I can't speak for any other Alumni Association, but if a graduate did
happen to tell us the whereabouts of a friend, we would never just
'grab' that information and start sending unsolicited mail. We contact
the alumnus/alumna to welcome them back. This means that we let them
know how we came about the information (hopefully the friends won't fall
out over this), show them what information we hold, including our DP
statement, and give them the chance to update us personally or to
opt-out of future communications.
We don't force people to have a relationship with us for life, but many
people do want that. Our graduates can also tell us the type of
communication they want, and the type they don't. It's not all or
nothing. We're slightly different to a commercial organisation, because
the friends also have a relationship with the university. Yes, they may
want to keep that in the past, and that's their choice. Personally, I
would hope a friend never gave out my personal details, and instead let
me know that I was considered "lost". Then it's in my control. An
individual can always tell us, "Don't try and find me. I want to be lost
to you". But we have to try all lawful ways of maintaining
relationships, and some people are grateful for it.
Kind regards,
Nicki
Nicki Hastie
Information Officer
Development and Alumni Office
Nottingham Trent University
Burton Street
Nottingham
NG1 4BU
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 8778
Fax: +44 (0)115 848 8788
Email: [log in to unmask]
Alumni - update your details and stay in touch through
Alumni Online at www.ntu.ac.uk/alumni
-----Original Message-----
From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carolyn Howard
Sent: 12 July 2007 15:25
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [data-protection] "lost" alumni
I can see the reasons for arguing that it is reasonable to post details
of lost alumni on the web; my concern would be with the process after
someone else identifies an individual as "lost" and decides to forward
their up-to-date information to the university. Is that processing for
doemstic purposes and therefore exempt from DPA, or not?
I have a similar concern with commercial organisations (usually
mail-order, or online DVD rental, say) that attempt to elicit friends'
details from existing customers for the purpose of drumming up extra
business.
Carolyn Howard
Solicitor
Leicester City Council
email: [log in to unmask]
ext: 29 6498
tel: 0116 252 6498
(Office hours: Mon a.m./Tue/Thu)
>>> "Hastie, Nicki" <[log in to unmask]> 12/07/2007 15:00 >>>
It is something that a lot of universities already do, or are intending
to do. I understand that the data protection issues have been discussed
with the Information Commission at length in previous years. Adrian
Beney has provided useful FAQs. Eg. see
http://www.beney.org.uk/faqs/detail.php?id=12
Nottingham Trent University currently has this information behind a
password login, only accessible to alumni who have registered with our
website. However, we are considering a move to a Lost Alumni directory
in the public domain so that our graduates can identify for themselves
that we believe them 'lost', or their other alumni friends can prompt
them to get in touch. We would aim to publish names, subjects and years
of graduation only. You are right to check your position on this
carefully, and we will be doing the same.
A number of universities already have public Lost Alumni Directories.
Here are a few examples:
Leicester University: http://www.le.ac.uk/alumni/lost.html
Bristol University:
http://www.alumni.bris.ac.uk/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=484&srcid=656
Durham University: http://www.dur.ac.uk/alumni/services/missing/
Kind regards,
Nicki
Nicki Hastie
Information Officer
Development and Alumni Office
Nottingham Trent University
Burton Street
Nottingham
NG1 4BU
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 8778
Fax: +44 (0)115 848 8788
Email: [log in to unmask]
Alumni - update your details and stay in touch through Alumni Online at
www.ntu.ac.uk/alumni
-----Original Message-----
From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Okey, Andrew
Sent: 12 July 2007 12:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [data-protection] "lost" alumni
A question for those of you in the HE sector:
Here at Lancaster maybe 50% of our total alumni records now have out of
date (or just unknown) mail addresses. The Alumni Office has come up
with the cunning plan of placing the name, graduation year and academic
subject of such students on a public part of the university website,
with an invitation to anyone (the alumnus themselves, their best friend,
their worst enemy etc etc) to submit the current address details for
these students.
I'm aware that other institutions do this, and the most typical
justification I've seen is that such information is already in the
public domain because degree results are published in newspapers.
However, we certainly don't publish our degree results anywhere (the
closest to the "public domain" they get is our Ceremonies Programme,
which is only available at ceremonies....though perhaps there's a
thriving blackmarket on Ebay or something?).
Anyway, what I'd like to know is - for those of you whose institutions
are doing this, what are you using as justification for making such
information so visibly public (around the world)? Are any of you in the
position of doing this even though you don't publish in the papers?
Has
anyone asked the OIC their opinion (and would you prefer me not to ask
in case the answer isn't what you'd want?!?).
Thanks
Andrew Okey
Administrative Officer
Student Registry
Lancaster University
[log in to unmask]
01524-592138 (internal ext: 92138)
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Nottingham Trent University has taken steps to ensure that this email and any attachments are virus-free, but we do advise that the recipient should check that the email and its attachments are actually virus free. This is in keeping with good computing practice.
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