Human Resource Management

All student, faculty, and staff personal and academic information is private and confidential, and is protected by various state and federal laws. Buffalo State employees must, by law, protect the privacy of this information.

Failure to protect personal and academic information may result in legal action against offending employees. Employees accused of failure to protect confidential information that results in harm to an individual may not be covered by the Public Officer’s Law, and therefore not defended by New York State.

Examples of personal information that must be kept confidential: Social Security number, health information, disability status, etc. Faculty and staff must ensure that information contained on a form is kept confidential.

Examples of academic information that must be kept confidential: grades, class schedule, student ID number, etc. Faculty and staff members may not post test scores or grades using any portion of a student’s name, Social Security number, or student ID number. Faculty and staff must refrain from providing students’ parents with information related to their student’s academic performance or other personal information, unless given permission to do so by the student.

For more information:

State and Federal Laws:

• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (confidentiality of financial information): see Guidelines for Maintaining the Security, Confidentiality, and Integrity of Customer Information and the Federal Trade Commission.
   
• HIPAA (confidentiality of health information): see Bulletin and the NYS Governor's Office of Employee Relations
   
• FERPA (confidentiality of student/academic information): see Academic Affairs or the U.S. Department of Education
   
• Restrictions on use of student Social Security numbers: see  NYS Legislature;  search for Education Law 2-b
   
• NYS law on notification of information security breach: NYS Legislature;  search for Article 39-F of GBS (General Business Law)

Additional information about safeguarding sensitive information can be found at Buffalo State’s Internal Control web site, including a HIPAA and FERPA presentation.

Questions regarding privacy of the employee change form, employee contracts, official employee files, etc.:
TBD, associate vice president, Human Resource Management, 878-3042

Questions regarding privacy of student information and FERPA:
Nigel R. Marriner, registrar, 878-4907

Questions regarding health information and HIPAA:
Rock D. Doyle, assistant vice president, Weigel Health Center, 878-6711

Questions regarding legal liability and any legal action against the college or an employee:
James A. Thor, associate vice president and comptroller, 878-4312