Mount Wachusett Community College Privacy Policy
The following policy applies only to the use of MWCC’s Web site: www.mwcc.edu. As you navigate the site, you may see links that, when clicked, will take you to other Web sites operated by other organizations. MWCC is not responsible for the content or policies of these sites. These Web sites have individual privacy policies tailored to the interactions available through each site. We strongly suggest that you read the privacy policies for each Web site that you visit, and any external site that you visit through a link appearing at this site.
The use of our site is governed by the MWCC Acceptable Use Policies.
Web Site Access Privacy
The College will use reasonable efforts to maintain the privacy of users accessing its web site. As with all online services, however, MWCC cannot guarantee users of its web site absolute privacy over their use. In some cases, web site user information may be subject to disclosure under state or federal public record or freedom of information laws. Further, while the College has in place a variety of security measures to safeguard against illegal access of information obtained through its web site, the College cannot provide complete assurance against illegal access. Additionally, information obtained through the College’s web site may be disclosed in the course of a civil or criminal investigation.
This policy informs you of the information that we may collect from you at this site, what we do with it, to whom it may be disseminated, and how you can access it. Based on this information, you can make an informed choice about your use of this site. You can maximize your privacy by making informed choices about whether to share personal data with us through this site.
Personal Data- We use the term "personal data" to mean any information that could reasonably be used to identify you, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, Social Security number, birth date, bank account information, credit card information, or any combination of information that could be used to identify you.
Information Voluntarily Provided By You
This site may collect voluntary information from you in four different ways: through a survey and e-mails, a personalization feature, an authentication feature, and the use of electronic payment functionality.
Surveys, online forms, and e-mail - This site may collect voluntary information from you through the surveys, online forms, and through any e-mail messages you choose to send to the addresses associated with this site. The surveys and online forms may collect personally identifiable information. Any e-mail messages sent by you to this site will contain personally identifiable information such as your e-mail address and any other information you choose to give us to help us answer your inquiry.
Personalization - In addition, should functionality such as personalization be added which enables you to create a personalized view of information that is specific to your interests, please be advised that such a service may result in your disclosure to the College of personal data, such as your name, passwords, and/or email address. Your decisions regarding the type and level of information that you provide to the Web site will determine the level of personalization possible. Your ability to navigate the Web site on your own is in no way affected by your choice to use the feature. Should the personalization service be made available, you must first register with the Web site by choosing a name (which need not be your legal name) and password and providing your e-mail address.
Authentication - In order to engage in certain on-line transactions, and access certain restricted on-line information, you will also be required to be a member of the college community with appropriate access privileges controlled by a user-name and password. (If you are already registered with MWCC and have a user name and password, you don't have to register again). The authentication features vary from service to service and different user-names may be required.
Electronic Payments - The Web site provides access to various electronic payment options for fees and tuition expenses. In order to use these features, you will have to provide certain information necessary to process your payment(s), including personally identifiable information such as your name, address and credit card number.
Electronic payments options are also offered through the use of an outside vendor. In this case, payment options are offered through their Web site(s). As with all Web sites administered by other organizations and linked to MWCC’s Web site, MWCC is not responsible for the content or policies of these sites. These Web sites have individual privacy policies.
Communication
Through MWCC’s Web site, you may subscribe to the college’s newsletter and/or receive information on upcoming events via e-mail. You may opt-in or opt-out to these services at any time by following the instructions contained in the messages and on the Web page that allows you to subscribe.
Information Automatically Collected and Stored by This Site
This Web site may, in the future, use permanent "cookies".
This site does collect and store indefinitely your "Internet Protocol ("IP") address," (which does not identify you as an individual), as well as information about the date and time of your visit, whether a file you have requested exists, and how many "bytes" of information were transmitted to you over the Web from this site. We use your IP address to assess the frequency of visits to this site and the popularity of its various pages and functions. The College does not attempt to match any personal data that you provide via use of the College’s Web Site with your IP address, unless requested or required to do so pursuant to state or federal law, or as part of an investigation conducted by the College into misuse of its web site.
Dissemination of Your Personal Data
The College will not sell or redistribute for commercial purposes any personal data voluntarily provided by you through your use of its web site. Personal data may be released, however, pursuant to a request for such data in accordance with state or federal public record or freedom of information laws, or in the course of a civil or criminal investigation. Further, if you are a student at the College, any personal data released by the College shall be done in accordance with the Federal Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
In addition, the information that you voluntarily submit will be disclosed only to Commonwealth employees or officials, or those under contract with the Commonwealth, with a "need to know" for purposes of fulfilling their job responsibilities. The information may be used to answer your questions, respond to any requests for assistance, personalize your on-line experience, authenticate you for access to certain transactions and information, process and give you credit for any payment transactions, aid in the planning, design and development of the Web site, and fulfill the college's legal obligations.
We will collect and aggregate the information you provide through any surveys for purposes of market research to improve this Web site by making it more responsive to customer needs. Where appropriate, we may provide the information submitted by you through an e-mail to the person responsible for the matters referred to in your communication. We will only use information provided by you for the personalization feature to provide you with a customized experience, and the information provided by you for the authentication feature for the purposes of authenticating you. We will transmit your electronic payment information to contracted payment processors and appropriate organizations, college divisions, and/or Commonwealth agencies for the purpose of completing your payment transactions.
Your Access and Opportunity To Correct
The College may maintain personal data you disclosed during your use of its web site. If you would like to review your personal data, if any, maintained by the College, please contact the director of marketing at 978-630-9392.
Changes to the Privacy Policy
Any significant changes made by the College to this policy will be prominently noted on its Web Site.
Security
Because e-mail sent to the college is not encrypted, you should not send messages containing information that you consider highly sensitive to any address on this Web site.
We use standard security measures to ensure that information provided by you, including your personally identifiable information, is not lost, misused, altered, or unintentionally destroyed. We also use software to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Except for those grounds previously stated, no attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. The transmission of registration IDs and passwords, personalization information, and payment information to this Web site is encrypted.
Definitions
Cookies - Cookies are files that a Web site can place on your computer. A cookie file contains unique information that a Web site can use to track such things as your password, lists of Web pages you have visited, and the date when you last looked at a specific web page, or to identify your session at a particular Web site. A cookie file allows the Web site to recognize you as you click through pages on the site and when you later revisit the site. A Web site can use cookies to "remember" your preferences, and to record your browsing behavior on the Web. Although you can prevent Web sites from placing cookies on your computer by using your browser's preference menu, disabling cookies may affect your ability to view or interact with some Web sites.
Fair Information Practices Act - The Fair Information Practices Act is a state law that regulates the manner in which certain state agencies maintain non-public, personal data. The Act is found at Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 66A.
Internet Protocol Address - An Internet Protocol Address or "IP Address" is a series of numbers that identifies each computer and machine connected to the Internet. An IP address enables a server on a computer network to send you the file that you have requested on the Internet. The IP address disclosed to us may identify the computer from which you are accessing the Internet, or a server owned by your Internet Service Provider. Because it is machine-specific, rather than person-specific, an IP address is not, in and of itself, personally identifiable information.
Public Records Law - The Public Records Law is a state law that regulates the maintenance of public records in the possession, custody or control of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Law is found at Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 66 and Chapter 4, Section 7(26).
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act – The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that regulates the maintenance and distribution of student record information by the institutions of higher education. The law is found at 20 U.S.C.1232(g), with regulations at 34 C.F.R. 99.
For more information about MWCC’s Privacy Policy
Contact:
Ann S. McDonald
Executive Vice President
Mount Wachusett Community College
444 Green Street
Gardner, MA 01440
(978) 630-9164
amcdonald@mwcc.mass.edu