Access and Privacy Policy
Personal information collected from registered students will be held and used in accordance with the Freedom of Information Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
To review our Student and Applicant Record Policy, please click here.
To review our Staff Policy on the Electronic Storage of Personal Information, please click here.
Queen’s University’s collection of personal information is authorized by its Royal Charter of 1841, as amended. Personal information is collected for the purpose of admissions, registration, academic progress, and administering University programs, university-related student services and activities, activities of student societies, safety, financial assistance and awards, and advancement, and will be used for those or consistent purposes. Personal information may be disclosed to and used by employees of the University who need the information in the performance of their duties.
In order that applicants and students can form expectations regarding the use and disclosure of their personal information, the following are some examples of the uses and disclosures of personal information which relate to the execution of various functions of the University. This description is not exhaustive. The University’s size, range of programs and activities results in many constantly evolving, multi-faceted linkages and relationships in the execution of its mandate. Students’ interactions with the University will generally span several years, and each student’s unique experience, and personal information requirements, will be determined by the student’s choices from the many offerings available.
Registration records, educational history and supporting documents, including records of misconduct, may be used for the adjudication of admission, progression, and graduation with respect to various programs. Such information may be transmitted to other educational institutions and partners involved in the delivery of programs offered at, with, or through Queen’s, including, but not limited to, entities involved in the provision of joint degrees, programs, plans, practicums, exchanges, placements, co-op positions, and service-learning opportunities. Personal information collected in the application process may be shared with the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) and/or with other universities and colleges in the event that any information provided to Queen's as part of the application process is determined by Queen's to be false, misleading, or otherwise deceptive, or written by a third party.
Applicants may be contacted about admission opportunities other than those specifically identified by the applicant. They may also be contacted to guide the improvement of the University's services and offerings.
Personal information is used to create class-lists, grade submission lists and other materials needed by employees of the University. While photographs of students are collected and intended primarily for inclusion on the University’s identification cards, they may be included in class-lists and other documents.
Names of students and their contact information are collected by the University in order to operate both virtual and physical classroom environments. By registering in courses, students acknowledge that their names may be divulged, both orally and in written form, to other members of the course during activities such as, but not limited to, taking attendance, assigning topics, organizing students for group work, assessing classroom participation, facilitating classroom discussion, working in learning management systems (such as Moodle, D2L, etc.), and organizing tutorials. Students who are concerned about such disclosures should contact the course instructor to identify whether there are any possible alternatives to such disclosure. Units may use contact information for course and related purposes.
Personal information—including name, address, and email address—may be used by IT Services to contact students with respect to student-specific programs or services offered by Campus Computer Sales and Service.
Student personal information may be shared with the University’s third-party contracted agents who provide services related to the learning environment, including Internet and online services, such as email and the MS Office suite of services, learning management systems, and others. In all such cases, the University remains responsible for the stewardship of student information.
Personal information, including name, birth date, address, email address, telephone number, student number, degree program, and academic plan, may be used by the Student Wellness Centre for the purpose of identifying and contacting students who access their services.
Personal information—including name and/or email address—may be provided to external third-party survey agencies for the purpose of conducting surveys related to Queen's experiences (admission process, facilities, etc.) with the goal of improving the services provided by the University. Examples of such research and analyses include the National Survey of Student Engagement, administered from Indiana University, USA, and the Public Economics Data Analysis Laboratory Project.
Personal information may be collected, used and disclosed in disciplinary or security procedures. Personal information—including name, birth date, address, email address, telephone number, student number, photos from the photo identification database, degree program, academic plan, and course schedule—may be used by Campus Security to contact students involved in alleged breaches of the University's Code of Conduct, situations involving the health and safety of a student, or students, and in compassionate circumstances (e.g., the death of a family member, or a fellow student).
Situations involving behaviours that are concerning, disruptive or threatening and give rise to concerns about a risk of harm to a student(s), other people or property may be referred to a threat or risk assessment process to determine the appropriate course of action for the individuals involved and the university. Personal information – including name, birth date, address, email address, telephone number, student number, degree program, academic plan, course schedule and information from multiple sources including faculty, staff, students, parents/caregivers, incident reports, security reports and on-line sites may be collected, used and disclosed. Personal health information may be collected, used and disclosed as necessary for the purpose of eliminating or reducing a risk of harm to an individual or group.
Personal information—including name, birth date, address, email address, telephone number, student number, degree program, and academic plan—may be used by the Office of Advancement for the promotion of student and alumni relations programs (e.g., student/alumni mentoring, jobs mentoring), sending invitations to student send-offs, Alumni Weekend, as well as branch events, and the mailing of the alumni magazine. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the Advancement Business Office at 613.533.6000, extension 75623.
Personal information is used to create and maintain a public record of Queen’s University’s graduates. This public record includes name, date of convocation, degree awarded, the faculty conferring the degree, and any award or honours conferred. This information is available to the public and will be published by Queen's University. This personal information about graduands is also shared with the Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands to mail letters of congratulation upon graduation.
Queen’s may disclose contact information of graduating students to organizations providing convocation-related services such as photography and degree-framing, unless directed otherwise by a student.
Questions about the Office of the University Registrar in relation to these uses and disclosures of personal information may be directed to extension 77129. For general information on access and privacy at Queen’s University, consult the Access and Privacy website: http://www.queensu.ca/accessandprivacy/.
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Disclosures to Student Organizations |
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Students become members of the Alma Mater Society (AMS) or the Society of Professional and Graduate Students (SGPS) when they pay student activity fees. Students may opt out of certain fees, which denies them access to specific services/activities. The University may disclose students’ personal information to various student organizations in order to allow for their participation in elections and other operations. In particular, personal information—including name, student number, email address, degree program, and academic plan—is disclosed to and may be used by organizations such as the Alma Mater Society of Queen's University, the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society, the Engineering Society, the Commerce Society, and the Society of Graduate and Professional Students for purposes such as the following: identifying and contacting students to provide them with access to student society membership and information about affiliated or sponsored programs, services, and activities; for verification and validation of voters for society referenda and elections; for the administration of the non-academic discipline system; and for communicating with members about student society matters. Personal information of students may be provided by the University to the Health and Dental Plan carriers in accordance with the Memoranda of Agreement and Understanding between the carriers and the student societies, AMS and SGPS, and between the carrier and the Queen's University International Centre. AMS and SGPS administrators may also use birth date, gender, and academic concentration data of dental and health plan participants. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the AMS Commissioner of Internal Affairs at 613.533.6000, extension 74815, or the SGPS Administrator. |
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Legally Mandated and Government Disclosures |
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Specified records or portions thereof may be provided: 1) to persons or agencies pursuant to a court order, summons, or subpoena directing the University to release information; 2) to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development in connection with enrolment audits; 3) to Statistics Canada for national surveys; 4) in accordance with the requirements of duly constituted professional licensing and certification bodies; and 5) in accordance with Section 42(1) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. |
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Statistics Canada |
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Statistics Canada is the national statistical agency. As such, Statistics Canada carries out hundreds of surveys each year on a wide range of matters, including education. It is essential to be able to follow students across time and institutions to understand, for example, the factors affecting enrollment demand at post-secondary institutions. The increased emphasis on accountability for public investment means that it is also important to understand 'outcomes'. In order to conduct such studies, Statistics Canada asks all colleges and universities to provide data on students and graduates. Institutions collect and provide to Statistics Canada student identification information (student's name, student ID number, Social Insurance Number), student contact information (address and telephone number), student demographic characteristics, enrollment information, previous education, and labour force activity. The Federal Statistics Act provides the legal authority for Statistics Canada to obtain access to personal information held by educational institutions. The information may be used only for statistical purposes, and the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act prevent the information from being released in any way that would identify a student. Students who do not wish to have their information used can ask Statistics Canada to remove their identifying information from the national database. On request by a student Statistics Canada will delete an individual's contact information (name, address, or other personal identifiers) from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) database. To make such a request, please contact us:
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Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development |
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Queen’s University is required to disclose personal information such as Ontario Education Numbers, student characteristics and educational outcomes to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development under s. 15 of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter M.19, as amended. The Ministry collects this data for purposes such as planning, allocating and administering public funding to colleges, universities and other post-secondary educational and training institutions and to conduct research and analysis, including longitudinal studies, and statistical activities conducted by or on behalf of the Ministry for purposes that relate to post-secondary education and training. Further information on how the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development uses this personal information is available on the Ministry’s website: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-advanced-education-and-skills-development, or by writing to the: Director, Postsecondary Finance and Information Management Branch, Postsecondary Education Division, 7th Floor, Mowat Block, 900 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M7A 1L2. |
Policy Framework:
http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senate/electronic-information-security-policy-framework
Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources Policy:
Electronic Information Security Policy:
Network and Systems Security Policy
This section describes the Office of University Registrar (OUR) guidelines and procedures, in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, for assigning access to student and applicant records. These records are collected to assess students' qualification for entry, establish a record of their performance in programs and courses, provide the basis for awards and government funding and to assist the University in the academic and financial administration of its affairs.
Also, as stipulated in the OUR's Student Applicant and Record Policy: Faculty and staff members of the University are given access to information contained in student records if they need to know the information in order to perform their official duties.
1. Faculty and staff holding certain positions in academic departments (e.g., Chair of Undergraduate Studies, departmental administrator) and Faculty Offices may request access to the contents of students' records contained in the PeopleSoft Student Information System, and the Student Photo Identification Card database.
Notes
- Through the University's Student Information System, each student has access to his/her academic record. If an individual student seeks academic advice from a faculty or staff member who does not have OUR-authorized access to student record information, the student may, at his/her discretion, elect to share their academic record with the member.
- Access to the Student Information System is assigned according to the required level of access as determined by a member's official duties connected with the purpose for which the data was collected (i.e. to assess students' qualification for entry, establish a record of their performance in programs and courses, provide the basis for awards and government funding and to assist the University in the academic and financial administration of its affairs). Differing levels of access are available and these levels are defined as a series of "profiles." Each profile allows access to specific information and on either a query or update basis.
- Students of Queen's University may be assigned access to students' records in the capacity of employees or volunteers. Supervisors assume the responsibility for ensuring confidentiality is maintained and for ensuring that students understand that violation of confidentiality constitutes a breach of the agreement to maintain confidentiality and a breach of the University's Code of Conduct. Access for a defined period of time will be provided via the completion of a request submitted into the PeopleSoft Student iTrack system.
2. The procedure for obtaining access to the contents of students' records in the data bases referred to in 1. above, requires the faculty or staff member wishing access to complete a submission into the PeopleSoft Student iTrack system which will be approved by both an OUR staff member and a PeopleSoft Sustainment Team staff member.