Talking Points: The Policy-Privacy Tradeoff
CURRENTS Article Policymakers want to assess how well U.S. institutions are educating students by tracking students' progress from elementary school through college and into the workforce. Despite concerns about how well the sensitive data contained in student educational records will be protected, the policymakers loosened privacy restrictions to make that happen.

PCI for Education: How to Meet the Standards for Implementation, Compliance, and Validation
Product This webinar examines the PCI Data Security Standard, which has been in place since 2005. The webinar covers PCI's 12 requirements and how to apply them. The presenter discusses PCI audits, penetration testing and forensic incident response This multimedia file is a recording of a webinar originally presented June 5, 2012.

New FERPA Regulations Released
Article The U.S. Department of Education recently released regulations amending the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act that it says will safeguard student privacy and give states the flexibility to share school data that can be helpful in judging the effectiveness of government investments in education.

New Brief Provides Guidance on Privacy, Student Records
Article Alumni relations practitioners, admissions professionals and others who use electronic student record systems now have a one-stop source for information and guidance on guarding student privacy in school data.

CASE Urges HHS to Ensure Regulations Do Not Discourage Grateful Patient Fundraising
Article In comments submitted on Sept. 13, CASE President John Lippincott urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that new patient privacy regulations enacted under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act do not negatively impact grateful patient fundraising.

Security Locks
CURRENTS Article Institutions should create a communications policy that reaches anyone with access to data.

FERPA and Campus Security
National Association of College and University Attorneys
Article Misunderstanding of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) generates concern in the U.S. about sharing student information. This bulletin, presented in a Q&A format, explains that FERPA is not an obstacle to appropriate and desirable cautionary communications intended to protect student, campus or public safety.

Department of Education Releases New FERPA Regulations
Article On Dec. 9, 2008, the U.S. Department of Education released revisions to its regulations implementing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Talking Points: Managing Identities
CURRENTS Article The most critical ingredient to having an effective online presence is not the latest technology but the ability to leverage a secure and robust identity management system.

Campus Confidential
CURRENTS Article One year after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, are institutions better prepared to handle students with mental health crises? Take a look at how a variety of institutions are changing the way they share information about students at risk while they navigate the muddy waters of FERPA and HIPAA regulations.

Virtually Secure
CURRENTS Article Institutions are being hacked into more often, and it's the role of campus communicators to educate the campus about risks and precautions. But the task isn't easy. It's difficult to make individuals truly aware of how security issues affect them. This article explores the security problems and issues that institutions face and the strategic communications associated with them and will offer ideas for successful internal communications campaigns based on marketing techniques.

Talking Points: The Parent Gap
CURRENTS Article The phrase in loco parentis isn't as commonly heard or used on campuses as it once was, but the authors of this article believe that the doctrine of in loco parentis is not a relic of the past; it has a strong presence in higher education and student affairs practice. This article briefly examines the history of in loco parentis and recent related legal decisions, and includes recommendations for how institutions can respond to the recent shift in public perception and institutional policy.

Do Not Disturb
CURRENTS Article Facts can be taken out of context and used in unwelcome ways. This is the crux of the problem of privacy and the prospect researcher.

Talking Points: Identity Crisis
CURRENTS Article In 2004, several education institutions became the victim of hackers who compromised the personal information of students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and donors. Although no cases of identity theft have been traced to these incidents, campuses should be aware of the laws and best practices regarding the collection and use of sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers.

Locked Down
CURRENTS Article Campuses value a collaborative environment, but that openness makes their computer networks vulnerable to hacking and other security breaches. With sensitive information such as Social Security numbers at risk, campuses should improve their data security by better protecting their servers, reducing the use of SSNs, encrypting data, implementing security checklists, and creating processes to minimize the risk of spam and viruses being spread by students, faculty, and staff attaching their computers to the network.

Talking Points: Track Records
CURRENTS Article The U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, designed to protect students' privacy, is complicated but important for advancement officers to understand. This article covers FERPA-related access issues, including student and alumni records.

Talking Points: Spotlight on Safety
CURRENTS Article The Clery Act and other legislation, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Title IX, draw attention to the extent of crime on campus. This column explains the laws and what campuses must do to comply with them.

AdvanceWork: Spotlight on...
CURRENTS Article The general counsel of Catholic University of America maintains a Web site with information on the myriad federal laws that affect higher education.

Fear Factor
CURRENTS Article There are many legal and ethical responsibilities involved in managing constituent records, from e-mail addresses to credit card and Social Security numbers. To protect data security and privacy, advancement officers need a comprehensive policy covering quality controls, opt-in and opt-out systems, information release procedures, and security measures. This article, which includes a list of U.S. laws about collecting and using private information, is of interest to prospect researchers and managers of advancement services, development, and overall advancement programs.

Talking Points: Whose Information Is It, Anyway?
CURRENTS Article In the United Kingdom, the Data Protection Act creates challenges for development and alumni officers, who must adhere to its strict requirements on the compilation and use of personal data; similar laws exist elsewhere in Europe.

Tech Support: Keeping Your Data Legal
CURRENTS Article The authors describe ways in which advancement staff can handle issues regarding the privacy of donor and alumni data, in keeping with the United Kingdom’s Data Protection Act and similar existing or proposed European and North American legislation.

Finding Sunken Treasure
CURRENTS Article Prospect research is still a brand-new field in Europe. The article describes the biggest hurdles that researchers face there—ranging from privacy legislation to linguistic differences—and describes the resources and research techniques that he has found to be most useful.

Talking Points: On the Record?
CURRENTS Article Public information officers should familiarize themselves with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, summarized in this article, which governs the information that institutions may release about students.

AdvanceWork: Alumni Confidential?
CURRENTS Article Legal Issues: Using data gathered through the Web