Website Privacy Policy for Ferris State University and Affiliated Entities
Effective: March 1, 2017
Policy: 2017:08
This website (the “Site”) is owned and operated by Ferris State University (“Ferris State”, “Ferris”, “we”, or “us”), and this Privacy Policy explains our collection, use, and disclosure practices regarding information that we collect through the Site. Please review this Privacy Policy periodically as we may update it from time to time. Each time you visit our Site or provide us with information, you are, by doing so, accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy at that time, and you acknowledge that by using the Site you are expressly and affirmatively consenting to our use and disclosure of the information you provide in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We value the privacy of our website visitors. We will collect and use your information only as explained in this Privacy Policy.
Summary
This section gives a brief overview of our data collection and use policies. Please see below for a more detailed discussion of each topic.
We collect the following information through the Site:
• Information that your browser routinely shares with websites.
• Personal information that you provide on a voluntary basis.
Your information is used and disclosed for the following purposes:
• To provide information regarding programs, events, or services that you request.
• To register you for events or services that you request.
• To provide you with information regarding our programs, services, products or events, or those of our agents and affiliated organizations, that you have expressed interest in or that we believe you may be interested in.
• To help us improve our Site and better understand our Site’s users and their preferences.
• To our contractors who provide supporting services so that they can access information needed for such services, but only on terms consistent with this policy.
• To protect our business interests or the rights of others, when required by law, to cooperate with law enforcement.
The Site may use the following types of tracking technology:
• Cookies, web beacons and similar technology tracks movement across our Site and keeps track of our registered users and their preferences.
• Our current web analytics service is Google Analytics. To understand how Google Analytics collects and processes data, please visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/ .
Other details about our practices:
• Although the Site may contain links to other websites not owned or operated by Ferris State or its affiliated organizations, this Privacy Policy applies only to those sites owned or operated by us or our affiliated organizations.
• We use your personal information only for the purposes for which it is collected and consistent with this policy, and we retain your information as permitted by applicable law.
• We do not intend to collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13.
• We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, but we will allow you to opt in to any retroactive material changes in how we use your personal information.
How we collect information
Personal information that you provide:
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you use the Site or inquire about our products and services, such as your name, email address, and mailing address. When we ask for your personal information, it is so that we can provide a product or service to you and communicate with you about those products and services. It will always be your choice whether to provide your personal information in order to take advantage of the Site’s features. However, you may not be able to access certain portions or features of the Site, register for certain events, or register to receive additional information about our programs and services without providing some personal information.
Information provided by your web browser:
Like many other websites, we may collect and record data that your web browser routinely shares, such as your internet protocol address, browser type, operating system, the website from which you came, and the pages on this Site that you visit (collectively “Aggregate Information”). We will not try to associate any Aggregate Information with any personal information that you provide to us. All Aggregate Information that is collected on the Site is collected via Google Analytics. For more information about how Google Analytics collects and processes data, please visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.
What We Do With the Personal Information We Receive
We will generally use the information that we collect to help us operate the Site, to provide requested services, to provide information about requested programs, and to help us understand our users and their preferences. The following sections provide a more specific discussion of our uses and disclosures of information that we collect. We will seek your consent before we use or disclose your personal information for any other purposes.
To register you for events or programs and to provide requested products and services:
We may use your information to provide you with the products and services that you request and to communicate with you about events and programs that you have registered for on the Site. For example, when you register on the Site for an event, we may use your contact information to send you communications regarding the event, or when you request additional information about one of our programs or services, we will use your information to communicate with you about that program or service.
To provide you with information about products or services that you may be interested in:
We may also use your information to provide you with information about our programs, services, products or events, or those of our agents and affiliated organizations, that you have expressed interest in or that we believe you may be interested in. However, you will always be free to opt-out of receiving such additional information if you choose.
Statistical analyses of the information:
We currently use Google Analytics to help us gather Aggregate Information. We may use this information to gain a better understanding of our Site’s users and to improve our Site, our services, products, or program offerings, or our student recruitment efforts. Depending on the type of browser and device that you use, you may have the ability to control the type of information that Google Analytics uses.
Information shared with our business partners:
We may use business partners to help us design and operate the Site or provide other services to support the Site. For example, we may hire a company to host the Site, run certain website applications, help us analyze the Aggregate Information we collect from the Site, or improve the Site, or our products, services, and recruitment efforts. Unless otherwise indicated on the Site, if we allow any these business partners to access the personal information that we collect, it will be for limited purposes and in compliance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Law enforcement and legal actions:
We reserve the right to release your information without prior notice when we believe it is appropriate to prevent fraud; to comply with law or to cooperate with law enforcement activity or other governmental request; to respond to subpoenas, court orders or administrative agency requests for information; to enforce our policies; to protect the rights, property and safety of our business and of others; or when required or otherwise permitted by law. For example, we may share information with law enforcement if we suspect that someone is using or attempting to use our Site for illegal reasons.
Use of Cookies and Similar Technology
We use cookies to keep track of the Site’s users and for their protection and convenience. A “cookie” is a small text file containing alphanumeric characters that is stored on your computer and uniquely identifies your web browser. Cookies allow us to, for example, authenticate users, determine if this is a user’s first visit to our Site, and remember our user’s preferences. We may allow business partners, such as Google Analytics, who provide services to our Site to place cookies on your computer that assist us in analyzing usage data. We do not allow these business partners to collect your personal information from our website. Most Internet browsers enable you to erase cookies from your computer hard drive, block all cookies, or receive a warning before a cookie is stored. Please be aware however, that some of the Site’s features or services may not function properly without cookies. For more information about how Google Analytics collects and processes data, please visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.
How We Protect Your Personal Information
We use commercially reasonable means to protect the integrity of the Site and to limit access to the personal information we collect through the Site, and to protect the security of information during transmission on the Site. However, we cannot provide absolute assurances against, and will not be liable for, any breaches of data security or confidentiality due to system failures or unauthorized access by third parties, or other causes beyond our reasonable control.
Changes to This Policy
Our business and the laws that regulate us change from time to time, and we reserve the right to change this policy. If we do change this policy, we will post the revised version on this Site. If we propose to change our policy in a way that would permit us to make additional uses of the personal information that we had previously collected about you, we will obtain your affirmative, express consent before using your information in a materially different way.
Children
We will not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13. If you are under the age of 13, please do not try to register for an event, program, or service on the Site, and do not submit your personal information. If you are a parent or guardian who believes that we have collected information about your child who is under the age of 13, please contact us at (see below) with your child's name and address, and we will be happy to delete the information we have about your child from our records and provide information in accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Do-Not-Track
At this time the Site does not recognize automated browser signals regarding tracking mechanisms, which may include “do not track” instructions. However, you can change your privacy preferences regarding the use of cookies and similar technologies through your browser.
Contacting Us
Please contact us at one of the following and let us know if you have any questions or comments about our policies and practices.
Ferris State University: tedhalm@ferris.edu
Kendall College of Art and Design (including Design West Michigan and Wege Prize): kcadprivacy@ferris.edu
Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts: privacy@uica.org