Ball State University respects your privacy and has established policies and procedures to protect confidential information accepted from visitors and members of the university community. While Ball State makes use of numerous safeguards to protect information held by the university, it is important to keep in mind that no transmission of data over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure and therefore the university cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to university websites or which you may otherwise transmit via an electronic form or message. Any information you submit through the Internet is done at your own risk. Once information is accepted by the university however, we will use commercially reasonable methods and safeguards appropriate for the type and sensitivity of the information transmitted to Ball State University.
All students, employees, and others who make use of Ball State University information technology resources or services are subject to the “Information Technology Users’ Privileges and Responsibilities” policy (www.bsu.edu/security/itpolicy).
Ball State Websites Covered by This Policy
This policy applies to all content owners and site managers of the official university websites and web applications that are:
- created or maintained by or for academic, administrative, or auxiliary units of Ball State University
- websites that contain the “bsu.edu” address (www.bsu.edu)
- accessible by the general public
- websites that are controlled and managed by the university
Please keep in mind that Ball State individual, personal, and non-official websites that may be created by Ball State students, faculty, and staff should not be configured to request any confidential or personally identifiable information. Examples of confidential or personally identifiable information include, but are not limited to:
- social security numbers
- Ball State identification numbers
- credit card numbers
- passwords
- birthdates
Visitors to Ball State web sites should not enter confidential or personally identifiable information unless the web site uses encryption. One way to know whether a site uses encryption is if the Web address starts with https instead of http (i.e. https://my.bsu.edu uses encryption, while http://my.bsu.edu does not).
Information Collected by Ball State Websites
Automatic Collection
Ball State does not automatically collect personally identifiable information from public website visitors. Our logs may however include the Internet protocol (IP) address of the computer used to access the applicable site as well as other information including, but not limited to:
- the type of web browser used
- the operating systems used
- the date and time of visit
- the duration of visit
- your browser type
- the websites from which our visitors are referred to our site
- aggregate information collected by Google Analytics
We aggregate and use this information to determine general activity levels on our website as well as to identify broken links and related problems, and also to help organize the content on our website to make the most popular content easy to find.
Continued use of our website indicates consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of this information as described in this notice.
Active/Manual/Voluntary Collection
Certain sections of the Ball State website may ask for an email address or password for the purpose of sending you follow-up information. It is also possible to “opt in” to certain mailing lists for specific interests.
Most pages on the Ball State website do not collect names, telephone numbers, usernames, passwords, or other such information, however where this type of personal information is collected, the web page where it is requested will identify the purposes for which the information will be used. For example, personal information is required if you are filling out an online admissions form, paying tuition and fees, registering for class, or purchasing event tickets.
In no event shall an individual under the age of thirteen (13) be asked to provide personal information on any Ball State website. (See the section labeled “Children” for additional information.)
Other Methods for Gathering Information
In certain cases, Ball State contracts with third- party vendors to execute or provide a variety of business transactions, and in such cases we will disclose your e-mail address for the limited purpose of facilitating your request to receive additional information from Ball State. Third-party vendors must agree not to use information shared by Ball State for their own use beyond what they have contracted with Ball State to do, or to share or sell this information to other parties without permission. In no event shall an individual under the age of thirteen (13) provide personal information on any Ball State website. (See the section labeled “Children” for additional information.)
Ball State receives contact information from a variety of sources including completed interest cards, direct mailings, and third party mailings as well as third-parties which may have received contact information from you.
Cookies
The Ball State website uses cookies to help your browser keep track of your web browsing session, and also to help Ball State understand web browsing and usage patterns. If you have configured your web browser to reject all cookies, please be advised this may cause certain sections of the website to fail or function in unpredictable ways.
Use of Third Party Services
Third-party vendors must agree not to use information shared by Ball State for their own use beyond what they have contracted with Ball State to do, or to share or sell this information to other parties without permission.
Ball State websites use Google Analytics, a web analytics services provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). It also uses Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting, part of a larger category of features known as Google Analytics Advertising Features. Google Analytics uses cookies (described above) to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including possibly your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google.
Opting out of Google Analytics Advertising Features
Users can opt out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customize Google Display Network ads by using Google Ads Settings.
For more information, please visit Google’s Privacy Policy.
Opting out of Network Advertising
Users can opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.
Links to Other Sites
While visiting the Ball State website, you may encounter links to web pages and sites which are not owned or controlled by Ball State. Such websites do not contain a “bsu.edu” address, such as “www.bsu.edu” or “my.bsu.edu.”
Be aware that these remote sites are not under the control of Ball State and no warranty or claim concerning these services is implied or should be assumed. Remote sites may have different policies regarding privacy (or no policies at all) and hence you should avoid entering personal information into such remote sites unless you have an independent and reasonable belief these sites can and should be trusted.
If you have any doubts about entering your personal information, do not do so and instead contact Ball State using the information provided below.
Students and Employees
Ball State will not knowingly publish on its website confidential information of its students, employees, alumni, or other constituents. In particular, the release of student information is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (also known as FERPA, or the Buckley Amendment). For more information about FERPA, follow the link above.
Children
The Ball State website is not directed at children under the age of 13 and it is not Ball State’s intent to collect personal information for children under the age 13. In the event a child under the age of 13 is interested in any Ball State event or program, a parent or guardian must contact the appropriate Ball State department for additional information. Absent a few limited exceptions, it is illegal under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) for websites to knowingly obtain personally identifiable information from a child under the age of 13 without parental consent. As such, children under the age of 13 are prohibited from submitting personally identifiable information to the Ball State website.
Privacy Policy Changes
Ball State may occasionally make changes to its privacy policy to reflect changes in legal and regulatory requirements, or as we upgrade or modify our technology, applications, and service offerings. We recommend you visit our site occasionally to review our privacy policies.
Compelled Disclosure
Other than sharing your information with other appropriate university personnel and units to ensure the quality, functionality, and security of our website, or manage your relationship with us, we will not disclose personally identifiable information about your use of the site except under the following circumstances:
- with your prior written (including email) consent
- when we have given you clear notice that we will disclose information that you voluntarily provide
- with appropriate external parties, such as law enforcement agencies, in order to investigate and respond to suspected violations of law or university policy. Any such disclosures shall comply with all applicable laws and university policies.
Contact Information
If you have questions about the Ball State Web privacy policy or related practices, contact:
Marketing and Communications
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306
E-mail: umc@bsu.edu
Phone: 765-285-1560
If you need to report an incident or have concerns about Ball State privacy or information security practices, contact:
Information Security Services
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306-0015
E-mail: security@bsu.edu
Phone: 765-285-4390