|
Web Privacy Statement
James Madison University
Commitment to Privacy
James Madison University values individuals' privacy and actively
seeks to preserve the privacy rights of those who share information
with us. Your trust is important to us and we believe you have the
right to know how information submitted through a university Web
site is handled.
As explanation of JMU's online information policy and practices
and to assist you in better protecting your privacy, we provide
the following privacy notice.
Privacy Notice
The following information explains the Internet privacy policy
and practices the university has adopted for its official Web sites.
However, in legal terms, it shall not be construed as a contractual
promise, and the university reserves the right to amend it at any
time without notice. Privacy and public records obligations of the
university are governed by applicable Virginia statutes, including,
but not limited to, the Virginia Privacy Protection Act of 1976,
the Virginia Freedom Of Information Act, and by any applicable U.S.
federal laws.
Site Definitions
University Web space includes hundreds of sites with varying levels
of university involvement and commitment as outlined below.
- Official University Web Sites
Except as noted, the information in this privacy notice applies
to all official James Madison University Web sites, which are
defined as – the Web pages of university colleges, schools,
departments, divisions or other units and any other sites specifically
designated as official by a vice president, dean, department
head or director. Official pages are generally recognizable
by a standard page footer carrying the university logo, contact
information and reference to this privacy statement. Click here
to see a sample of this footer on the JMU home page.
Within the James Madison University domain – signified
by the address "jmu.edu" or within the range of Internet protocol
addresses assigned to James Madison University – you may
find Web sites over which the university has no editorial responsibility
or control. Such sites are considered unofficial and include,
but are not limited to, the Web pages of individual faculty
members or students and the Web pages of student organizations
and other entities not formally a part of the university. While
JMU encourages compliance with this Web Privacy Statement at
such sites, in order to better understand the policies and practices
under which they operate, please consult the privacy statements
of individual sites or seek information directly from the persons
responsible for those sites
The Information We Collect
The Web Privacy Statement speaks generally to the information collected
by or submitted to official James Madison University Web sites (see
the definition above). Still the amount and type of information
collected may vary somewhat from site to site. Therefore, in addition
to this general explanation of policy and practice, the university
encourages colleges, schools, departments, divisions and other units
contributing to its official Web pages to post, as necessary, more
specific privacy notices pertaining to the collection and use of
any personal information associated exclusively with those pages.
Thus it is wise for you to read page-specific notices to ensure
you understand the privacy policies and practices applicable to
a particular site.
When you access official JMU Web pages, certain client information
and essential and nonessential technical information (collectively
referred to as access information) listed below is automatically
collected. No other information is collected through our official
Web sites except when you deliberately send it to us (for example,
by clicking a link to send us an e-mail). Examples of the information
you might choose to send us are listed below as "optional information."
- Access Information (automatically collected)
Client information: the Internet domain and Internet address
of the computer you are using.
Essential technical information: identification of the page
or service you are requesting, type of browser and operating
system you are using; and the date and time of access.
Nonessential technical information: the Internet address of
the Web site from which you linked directly to our Web site,
and the "cookie information" used to direct and tailor information
based on your entry path to the site.
- Optional information (deliberately sent)
when you send us an e-mail: your name, e-mail address, and
the content of your e-mail.
when you complete online forms: all the data you choose
to fill in or confirm. This may include credit or debit card
information if you are ordering a product or making a payment,
as well as information about other people if you are providing
it for delivery purposes, etc.
The Way We Use Information
As a general rule, JMU does not track individual visitor profiles.
We do, however, analyze aggregate traffic/access information for
resource management and site planning purposes. JMU reserves the
right to use log detail to investigate resource management or security
concerns.
Client information is used to route the requested Web page
to your computer for viewing. In theory, the requested Web page
and the routing information could be discerned by other entities
involved in transmitting the requested page to you. We do not
control the privacy practices of those entities.
We may keep client information from our systems indefinitely
after the Web page is transmitted, but we do not cross-reference
it to the individuals who browse our Web site. However, on rare
occasions when a "hacker" attempts to breach computer security,
logs of access information are retained to permit a security
investigation. In such cases the logs may be further analyzed
or forwarded together with any other relevant information in
our possession to law enforcement agencies.
Under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, records in our
possession at the time of a Freedom of Information Request might
be subject to inspection by or disclosure to members of the
public. As indicated above, client information may be retained
after transmission of the requested Web page and might be available
for inspection.
Essential and nonessential technical information lets us respond
to your request in an appropriate format [or in a personalized
manner] and helps us plan Web site improvements. To expedite
this process, some official James Madison University Web sites
use "cookies." Usually a cookie enables the university Web site
to tailor what you see according to the way you entered the
site (i.e., if you entered by pushing a button identifying yourself
as a student, your subsequent views of information might be
tailored for student audiences).
We also use non-identifying and aggregate information to better
design our Web site. For example, we may determine that X number
of individuals visited a certain area on our Web site, or that
Y number of men and Z number of women filled out a particular
registration form. But we do not disclose information that could
identify those specific individuals.
Optional information enables us to provide services or information
tailored more specifically to your needs, to forward your message
or inquiry to another entity that is better able to do so, and
to plan Web site improvements.
We use the information you provide about yourself or about
someone else when placing a request for service only to complete
that order or request. We do not share this information with
outside parties, except to the extent necessary to complete
that order or request.
We generally use return e-mail addresses only to answer the
e-mail we receive. Such addresses are generally not used for
any other purpose and by university and state policy are not
shared with outside parties.
Finally, we never use or share the personally identifiable
information provided to us online in ways unrelated to the purpose
described without a clear notice on the particular site and
without also providing you an opportunity to opt-out or otherwise
prohibit such unrelated uses.
Providing Information is Your Choice
There is no legal requirement for you to provide any information
at our Web site. However, our Web site will not work without routing
information and the essential technical information. Failure of
your browser to provide nonessential technical information will
not prevent your use of our Web site but may prevent certain features
from working. For any optional information that is requested at
the Web site, failure to provide the requested information will
mean that the particular feature or service associated with that
part of the Web page may not be available to you.
Our Commitment To Data Security
James Madison University is dedicated to preventing unauthorized
data access, maintaining data accuracy, and ensuring the appropriate
use of information. We strive to put in place appropriate physical,
electronic, and managerial safeguards to secure the information
we collect online. These security practices are consistent with
the policies of the university and with the laws and regulatory
practices of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
How To Contact Us
Should you have other questions or concerns about these privacy
policies and practices, please call us at (540) 568-3712 or send
us an e-mail at webmaster@jmu.edu. If you wish to review or change
information gathered about you via an official James Madison University
web site but you do not know how, the university webmaster will
assist in locating the persons responsible for that site so that
you may make your request directly to them.
|
