University officials are changing the way information is shared from professors to students.
Officials of the Department of Education are requiring universities to update their network and data security policies.
Denise Flis, senior director of student financial services and enrollment management, said the new policies are to ensure there is not a breach of information.
The types of information affected are forms of “personally identifiable information,” according to information produced by Flis.
Documentation with this information will no longer be accepted through email or fax between students and teachers.
Campus technology officials are providing secure platforms in the form of the SharePoint or the BlueLink portals. SharePoint can be accessed by logging into Office 365 and clicking the “Sharepoint” tile.
“A secure network protects against unauthorized access and misuse of a network,” Flis said.
Flis said Gerry Hunt, chief information officer, and his staff are responsible for making sure the campus network meets security standards.
“While internal email communication is generally secure, student financial services is choosing enhanced protection to limit the risk of exposing confidential information,” Flis said.
New policies require universities to have a security program written in one or more accessible parts containing administrative, technical and physical safeguards.
The goal is to ensure security of student information, Flis said.
“The university continually improves network security to protect our students, their parents and our campus community,” Flis said.
Chandler Hardy, economics senior, said she feels like this won’t impact students too much because most students are operating under a secure system already. She also said she approves of the change.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects student records, limiting the people who can legally access the records.
“FERPA is centered around protecting the student, and, when questions arise about a professor, this will help track and monitor more of the grading process,” Hardy said. “On a different note, it just shows how little trust we have in our educators.”
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