Fort Lewis College Privacy Statement

Commitment to Individual Privacy

Fort Lewis College (FLC) is committed to protecting the privacy and accuracy of confidential information submitted by employees, students, and visitors. Since  Fort Lewis College is a public institution, some information collected, including information gathered from the  from the FLC web sites, may be subject to the Colorado Public (Open) Records Act. Thus, in some cases FLC may be compelled by law to release information gathered from our Web servers. This may include server log information, e-mail messages sent to an individual identified on the web site, and information collected from web-based forms.

Colorado Public (Open) Records Act (C.R.S. 24-72 201 et seq.)

The State of Colorado requires that all public records be open for inspection by any person at reasonable times, except as otherwise provided by law. Under the Colorado Public (Open) Records Act, all records made or maintained by a state institution such as FLC are “public,” regardless of the format or medium of such records. Certain personal information may be protected by state and federal law. However, all information becomes a public record once it is provided and may be subject to public inspection and copying, if not protected by federal or state law.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g)

FLC complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. §1232g, which generally prohibits the release of education records other than public directory information, without the student’s permission.  For more information about FERPA and the current FLC FERPA policy please see the Registrar’s web site.  Students who wish to have their personally identifiable information removed from the campus directory should notify the Registrar’s Office.

Information Collection

It is FLC’s policy to collect the least amount of personally identifiable information required to fulfill its required duties and responsibilities, to complete a particular transaction, deliver a services, or as required by state and federal law. This policy applies to the collection of all personally identifiable information, regardless of the source or medium.

For site administration functions, information, other than personal information linked to a particular individual, is collected for analysis and statistical purposes of Web site navigation. This information is used to help diagnose problems, assess what information is of most interest, determine technical design specifications, identify and manage system performance and/or problem areas, and other administration functions.
You may choose whether or not to provide personal information to FLC via the Internet. If you choose not to provide the personal information we request, you can still visit most of FLC Web sites, but you may be unable to access certain options, offers, and services that involve our interaction with you.

Security

Wherever your personal information may be held within FLC or on its behalf, we intend to take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect the information that you share with us from unauthorized access or disclosure.

In the event of unauthorized access or disclosure (breach) of  personally identifiable information (PII) limited to full name, social security number and or credit card number, FLC will notify, to the best of our ability, the individuals of the security breach within 14 days, provided notification will not impede a law enforcement investigation.  A breach will be determined by the following factors:

• Was there unauthorized access to PII
• Was PII actually acquired
• Was the PII data unencrypted
• Has illegal or misuse of the PII data occurred
• Likelihood of reasonable harm to the individual

Browser Cookies

Some of our Web pages utilize "cookies." A "cookie" is a small text file that may be used, for example, to collect information about Web site activity. Some cookies may serve to recall personal information previously indicated by a Web user.  Most browsers allow you to control cookies, including whether or not to accept them and how to remove them. You may set most browsers to notify you if you receive a cookie, or you may choose to block cookies with your browser.  If you do choose to block cookies with your browser, some FLC web sites may no longer work for you.

Accuracy and Security of Confidential Information

FLC makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the personal information retained about individuals is accurate. Every faculty member, staff member and student has the ability to check and update personal information such as his or her address, phone number, etc. online at https://webopus.fortlewis.edu.  FLC deploys industry standard security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, or unauthorized alteration or release of personal information stored in electronic form.

Third Party Services

On FLC’s behalf, third parties may provide certain services available on FLC web sites. FLC may provide information, including personal information, to third-party service providers to help us deliver programs, products, information and services. FLC will take reasonable steps to ensure that these third-party service providers are obligated to protect personal information on our behalf.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this privacy statement should NOT be construed as giving business, legal, or other advice, or as warranting the security of information provided through the FLC web sites.  FLC web sites contain links to many external web sites.  FLC is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these external web sites.

Comments and Feedback

Please send comments, questions or concerns to privacy@fortlewis.edu.  When sending us comments, please include a current e-mail address. Please do not send attachments with the message