Protecting Records and Record Integrity

Academic record information is protected by federal privacy laws. One of the areas being considered for outsourcing is the telephone registration function. Records created by registration staff are academic records that are subject to this federal legislation. When these records are off sight and completely out of the control of CVTC, where is the guarantee of that protection?

While the registration information is electronic and in a data base, there is still the chance that unauthorized third parties can access the information. The agencies to which these tasks are outsourced are not educational institutions with a knowledge of the laws or the impact that noncompliance may have. These people are at best “information processors” concerned only with getting the production done.

Registration for courses offered at CVTC is the lifeblood of the College. It’s irresponsible to arbitrarily hand off that function through outsourcing.

Registration records could include the student’s social security number. With the increased occurrences of identity theft, do we really want these records with confidential and personal information taken out of the control of CVTC? If the outsourcing does happen, it’s very likely these tasks are going to be done in Florida where the rest of lost jobs have gone. CVTC has a legal obligation to protect academic record and personal information. Where is our accountability when we won’t even have control over the employment force responsible for these records containing confidential information?

Thanks to Dipsydoodle for supplying this article.