Website Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to Personal Information that Ursinus College (“We,” “the College,” or “Ursinus”) collects when users visit its main website (www.ursinus.edu) and other sites which the College provides and has substantial control over and which link or refer to this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Sites”). For purposes of this Policy, “Personal Information” means information that can be used to contact or identify you and includes, but is not limited to, your name, address, phone number, and email address.

This Policy does not apply to Personal Information collected by means other than websites provided by the College. Additional policies may apply to Personal Information collected from members of our community (i.e., faculty, staff, and students) in other contexts. We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the users of our Sites. This Policy describes what Personal Information is collected, how and why it is collected, and how it may be used.

Information We Collect

Electronic mail and messaging software

When a user contacts a representative of the College using email or an electronic messaging service, Personal Information included in that message may be used to respond to the message or to provide a requested service or information. The message, or Personal Information in it, may be shared with College employees or third-party organizations acting on our behalf and who will have agreed to protect the confidentiality of the data in order to respond. Personal Information collected in this way, including email addresses and messaging usernames, is not given or sold for commercial purposes. The College may share this Personal Information when necessary, for instance, in response to valid law enforcement requests or to enforce other College policies or to ensure the safety of members of the College community.

Forms and Surveys

Ursinus College utilizes web forms and may occasionally conduct online surveys with our visitors, which may include Ursinus students, prospective students, alumni, faculty and staff and users who are not directly affiliated with Ursinus. Participation in such surveys is optional. Forms and surveys may, with the user’s permission, collect Personal Information. Data collected through this method may be shared with third-party organizations acting on our behalf and who will have agreed to protect the confidentiality of the data.

Cookies and Google Analytics

Ursinus College may use session and persistent cookies and similar technology to collect aggregate (non-personal) information about usage of the Sites by all of our users and to help us remember you and your preferences when you revisit the Sites. A cookie is a small data file that we transfer to your computer’s hard disk for record-keeping purposes. We may use persistent cookies to save your login information for future logins to the Sites. We may use session ID cookies to enable certain features of the Sites, to better understand how you interact with the Sites, and to monitor aggregate usage and web traffic routing on the Sites. Unlike persistent cookies, session cookies are deleted from your computer when you log off from the Sites and then close your browser. Cookies may stay on your browser into the future until they expire or you delete them. Some of these cookies are erased when you close your browser and some persist for a period of time.

The Sites also use Google Analytics, which is provided by Google Inc. It uses cookies to collect, for example, information about the operating system and the browser that you use, your Internet Protocol (IP) address, the website you previously accessed (referrer URL) and the date and time of your visit to the Sites. The College receives this data only in aggregated form. The information generated by cookies about the use of the Sites is transmitted to a Google server, which may be located within or outside of, the United States, and stored there. Google may use this information to evaluate your use of the Sites and provide insight to the College. Google may transfer this information to third parties insofar as it is required to do so by law or in order that data may be processed on Google’s behalf. You can visit https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies?hl=en-US to learn more about Google Analytics’ use of cookies.

Server logs

Ursinus College’s Sites may collect and store information sent by a web browser when it makes a request for web content, such as IP addresses. College servers may log and track an IP address upon access and as the user moves from web page to web page within the Sites. The College does not link IP addresses to personally identifiable information except as set forth in this Section, so the identity of users remains anonymous to the College. The College may use IP addresses to identify individuals when necessary, for instance in response to valid law enforcement requests or to enforce other College policies or to ensure the safety of members of the College community.

Sharing your Personal Information

The College may share Personal Information internally within the College to facilitate the provision of services to the College community, promote the safety and security of the College community, and ensure the functionality of the Sites. The College may also analyze Personal Information collected through the Sites for purposes including communications with members of the College community, research, and marketing.

We do not share your Personal Information with third parties except as required by law or in response to valid law enforcement requests, or with service providers acting on our behalf who have agreed to protect the confidentiality of the data.

Outside links

Ursinus College may include or provide links to content on websites belonging to other persons or organizations, and not to the College. The College may also partner with third parties to provide services on systems they provide. Those systems may have separate privacy policies governing third-party activity on their site which supersede this document. Ursinus does not control or make any representation concerning those persons’ or organizations’ collection and use of Personal Information.

Information Protection

We will take reasonable steps to protect the Personal Information collected via the Sites from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. The security of your Personal Information is important to us, but be advised that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. It is possible for collected Personal Information to be disclosed without the College’s permission or knowledge (for example, if an Internet host is “attacked” or otherwise compromised). For this reason, Ursinus disclaims any warranty or representation of privacy or non-disclosure of Personal Information collected through the use of the Sites.

We will make any legally required disclosures of any breach of the security, confidentiality, or integrity of your unencrypted, electronically stored “personal data” (as defined in applicable state statutes on security breach notification) to you via legally-prescribed means in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, insofar as consistent with: (i) the legitimate needs of law enforcement; or (ii) any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.

Changes to this Policy

We reserve the right at any time to modify, alter, or update this Privacy Policy. Your use of the Sites following any changes means that you agree to follow and be bound by the Privacy Policy as changed, subject to limitations under applicable law. Any change to this Privacy Policy shall be effective as to any user who has visited the Sites before the change was made. Please review this Policy periodically, and especially before you provide any Personal Information to us. The Privacy Policy was last updated on the date indicated below.

How to Contact Us

Should you have other questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about data that we collect from you, please e-mail privacy@ursinus.edu

 

Draft: June 22, 2021