Privacy and Security Policy

Sul Ross State University has created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this web site: www.sulross.edu.

Web addresses with the ~ (tilde) following the web site and personal web sites at http://faculty.sulross.edu are maintained by university individuals and departments and are not covered by this privacy statement. This site contains links to other sites. Sul Ross State University (www.sulross.edu) is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites.

Collecting Information

The site uses forms for students, faculty, staff and visitors to request information, products and services. The university collects contact information (such as e-mail addresses) and unique identifiers (such as Social Security numbers) for university business such as university registration and/or sending catalogs to potential students.

Some of the online services of www.sulross.edu may use cookies. A cookie is a small text file that a web site stores on a visitor's personal computer to track specific information about that visitor's interaction with the web site. The services may use both session cookies and persistent cookies.

A session cookie is temporary and only exists during a single session in which a visitor visits www.sulross.edu. Session cookies are used to keep track of a particular online transaction. Persistent cookies continue to exist after a few minutes of inactivity, after the browser is closed or after a visitor completes a single session.

Sul Ross State University cookies are not used to match visitor activities with personally identifiable information. The web site also does not use web bugs or any other technology to track user activity other than those stated in this policy.

If you send us an electronic mail message with a question or comment that contains personally identifying information, or fill out a form that e-mails us this information, we will only use the personally-identifiable information to respond to your request and analyze trends. We may redirect your message to another government agency or person who is in a better position to answer your question.

We may use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our web site.

For site management functions, information is collected for analysis and statistical purposes. These purposes include:

• Assessing the usability of the Sul Ross State University web site
• Determining what information is of most interest to visitors to the site
• Establishing technical design specifications
• Measuring system performance
• Identifying potential issues associated with the interface or operation of the site

This information is not reported or used in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information and will not be released to any outside parties unless legally required to do so in connection with law enforcement investigations or other legal proceedings.

Public Forums

This site makes chat rooms, forums, message boards and/or news groups available to its users. Please remember that any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.

Security

This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.

Sul Ross State University uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for secure transmissions. SSL applies encryption between two computers, in this case the individual's personal computer and the web server. As a minimum, the following information will be protected when transmitted to Texas Online:

• Social Security Number
• All credit, debit and charge card numbers
• Bank account and electronic check information
• Transaction payment information
• Personal identification numbers and passwords
• E-mail addresses

A web browser will automatically activate the appropriate security features when initiating a transaction on www.sulross.edu.

Access to Information

Unless a governmental body is authorized to withhold the information from an individual under Texas Government Code, Section 552.03 (Special Right of Access to Confidential Information), individuals are entitled to receive the information collected through www.sulross.edu. Individuals are entitled to receive and review that information and to have Sul Ross State University correct inaccurate information. The request to correct information should be directed to the university department responsible for the management of that information.

Pursuant to the Texas Government Code, Chapter 552, the university may charge a fee to an individual who requests information about the data collected about him or her. However, the university may not charge a fee to the individual to correct the information.

For more on privacy and access to information, see the SRSU Information Security Policy, part of the Administrative Policy Manual.

Contacting the Web Site

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site or other questions or concerns regarding this web site, you may e-mail the Chief Information Officer.