Alumni Information Policy – Clemson Alumni Association

Effective 4/12/10

Clemson University maintains information containing biographical, academic, demographic and gift information on alumni, donors and friends. This information exists exclusively to support the work of Clemson University and to assist the University community in transacting business related to Clemson University programs. Much of this information is protected under various state and federal laws and may not be used in violation of those laws. Alumni information records, both hard-copy and electronic, are highly confidential and protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Additionally, the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) defines much of the information received, created and maintained by Clemson University to be “public information” and disclosure of those records is mandated by the specific provisions of FOIA. The S.C. Family Rights to Privacy Act prohibits disclosure of personal information about an employee, student or other person for any commercial purpose, unless the individual has consented to such release. The Clemson Alumni Association seeks to provide assistance for programs, communications, and events, which bring together Clemson alumni. In order to provide the best possible service to those with legitimate needs for such information, and at the same time maintain the confidentiality of the information entrusted to us by our alumni, the following policies have been developed and approved by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. The purpose of the Alumni Association Information Policy is to provide guidance regarding the receipt, maintenance, use and disclosure of any information contained in the alumni database.

If at any time you have questions about this policy, please contact Dana Morgan, Director, Marketing and Communications, Clemson Alumni Association, 864-656-2345 or dmorg@clemson.edu.

Legitimate and lawful information requests by employees or alumni will be routed to the Alumni Association for review and approval. All requests for information from members of the media or government relations must be referred to the Clemson University Office of Public Affairs. Information from the Alumni database is not available for release for commercial or political purposes at any time. No information will be released to vendors or third party partners unless approved by the Alumni Association. If approved, vendors will be required to sign a confidentiality form.

By agreeing to the user acknowledgement statement, you are required to abide by the policies as outlined below:

• Alumni information provided may only be used for the purpose intended and the purpose must be legitimate and lawful in nature.

• The sale or transfer of the information to another party is strictly prohibited.

• Information is provided for a one-time communication purpose only and is approved for university-related activities only. University-related activities include: Alumni relations, public relations, research, continuing education programs, giving requests, and recruitment.

• Approved requestors must have authority and or responsibility for the business, organization, or group for which they are requesting information.

• An alumnus may request information from the database on behalf of a group or club they represent or have oversight authority as long as the alumni group is recognized by the Clemson Alumni Association. Information provided to volunteer alumni constituent groups will be limited to those alumni who are affiliated with the requesting group.

• The Alumni Association must receive a copy of the material to be distributed before the requested information is released.

• A request for demographic data may be provided but would include no personal details.

• Absolute confidentiality of the information provided is expected and is the responsibility of the requestor.

REQUESTOR CATEGORIES: All requests for alumni information must be submitted through the Clemson Alumni Association via the Alumni Information online request form @ https://cualumni.clemson.edu/inforequest and linked from the Alumni homepage www.clemson.edu/alumni. The following may request information from the Alumni Association database:

• Alumni constituent groups, in support of approved activities

• University-affiliated organizations and employees

• Other colleges and universities seeking the location of alumni with degrees from both Clemson and the requesting institution.

• Law enforcement, government, student loan, and alumni locator agencies

• Media

• Alumni Association corporate sponsors

INFORMATION AVAILABLE: Lists will provide: Name, Address, City, State and Zip. Phone number may be requested, if applicable. Lists can be requested for breakdown of state, college, major, degree, zip code. Other sorts may be available upon requests and all are pending available data in the Raiser’s Edge alumni database. No information will be released to any internal or external requestor for the purpose of commercial solicitation.

For those requesting individual information on alumni classmates, they will be referred to www.clemson.edu/alumni to the Alumni Directory where they will find name and contact information for any alumni who has made their information available for access. All requests seeking information on another person will be forwarded to that person so that he/she can decide whether or not to contact the requestor. No information will be released for those records coded “Do Not Release” indicating the alumnus or alumna has requested no University contact.

COMMUNICATION TO ALUMNI: Approved requests for information may be used for demographics analysis or for communications purposes. Upon review and approval of an alumni communication, the requestor will be provided with a mailing list file including name and address in an MSExcel, .xls, or .csv file unless another format has been agreed upon. Email addresses will not be provided to requestors as we ask that all email communications be sent through our centralized email utility and will be scheduled and distributed to your specified audience by the Alumni Association. All requests for communications must be submitted through the Clemson Alumni Association through the Alumni Information online request form. ESTIMATED TIMING: All requests for information release or communication to alumni should be submitted at least ten business days prior to the requested date. COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK INFORMATION: Clemson University and Alumni Association logos, names, trademarks and service marks are property of the Clemson Alumni Association or Clemson University. Display or use of these marks requires prior written permission by these entities.

The Alumni Association respects the intellectual property of others and ask that our users to do the same. Please review the University’s full copyright policy at http://www.lib.clemson.edu/copyright/. COMPLIANCE: Your agreement to this Alumni Information Policy must include your willingness to respect our constituents’ right to privacy, to deal discretely with the information to which you are exposed, and to avoid disseminating confidential information to anyone not directly affiliated with the Clemson Alumni Association. Failure to abide by any of the policies may result in denial of access to information contained in the Alumni database.

Our policies are created to protect our alumni and donor information, to maintain the confidentiality of the data. All efforts are made to provide the most accurate and appropriate data for the specific use. If there is a question about the appropriate use of alumni information or whether or not alumni information should be released, the final decision will be made by the Sr. Director of Alumni Relations.

EU Residents:
Complete this form to provide consent to receive communication from Clemson University.