Visibility of Personal Data

Virginia Tech maintains personal information about employees, students, alumni, and other affiliates in order to provide services and conduct university activities and business. Some of this information is regularly published in online resources as well as in print publications and is gathered from the Enterprise Directory. In order to protect your privacy, Virginia Tech provides you with ways to control the visibility of your information. How your preferences affect the information displayed varies according to your role with the university.

Contents

• Students
• Employees
  • Salaried
  • Regular Wage and Emergency Hire
• Other Roles/Multiple Roles

Students

This information applies to your confidentiality options if you are a currently enrolled student. It applies if you are also a student wage employee or have a graduate assistantship.

• Full confidentiality: No information will display about you if you request that your information be confidential. Having items marked confidential means that they will not appear in the online white pages (VT People Search) or in the printed white pages (University Directory), nor will that information be shared outside the university without your specific authorization or prior notification. Additionally, the university will not confirm enrollment or degree information for any student with confidential status.
• Address and telephone number confidentiality: If you select to have one or more addresses or telephone numbers held confidential, university officials will not provide this information outside the university. Address and telephone numbers that are marked confidential and that would otherwise display in the online VT People Search or in the printed University Directory will not display.
• E-mail and PID visibility: You may prevent your VT Mail e-mail address and/or your PID from being displayed in the online VT People Search.

For instructions on how to change your confidentiality and visibility options, see Suppressing or Unsuppressing Your Personal Information (http://www.answers.vt.edu/ask4help/acctpassword/vtkb221.htm).

Here is a list of the information that will appear by default in the VT People Search and the printed directory, unless you change your confidentiality or visbiility options:

Online VT People Search Default Display:

• Name, including preferred and formal first names
• Major
• Preferred e-mail address
• PID
• Address - Residence Hall address (if applicable); otherwise, Mailing Address
• Phone number for that address

Printed University Directory Default Entry:

• Name (formal full name)
• Major
• Address - Residence Hall address (if applicable); otherwise, Mailing Address
• Phone number for that address
• Permanent address
• Phone number for that address

Employees

This information applies to your confidentiality options if you are:

• a salaried employee
• a regular wage employee
• an emergency hire employee

Salaried Employees

If you are a salaried Virginia Tech employee, your work information (Virginia Tech address, phone number, and e-mail address) will always display in the online white pages (VT People Search) and may be provided outside the university as well.

• Residential address and telephone number confidentiality: If you select to have your residential address(es) or telephone number(s) held confidential, university officials will not provide this information outside the university, nor will they display in the online white pages (VT People Search) or in the printed directory.
• PID visibility: You may prevent your Virginia Tech PID from being displayed in the online white pages (VT People Search) by selecting options in My VT. In addition to suppressing your PID, if you want to avoid exposure of your PID, you should create an e-mail alias and set it as your preferred e-mail address to be displayed in VT People Search.
  Taking one or more classes has no impact on the display of your information.
  Note: After November 6, 2005, all new employee PIDs will be suppressed by default.

For instructions on how to change your confidentiality and visibility options, see Suppressing or Unsuppressing Your Personal Information. (http://www.answers.vt.edu/ask4help/acctpassword/vtkb221.htm)

Regular Wage and Emergency Hire Employees

If you are a regular wage or emergency hire wage employee, only your work information (Virginia Tech address, telephone number, and e-mail address) will display, regardless of whether you are enrolled in a class, and regardless of the setting of your confidentiality preference.

If you have an emergency situation, the Department of Human Resources can take special action to hide your work information when appropriate and necessary.

If no information displays about you, then check to see that your affiliations are correct. For more information, see Viewing Your Virginia Tech Affiliations. (http://www.answers.vt.edu/ask4help/ad_min/vtkb2430.htm)

After November 6, 2005, all new employee PIDs will be suppressed. If you were employed by Virginia Tech prior to this date, you have the option to suppress your PID. In addition to suppressing your PID, if you want to avoid exposure of your PID, you should create an e-mail alias and set it as your preferred e-mail address to be displayed in VT People Search. For instructions on how to suppress your personal information (including your PID), create an e-mail alias, and set it as your preferred e-mail address, see Suppressing or Unsuppressing Your Personal Information.

Other Roles and Multiple Roles

Other Roles

Alums

The Virginia Tech Alumni Association handles current information for alums. Alums are not listed in the VT People Search. For information about the Alumni Directory, go to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Web page (http://www.vatechalumni.com/) and click the Update My Profile link on the left.

You may permit or restrict confirmation of enrollment or degree information. For instructions, refer to Suppressing or Unsuppressing Your Personal Information.

Retirees

Your information will not display in the VT People Search or other online white pages. You may, however, control the level of confidentiality regarding general inquiries. For instructions, refer to Suppressing or Unsuppressing Your Personal Information.

Former Employees

Your information will not display in the VT People Search or other online white pages. You may, however, control the level of confidentiality regarding general inquiries. For instructions, refer to Suppressing or Unsuppressing Your Personal Information.

Non-State Employees

Non-state employees are those individuals who are generally granted similar privileges as Virginia Tech employees but are on another payroll. Examples are ROTC faculty and employees of the Virginia Tech Foundation. See the Employee section.

Students Not Currently Enrolled and Former Students

Your information will not display in the VT People Search or other online white pages. You may, however, permit or restrict confirmation of enrollment or degree information. For instructions, refer to Suppressing or Unsuppressing Your Personal Information.

Multiple Roles

If you are a currently enrolled Virginia Tech student or a current employee, see the descriptions above. These take precedence over any other relationship (for example, alum or retiree).

Employees Taking Classes

If you are engaged in one of the types of employment below, see the Employee section.

• a current salaried employee
• a current regular wage employee
• a current emergency hire wage employee

Students Employed by the University

If you are employed in a student-employee category, see the Student section. These types of employment include:

• a student wage job, including work study
• any type of graduate assistantship