Registrar educates students about personal information privacy

From time to time, students may notice that third parties can email wisc.edu addresses with various offers. This happens because campus email addresses are considered public information under state law, and UW–Madison is required to provide that information to third parties upon request.

This requirement isn’t just limited to email addresses. In an effort to better educate students about their privacy rights, the Office of the Registrar has posted a list of what personal information qualifies as public.

Students who would like to stop receiving emails have a couple of options, says Greta Petersen, the associate registrar for student services. Under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students can request to place a restriction on the release of their personal data.

However, placing a FERPA hold has far-ranging consequences. For example, the names of students with FERPA holds do not appear in commencement brochures, which can make it more difficult to demonstrate degree completion to employers. More information about FERPA is available through the Office of the Registrar.

Alternatively, students can take a less restrictive measure and simply opt out of receiving email messages from third parties and registered student organizations via Student Center in the My UW portal.

“We encourage students to think about whether they truly want to opt out of messages from student organizations, since those groups provide so many opportunities for students looking to get involved on campus,” says Petersen.

UW-Madison does not sell student information or profit by releasing student information to third parties.