1. Disclosure of Personal Information to the BC University Student Outcomes Project
2. Disclosure of Personal Information to Student Societies
3. Photography on Campus
4. Notification of Disclosure of Personal Information to Statistics Canada
5. Turnitin: Collection of Personal Information and Protection of Privacy Advisory

Disclosure of Personal Information to the BC University Student Outcomes Project

Each year, the BC University Student Outcomes Project gathers student outcomes information from graduates of BC’s universities in collaboration with The University Presidents Council (TUPC) and the Ministry of Advanced Education. Each BC university provides to the University Student Outcomes Project student identification information (student's name, student ID number), student contact information (address and telephone number), student demographic characteristics and academic program information. The information is used by the project to contact BC university graduates to conduct voluntary telephone surveys two and five years after graduation.

Survey participants are asked to report their level of program satisfaction, degree of skill development, education financing and debt load, participation in further education, and employment outcomes. The information gathered by the survey is summarized in aggregate form without identifying individual students. The data is used to meet the demand for university accountability at the system level in BC; to gather timely and relevant data for use in program evaluation and planning processes; and to ensure that new, continuing and prospective students are provided with information they can use to help them make informed career decisions.

Personal information provided for admission and enrolment and any other information placed into the student record will be collected, protected, used, disclosed and retained in compliance with British Columbia’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 165).

Back to Top

Disclosure of Personal Information to Student Societies

In addition to collecting personal information for its own purposes, the University collects specific and limited personal information on behalf of the Simon Fraser Student Society and the Graduate Student Society. The societies use this information for the purpose of membership administration, elections, annual general meetings, special general meetings and its health plans. The University discloses the personal information to the student society only for those purposes. Please contact the student society general office if you have any questions about its collection, use and disclosure of the information.

If you have any questions about the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by the University, please contact the Registrar, MBC 3300, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6; 778.782.3111.

Back to Top

Photography on Campus

From time to time students, staff, faculty and guests at Simon Fraser University may be photographed in non-public areas (i.e. classrooms, private offices, in studio, meeting rooms, etc.) by University photographers. In this notice ‘photography’ includes still, video and film photography. The University has the authority under the University Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c.468, s. 27(4)(a)), to collect personal information in the form of photographs. Such photographs are related directly to and needed by the University for educational, recruitment and promotional purposes. The photographs may be used and disclosed at the University’s discretion and included in the University Calendar, websites, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, advertisements, annual reports, supplements, displays, reports and other publications including off-campus news media. In addition, the photograph may be placed in the University’s Image Library which is a collection of photographs available for sale (http://lidc-imagelib.lidc.sfu.ca/). If you do not wish to be photographed in a non-public area, please inform the photographer before he/she begins taking photographs. If you allow yourself to be photographed in a non-public area you are giving the University your consent regarding its collection, use and disclosure of the photograph.

The above notice does not apply to individuals photographed in open, public areas where there is no expectation of privacy (i.e. Convocation Mall, cafeterias, public walkways, concourses, etc.). Photographs taken in public areas may be used and disclosed at the University’s discretion.

If you have any questions about photography on campus or the University’s collection, use and disclosure of photographs, please contact the Manager, Teaching and Learning Centre at 778.782.3092.

Back to Top

Notification of Disclosure of Personal Information to Statistics Canada

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 enrolment 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 carry out 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, enrolment information, previous education, and labor 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 are able to ask Statistics Canada to remove their identification and contact information from the national database.

Further information, about the use of this information, can be obtained from Statistics Canada’s web site www.statcan.gc.ca.

Back to Top

Turnitin: Collection of Personal Information and Protection of Privacy Advisory

Some instructors at Simon Fraser University use Turnitin.com in their courses as a tool to help detect possible plagiarized academic assignments.  Registration in a course that requires use of Turnitin.com means you give your consent for the University to collect and use limited and specific personal information about you through its service provider Turnitin.com. Notice of an instructor’s intent to use Turnitin.com must be given in the course outline.

The information is collected and used by SFU for plagiarism detection purposes. University instructors using the service receive “originality reports” from Turnitin.com which rate the overall originality of academic assignments that you submit to Turnitin.com. This information relates directly to and is needed by the University to help verify academic honesty and protect the integrity of SFU’s academic programs and the credentials awarded to graduates. Your personal information in originality reports is collected under the authority of the University Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 468, s. 27(4)(a)) and University Policy S10.01 – Code of Academic Integrity and Good Conduct.

If you have any questions about the collection and use of this information by the University, please contact the Associate Vice-President, Academic’s office at 778-782-4636.

SFU advises that students provide only the minimum personal information required to use the Turnitin service. Do not provide the personal information that Turnitin.com may designate as optional unless you wish to do so. The minimum personal information required is:

• first and last name
• email address
• country of origin
• user type (ie, student)
• course ID number and password (provided by course instructor)
• user password
• secret question and answer

Students may, if they prefer, use a pseudo name associated with an e-mail address created expressly and solely for interacting with Turnitin.com, in order to remain anonymous. A student who chooses this approach is responsible for ensuring the instructor is informed and able to match up the pseudo name with the student’s real name.

Before uploading your assignment to Turnitin.com, remove any personal identifiers from the assignment (ie, your name and student ID number on a title page, etc.). Please be advised that Turnitin.com uses the information it collects for its own internal business and statistical purposes. Also be advised that Turnitin.com is an American company with head offices in California. Turnitin.com and the personal information it retains on its servers located in the USA are subject to American state and federal law. When registering with Turnitin.com read the "Privacy Pledge" and "Usage Policy" on the "legal" page of the Turnitin.com website.

If you have any questions about Turnitin.com’s use and disclosure of the information or Turnitin.com’s privacy protection measures, please contact Turnitin.com directly. Contact information is available on the Turnitin.com website.

Back to Top