General Privacy Notice for Students - Southern Cross University

Privacy Notice for Students and Applicants

This privacy notice applies to all Southern Cross University (the University) students including applicants, former students, graduands and Alumni, and outlines a number of purposes for which the University collects, uses and discloses students’ personal information.

Personal information is any information that identifies you. The way the University handles students' personal information, including health information, is regulated by the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (the PPIP Act) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIP Act).

The University's Privacy Management Plan sets out the types of personal information held by the University, an explanation of how the Information Protection Principles (from the PPIP Act) and Health Privacy Principles (from the HRIP Act) and other relevant legislation and policies affect how we handle personal information, as well as how we handle privacy complaints.

Students should also read the Privacy Statement for Southern Cross University's Websites about how the University handles information (including personal information) about users of the University's websites.

Collecting student personal information

The University collects personal information about students and applicants at the time of application, enrolment and during their time as a student. Personal information is mainly collected from students themselves, however, we also collect information from domestic and international educational institutions, from Education Agents assisting international applicants, from organisations such as the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) and Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) for students applying through those organisations, and by means of an electronic qualification verification search like 'QualSearch'.

Students' personal information will be primarily recorded in the Student Management System, as well as the Customer Relationship Management System. Staff with access to these systems include professional and academic staff across the University. More information about how the University holds students' personal information is described in the Privacy Management Plan.

In participating in the learning environment, students may be recorded through an 'audience cam' mechanism which operates as part of the 'vod-casting' and other student learning broadcasts available through the 'e-learning' system.

The University may also collect personal information from contracted Student Accommodation Providers about residents or other students accessing student accommodation, for purposes such as investigating matters including student misconduct.

Using student personal information

A student's personal information will be used in a variety of ways throughout their time at the University including to:

process applications;
manage course progression;
manage course timetabling;
manage student placements and professional experience opportunities;
set, receive and grade coursework, assessment and examinations;
record course grades and outcomes;
monitor academic progression including academic standing and exclusion;
deliver student services including health and counselling services;
manage complaints and student misconduct allegations;
verify qualifications;
process graduations;
process scholarships, prizes and sponsorships;
operate student organisations managed by SCU or by affiliated third parties, or other activities offered by SCU;
manage student health and safety;
provide students with services they have requested from SCU, for example educational support services or careers and employability advice;
provide information about further study options, becoming alumni and other University marketing activities;
provide data to government departments to fulfil mandatory reporting requirements;
undertake reviews, questionnaires and surveys of the student population and of those who graduate or leave SCU; and
run student representative elections.

Students' personal information may also be used by the University to invite students to participate in University organisations and activities, including student groups, services offered by the University, and other activities conducted by the University.

The University may also use student information, by way of images captured in photographs or on video, for SCU publications, on the website and in marketing material. These images may be taken at graduation ceremonies, large events, and around campus. Reasonable attempts will be made to obtain consent of people featured in those images and recordings to the proposed use and disclosure or, where it is anticipated that the size of the gathering or event may not make this possible, the University may display notices for attendees to be aware that photographers may be present

The University may also use student personal information for the purpose of conducting authorised research, on the basis that the identity of individuals will not be disclosed in any resulting report or publication unless the individual concerned first gives his or her specific consent for that to occur.

Alumni

Students' personal information may also be used after they have completed their study at the University, for instance, to promote further academic study options or to participate in graduate surveys. In addition, the University Alumni Relations Office may use current or former students' personal information to invite them to join the University alumni and provide them with information about activities and opportunities, including giving and donation opportunities.

The University may also use alumni personal information to invite former students to participate in the University's quality improvement processes, including Course and School reviews, or for other institutional research activities.

Active Alumni members may also receive information about activities and opportunities run by third parties such as formal alumni chapters and informal alumni networks which may be of interest to them. The University may disclose personal information to third parties who operate alumni chapters and networks.

The Alumni Relations Office may also invite individuals who are not current or former students to join the University alumni. The University will handle those individuals' personal information in the same way it would handle student personal information under this privacy notice and the Privacy Management Plan.

Disclosing student personal information

The University may disclose student personal information to authorised external service providers for the purposes of delivering services that support the University's educational activities or to conduct mail-outs or debt collection activities on behalf of the University. The University may also disclose student personal information to education collaboration providers who deliver the University's courses or to online service delivery partners.

Such service providers are contractually bound by the University’s privacy and security requirements.

The University may also disclose student and alumni personal information to authorised external agencies such as the Australian Council for Educational Research and Graduate Careers Australia to administer graduate surveys. These organisations are subject to the same privacy safeguards as the University.

As a graduate, your name and award will be published in a University graduation booklet. The University may also disclose student personal information to third parties who operate the University's student associations or societies of academic excellence such as the Golden Key International Honour Society.

The University may also disclose student personal information to government agencies such as the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

More information about how the University discloses students' personal information is described in the Privacy Management Plan.

Access and correction

The Privacy Management Plan contains information about:

students' right to access personal information the University holds about them;
students' right to seek to have personal information the University holds about them corrected; and
how students can complain about how the University has handled their personal information.

Privacy Officer

Any enquiries relating to how the University collects and handles personal information should be directed to the University's Privacy Officer using the contact details below.

Privacy Contact Officer
Southern Cross University
PO Box 157
LISMORE NSW 2480

e: privacy@scu.edu.au