University & Foundation Privacy Policy
At the Virginia University of Science & Technology (VUST) and VUST Foundation, protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information of our donors, friends, alumni, students, faculty, and staff is of vital importance. Personal information includes, without limitation, any records, notes, documentation, or any other related information, whether written or in any other form, maintained by the VUST Foundation on donors, friends, alumni, students, faculty, and staff (“Personal Information”). To that end, the following policies apply:
Sharing Personal Information with Third Parties
Under written agreement between the VUST Foundation and The University (VUST) agreed that:
All records, notes, documentation, including records relating in any manner to expenditures made or gifts, bequests, donations received, or donors or any other matters of fundraising shall be and remain the sole property of the VUST Foundation. Unless otherwise required by law, the University agrees not to make any VUST Foundation documents, records, or other information (whether written or in any other form) available to a third party without the VUST Foundation’s written consent.
It is the general policy of the VUST Foundation to make every reasonable effort to respect and protect the privacy of our donors, friends, alumni, students, faculty, and staff.
The VUST & Foundation shall not sell Personal Information.
The VUST & Foundation shall not share Personal Information with third parties or affiliates, except as is reasonably necessary in the conduct of the business and affairs of the VUST Foundation, and then only after appropriate safeguards are taken to preserve the confidentiality of the Personal Information in the hands of said third parties or affiliates.
The VUST & Foundation shall disclose Personal Information in response to a subpoena, court order, or other legal process, to the extent required by law.
The VUST & Foundation may provide aggregate statistics and related information about our donors, friends, alumni, students, faculty, and staff to reputable third parties, but said statistics and related information will not include any personal identifying information.
The VUST & Foundation houses, in a single secure central location, bankcard and EFT files in accordance with applicable law and its Document Retention Policy.
Personal Information Security
The VUST & Foundation strives to maintain the highest standards for the protection of Personal Information, which currently includes:
Maintaining physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect Personal Information.
Maintaining quality control procedures to ensure that information compiled is as accurate and complete as possible.
Committing to privacy education of staff, affiliates, and certain vendors on an ongoing basis about the issues and laws surrounding individual privacy and confidentiality of Personal Information.
Limiting the Sharing of Personal Information
If a donor, friend, alumni, student, faculty, or staff does not wish for VUST & Foundation to share their Personal Information, they can request to opt-out of any or all releases of information by contacting the VUST Foundation at 703-298-5852.
Period of Retention
Personnel Information shall be maintained according to the applicable Document Retention Policy of the VUST & Foundation.
Changes to the Privacy Policy
The VUST & Foundation reserves the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy from time to time.
Effective Date
The Effective Date of this Privacy Policy is September 16, 2016