Procedure 5.6.7: Confidentiality and Security of Student Information for Enrollment Management

Effective Date: Tue, Aug 12, 2008

The HCC Enrollment Management Office complies with the Confidentiality and Security of Student Information Policyby implementing the following operational procedures. The Enrollment Management Office also complies with the campus-wide Procedure for Confidentiality and Security of Student Information

Accessing Student Information

  1. Student logins to Haywired, WebAdvisor, and Blackboard are issued upon enrollment at HCC. Students’ login ID is their first and middle initial and their last name in all lower case. Passwords… BB- Colleague ID; WA & Haywired – Bdate for first login. Requires password to be changed immediately.
  2. Student information can only be accessed by appropriate HCC personnel or the student, per FERPA laws. Parents may access student information only with approval by the student in writing (HCC Catalog, pg. x)

Collecting Student Information

  1. Transcripts and other required records must be official copies only from the transmitting institution.

Distributing Student Information

  1. Email communication cannot include the following student information: birthdates, social security numbers or confidential information. All e-mail correspondence to and from Haywood Community College email addresses are subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law (G. S. 132.1- G. S. 132.10), which may result in monitoring and disclosure to third parties, including law enforcement.

Processing Student Information

  1. Student folder labels include the Student Name and the Student Colleague ID number. There is no reference of the student’s social security number on the outside of the student file. Hard copy records are scanned into AIG Document Imaging Solution and security and confidentiality protocol for digital records follow the campus wide procedure for security and confidentiality of student information.

Protecting Student Information

  1. Offices/front desk—files are returned to the vault at the end of each day, or after use during the day. Files are not left unattended in any office/front desk area.
  2. Vault—Fire resistant, access only by appropriate HCC personnel
  3. Back-up of all digital records is performed daily
  4. Student Information is restricted and housed in networks accessible only by appropriate personnel; student information is not stored on desktop hard drives.

Storing Student Information

  1. All hard copies of student curriculum records are kept in a fireproof vault located in Student Development Services. At the end of each business days, all files and student documents (i.e. transcripts, applications, etc.) are returned to the vault for security purposes.
  2. All digital records are stored on a server in the 200 Building Technology Office
  3. Security and confidentiality protocol for digital records follow the campus wide procedure for security and confidentiality of student information.

Using Student Information

  1. As part of the NC Community College System, HCC implemented Colleague operating system in 2006. As part of that system, student ID’s are generated for use instead of the social security number or birth date. The student ID is used in all communications regarding students, such as reports, internally. The social security and birth dates are used only on official transcripts, which have to be verified at the receiving institution, as the student ID only applies to HCC student records.
  2. Access is provided to HCC personnel based on need to know.

Transmitting Student Information

  1. Transcripts are prepared in a sealed envelope and sent only with the written request of the student.

Disposing of Student Information

  1. All documents containing student information, once scanned, is shredded at the end of each business day.
  2. After purging hard copies of selected records in the vault, per purge schedule, documents are shredded before disposal.

Business Continuity

  1. Enrollment management has on file a process for continuation of business in case of interruption
  2. This EM process is articulated in HCC’s Business Continuity Plan.

Responsibility for Security and Confidentiality of Student Information and Records

The Director of Enrollment Management is responsible for the security and confidentiality of student information and records with regard to the Enrollment Management Office

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