collects personal information through online data entry forms. We collect only the information necessary to process and fulfill an information request or commitment to enrollment. Typically, this information includes name, phone number, emailaddress, and mailing address. Once a commitment to enroll has been made by the user, we will process credit card transactions using an off-site, third party resource, and collect official transcripts and medical records. Centenary University’s website neither markets to persons who are less than 13 years of age nor knowingly collects personal information online from them.

If you choose to share personal information with us, we will not sell that information to commercial entities. Please note that most student information is kept confidential pursuant to federal and state regulations.

How We Use Information

We use the information you submit to provide you with the product or service you requested, consistent with the purpose for which the information was collected.

We may also generate summary statistics about the volume, variety, timing and other characteristics of our web traffic in general, but such statistics do not contain personally identifiable information.

Centenary University may use collected information to communicate with you regarding future offerings or opportunities in which we feel you may be interested. If you do not wish to receive these communications, please email us at marketing@CentenaryUniversity.edu.

We do not share, trade, or sell personal information to third parties.

Security Policy

Centenary University follows industry-standard precautions and procedures in the transmission and storage of electronic data. Centenary University’s website uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption to process secure information. By using this technology, online customers can feel confident that their personal information is protected from interception by any third party. Sensitive credit card information is not permanently stored on any Centenary University web server and though your order information is retained for our records, this information is not shared with other companies or persons.

Policy Changes

We reserve the right to revise our privacy policy as changing circumstances and evolving technology standards require. Visitors are encouraged to check this document periodically to stay informed of current privacy and security guidelines.

Accuracy of Information

All information provided on the official Centenary University website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a legal contract between the institution and any other person or entity otherwise specified. Although every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information, Centenary University makes no guarantees of any kind. Information on www.CentenaryUniversity.edu is subject to change without prior notice.

Disclaimer of Liability

As a visitor to this website, you assume all responsibility for the use of this website. Under no circumstances, including negligence, shall Centenary University or anyone else involved in creating or maintaining this website be liable for any claim, loss, or damage (including, without limitation, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL or CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, or LOST PROFITS of any kind whatsoever) in connection with, as a result of, or arising from the use or inability to use the website and/or any other websites that are linked to this website, including, but not limited to: (i) reliance by a member or visitor on any information obtained via the website; (ii) mistakes, omissions, interruptions, deletion of files, viruses, errors, defects, or any failure of performance, communications failure, theft, destruction or unauthorized access; ) any interruption in the availability of the website or University Content; (iv) statements or conduct of any third party on the website; (iv) any other matter relating to the website.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold Centenary University, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors harmless from and against any claims, actions or demands, liabilities and settlements including without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, resulting from, or alleged to result from, your violation of any of these Terms of Use.

Acceptance of Terms

By using any of the Centenary University website(s), you signify your acceptance of our privacy policy. Your continued use of any Centenary University site following the posting of changes to these terms will indicate your acceptance of those changes.

You are not required to provide personal information to visit our website. If you choose to provide personal information such as your email address, home address, and phone number, Centenary University may contact you. If you receive unwanted contacts and wish to be excluded from future such contacts, please inform us at the address below, specifying the source and providing a description of the unwanted materials. We will notify the appropriate office or department accordingly. In many cases, you can unsubscribe from an email or reply “STOP” to a text message.

For More Information

If you have questions about our privacy or security policies or have ideas about improving our policies, please feel free to email us at marketing@CentenaryUniversity.edu.

Or via regular mail at:

Marketing
Centenary University
400 Jefferson Street
Hackettstown, NJ 07840