Campus Connection

In early November 2007, changes to the UMB privacy policy allowed student e-mail addresses to be publicly accessible through an online directory.  Previously, the directory contained mostly faculty and staff information. 

According to a statement released to students by school administrators, student information was added to the online directory, located at http://cf.umaryland.edu/directory, after multiple requests by students for an easy method of searching for other students’ e-mail addresses.  While certain information such as mailing address, phone number, and birth date will not be disclosed on the online directory, the statement acknowledges that such a policy change could reveal some personal information such as enrollment and could also lead to spam. 

“[A]nybody will be able to use the UMB website and enter your name to obtain your email address,” said the statement.  “Also, it may be possible to determine the school in which you are enrolled from reading your e-mail address.” 

Federal education and privacy laws require UMB to offer each student the opportunity to withhold or make available personal information such field of study, dates of attendance, degree and awards, and previously attended school in addition to those previously listed above. 

Students are offered the opportunity to opt-out of the directory by modifying the “Personal Information” options found within SURFS (Student User Friendly System), which is located at https://www.simsweb.umaryland.edu/pls/SIMS/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin.  These settings can be changed at any time and should typically be reflected in the online directory by the next day. 

However, students were also cautioned of “unintended consequences” of limiting disclosure of personal information on the directory.  The statement said that “employers, insurers and licensing agencies who frequently call a registrar’s office” regarding enrollment or graduation verification would be complicated and delayed by requiring the submission of a release signed by a student before administrators can assist these outside parties.  Furthermore, students who have opted-out may also be left out of graduation programs and announcements. 

The current structure of the directory system requires students to have the same privacy preferences for both the online directory and requests of the registrar, according to Tricia O’Neill, senior advisor in the Office of Academic Affairs.  The opt-out system “is not  structured in a way to allow partial or ′conditional′ release,” said O’Neill.  

Student directory information can be used for beneficial purposes.  The statement cited examples of the university’s ability to distribute photos for recognition of student awards to news agencies and disclosure of photos to student groups that create yearbooks. 

The statement also announced that “[e]ffective October 30th, it will be UMB’s policy that the Registrar does not sell, publish…or distribute directory lists for purely commercial purposes” except on a case-by-case basis upon approval by the vice president for academic affairs. 

Prior to this policy change, UMB did not sell its directory list.  “However, we did comply with requests for access to directory information made to the Registrar,” said O’Neill.  “Under the [new] revision…the Registrar now has the discretion to refrain from providing directory information.”  

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