PITA: Glossary of Terms

Directory Information

refers to a student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, class schedule, awards and degrees received, most recent previous educational agency attended, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams. This information may be made public by the College for all but those students who indicate within the first three weeks of classes that any or all of the information so designated should not be released without their prior consent.

Educational Records

means information or data recorded in any medium which is directly related to a student and which is maintained by the College or a person acting for the College. By law, medical records, security records, financial records of parents, personal notes of teachers or administrators which are not available to any third party, and directory information have been excluded from educational records.

Identity Theft

is the fraudulent use of an individual's personal identifying information.

Information

is the representation of facts, concepts, or instructions in a formalized manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing by human or automated means.

Information Security

involves the concepts, techniques and measures used to protect information from accidental or intentional unauthorized access, modification, destruction, disclosure, or temporary or permanent loss.

Non-protected Information

is information that can be collected, used, and shared without notice or consent, such as Directory Information; De-identified Personal Information; and Statistical Information (such as website traffic and usage).

Personal Information

is any information concerning a natural person which, because of name, number, symbol, mark, or other identifier, can be used to identify that natural person.

Pretext Calling

is a fraudulent means of obtaining a person's personal information where the caller assumes an individual's identity in order to collect additional personal and financial information.

Privacy

is the right of individuals and organizations to control the collection, storage, and dissemination of information about themselves.

Protected Information

is information that must be kept confidential and secure such as student (academic, health, financial) and employee (health, financial, benefits) records.