Privacy Policy

Introduction

We have created this statement to demonstrate our firm commitment to your privacy. We do not collect personally identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary. This policy is your guide to how we will handle information we learn about you from your visit to our Web site.

The Southwest Minnesota State University Alumni Association and Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation values the trust and the relationship it has built with alumni and friends of the university. It is the policy of the Alumni Association and Foundation to respect and protect the privacy of its Web site visitors to the extent permitted by law.

The Alumni Association and Foundation wants to ensure network security and consistent service for all users. To do so it employs software programs to do such things as monitor network traffic, identify unauthorized access or access to nonpublic information, and detect viruses and other software that might cause damage to the network. Personally identifiable information from these activities is not released to external parties without your consent unless required by law.

The Alumni Association and Foundation Web site collects and stores the following information from online users:

The name of the domain from which Internet access occurred
The date and time the site was accessed
The pages perused and files accessed
The Internet address of the Web site preceding the link to the University site

Internet protocol addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information. We use IP addresses to analyze trends, administer the site, track user's movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use.

Use of Links

Throughout our Web pages, we provide links to other servers which may contain information of interest to our readers. We take no responsibility for, and exercise no control over, the organizations, views, or accuracy of the information contained on other servers. Creating a text link from your Web site to our site does not require permission. If you have a link you'd like us to consider adding to our Web site, please send an email to webmaster@clientURL.org with the subject "Link request."

Use of Text and Images

If you would like to publish information that you find on our Web site, please send your request to webmaster@smsu.edu. Where text or images are posted on our site with the permission of the original copyright holder, a copyright statement appears at the bottom of the page. Information about using our logo and images is available in Media Resources.

Accessibility

This Web site is designed to be accessible to visitors with disabilities, and to comply with federal guidelines concerning accessibility. We welcome your comments. If you have suggestions on how to make the site more accessible, please contact us at webmaster@smsu.edu.

Reading or Downloading

We collect and store only the following information about you: the name of the domain from which you access the Internet (for example, aol.com, if you are connecting from an America Online account, or princeton.edu if you are connecting from Princeton University's domain), the date and time you access our site, and the Internet address of the Web site from which you linked to our site.

We use the information we collect to measure the number of visitors to the different sections of our site and to help us make our site more useful to visitors.

Online Profile Updates and Donations

If you complete the Profile update form and share your personally identifying information, this information will be used only to provide you with more targeted content. We may use your contact information to send further information about our organization or to contact you when necessary. You may always opt-out of receiving future mailings; see the "Opt Out" section below.

Sending us an Email

You also may decide to send us personally identifying information, for example, in an electronic mail message containing a question or comment, or by filling out a Web form that provides us this information. We use personally identifying information from email primarily to respond to your requests. We may forward your email to other employees who are better able to answer you questions. We may also use your email to contact you in the future about our programs that may be of interest.

We want to be very clear: We will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information to us. Providing such information is strictly voluntary. Except as might be required by law, we do not share any information we receive with any outside parties.

If you sign up for one of our email lists, we will only send you the kinds of information you have requested. We won't share your name or email address with any outside parties.

Kids and Privacy

For children who visit our site, special rules apply. We do not request personal information about children, such as first and last name or street address and city. When kids send email to us, their online contact information (email address) is not used to re-contact them and is not maintained in retrievable form.

Opt-Out or Change Your Contact Information

Our site provides users the opportunity to opt-out of receiving communications from us through a special online form. You may choose to receive only specific communications or none at all. You may also update your contact information previously provided to us through another online form. You can not remove yourself from our database, but you can prevent unwanted communication.

Questions About Our Policies

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, you can contact us at: alumni@smsu.edu or call our office (507) 537-6266.

Data Security

We use appropriate safeguards to ensure the security, integrity, and privacy of personally identifiable information submitted to our site and periodically update measures with new technologies. When appropriate for data security, the Alumni Association and Foundation uses encryption technologies, user authentication systems, and access control mechanisms.

Personal Information

If you provide us with personal information in an e-mail message, the Alumni Association and Foundation will use this information to respond to your request. There are times when your e-mail is forwarded within the Alumni Association to employees who are better able to assist you.

The Alumni Association and Foundation provides information about alumni to a limited number of pre-screened membership benefit partners so that alumni can be made aware of their services. These benefit partners have been deemed by the Alumni Association to provide a significant service or benefit to our members. By contract, such partners may not release or sell this secured information.

Except for the foregoing circumstances and as required by law, the Alumni Association and Foundation does not rent, sell, or share any information it collects with outside individuals or organizations without your permission.

Submitting Credit Card Information

If you choose to submit your credit card information to pay for an Alumni Association event registration or to the SMSU Foundation for a donation, your credit card account number will be processed by a secure third-party service, Merchant Services. Credit card numbers are not submitted to the Alumni Association or SMSU Foundation and not stored on University servers. The credit card number is encrypted during transfer to ensure the security of your account information.

Links to Outside Websites

This Web site contains links to other Web sites. Please be aware that the Alumni Association or Foundation is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site to read the privacy statements of each Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.

Refund Policy

Refund requests must be made seven days prior to the date of the event. Should special circumstances arise please contact the office of SMSU Foundation or Alumni Relations at 1-800-260-0970 or e-mail alumni@smsu.edu.

Contact the SMSU Alumni Association or SMSU Foundation
If you have questions about this policy, or if you would like to remove your information from our database, contact the Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation at 1-800-260-0970, 507-537-6266, or e-mail foundation@smsu.edu or alumni@smsu.edu and include the words "privacy policy" in the subject of your message