Many College employees have access to confidential information about the College, employees, students, or other data. Employees must realize that some of their work is of a very confidential nature and should not be discussed with anyone. In the wrong hands, this information could harm students, the College, or others. There are certain business matters to which only members of the office staff should have access. Every employee has an ethical and legal obligation to the College to maintain confidentiality.
Confidential information includes any information the College treats as proprietary or designates as confidential, whether owned or developed by the College. By way of example, this includes:
- Trade secrets;
- Donor and alumni data;
- Student data;
- Statistical data;
- Software programs, computer information, or computer codes;
- Financial information;
- Business/marketing strategies;
- Pending projects and proposals;
- Technological data and prototypes; and
- Employees’ personally identifying information (e.g., medical information, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, etc.).
Employees may neither seek to benefit personally nor permit others to benefit through the use of confidential information obtained as a result of their work assignment.
There shall be no disclosure of any confidential information to anyone outside the College without appropriate authorization. Employees may not directly or indirectly reveal, report, publish, disclose, or transfer confidential information without the approval of their supervisor. Employees are encouraged to be cautious with confidential material and to keep it secure at all times, both at work and when off duty.
Employee and/or student information contained in College systems is to be used solely for College business purposes only. Access and/or use of this information for personal use or benefit or for the use or benefit of anyone outside the College is strictly prohibited. Release of employee information is permitted by Human Resources only.
Release of student information is permitted by Academic Affairs only.
Documents or records of any type, or any summaries or copies of any such documents or records, whether in paper, magnetic, digital or electronic format, must not be removed from the office where the employee works, disclosed, or discussed for any purpose without specific authorization from the direct supervisor of an employee. Confidential information must not be distributed, posted, or placed on the Internet, or transmitted via Internet, email, voice mail, fax, cell phone, text message, or any other method without specific authorization from the direct supervisor. None of the physical files in any office may be inspected without the consent of an authorized person. When physical files are taken from an office, permission must be given, and a written receipt placed prominently in the file to show where it temporarily resides.
Any questions regarding the confidential nature of information should be directed to Compliance Office. Employees who violate this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to, and including, termination of employment and/or the exercise of any other right or remedy by the College. Pursuant to the federal Defense of Trade Secrets Act, an individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that (1) is made in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (2) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual files any document containing the trade secret under seal and does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.