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Respect for individual and institutional privacy requires the exercise of care and judgment. University employees are entrusted with personal and institutional information that should be treated as confidential information. While the University of Utah, a public institution, keeps its business affairs open to public scrutiny, there is some information that must be treated as confidential, such as student records, employee files, patient records, and contract negotiations.
A University employee, accessing University information, assumes a responsibility for the information and must ensure its confidentiality. Such information is to be used only for conducting University business. Faculty, staff, and students are expected to exercise responsible, ethical behavior when using the University's computers, networks, or other resources. These responsibilities include the proper storage, access control, and disposal of private and confidential data presented to the user in any form. Individuals must also report known or suspected security violations through their chain of command or department executive.
Q: A potential employer has requested an employment reference for a former employee in my unit. Should I respond to his request? What is my responsibility?
A: Staff are not required to furnish employment references. You may refer this employer to the appropriate human resources office. It is advised that you communicate only fact-based information, such as dates of employment, position(s) held, and duties.
Requests for Information
Institutional Information
Requests for institutional information and all media requests should be referred to the Media Relations.
Employee Information
Requests for employee or past employee information should be referred to the University Human Resources.
Student Information
Release of student information is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and requests for student information should be referred to the Office of the Registrar.
Subpoenas
Requests for documents or information by subpoena should be referred to the Office of General Counsel.
Donor Contact
Requests for information concerning donors and giving opportunities should be directed to the Office of Development or to your college or school development officer.
Medical Information
Release of medical information is governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The process for requesting medical information can be found here.