Revised: December, 2017

I. Your Privacy Rights Are Important To Us

Lone Star College (LSC) respects the privacy of its students, their parents and guardians, as well as that of the LSC faculty, administrators, and employees. This Privacy Statement is intended to answer your questions about the privacy practices applicable to those websites sharing the www.LoneStar.edu domain (the Websites), as well as the data LSC collects or maintains regarding its students, faculty, administrators, and employees. If you have any questions about these practices, please contact us at LSC-OfficeOfTheGeneralCounsel@lonestar.edu.

This Privacy Statement does not apply to any third-party websites or services that you may access through our Websites. If you have questions regarding the privacy practices of such third-parties, LSC recommends you contact the third-party directly.

II. Information We Collect

A. Information Collected from Our Websites

Although you can visit most LSC Websites without telling us who you are, when you access our Websites, our servers automatically gather information from your web browser, such as your IP address. Your IP address is a unique number assigned to your computer or device that allows websites (and others) to identify devices connected to a computer network. Collecting IP addresses is a standard practice and is generally done automatically by network management software. We may also track additional information while you use our Websites, including but not limited to the specific pages of the Website that you visit, the links that you click, the browser you are using, the operating system of your computer or mobile device, and the way that you interact with the Websites. This information is used to create summary statistics and is not reported in any manner that would reveal personally identifiable information. Other than for the reasons described below, LSC will not disclose such information to third parties.

LSC may, from time to time, use a third-party service such as Google Analytics to collect and analyze this type of visitor data. We use this information for a number of purposes, including calculating network usage levels, diagnosing server issues, improving our Websites and services to better accommodate user patterns, and detecting and mitigating security threats. These tools cannot be used to identify who you are.

Cookies and Web Beacons

LSC also uses other automated collection tools, including “cookies” and “web beacons,” to gather information about you and your computer while you are visiting our Websites. A cookie is a small file stored on your computer or mobile device that lets us know whether you have visited our Websites before as well as your navigation experience during your visit. Web beacons are similar snippets of code often used in conjunction with cookies to generate statistics about website use. Our cookies do not contain or capture personally identifiable information. We use cookies to enhance your web experience, to increase security, and to identify user patterns on our Websites. Cookies allow us to collect statistical information about the usage of our Websites in order to improve functionality and design. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually adjust your browsers settings to decline cookies or otherwise modify the way your browser interacts with cookies.

We may allow selected third-parties to place cookies or web beacons on our Websites to generate insights into the behavior of users on the Websites or to provide relevant content to specific users. These third-parties may collect information about a user’s activities over time and across different websites.

Please note that if you disable cookies, it is possible that some of our Websites’ features may not function properly. Unlike cookies, it is generally not possible to specifically direct your browser to decline web beacons. Generally, however, setting your browser to decline cookies will keep a web beacon from tracking your activity while on a web site.

LSC Emails

Emails sent by LSC may contain web beacons and other similar technologies to track the response rate to such communications. Web beacons (also known as pixel gifs, pixel tags, clear gifs, third-party pixels, or targeting pixels) are small graphics with a unique piece of identifying code, similar to a cookie, used to track the online activities of a web user or to access previously set cookies. These tools are used in email communications to determine whether sent messages have been opened or otherwise acted upon.

Do Not Track

The Websites do not respond to your browser’s do-not-track signals and comparable mechanisms. Note that visiting a website using your browser’s “incognito” or “private” browsing modes does not prevent that website from collecting information about your use of the website.

Children Under the Age of Thirteen

LSCS does not knowingly collect information about children under the age of thirteen through the Websites.

B. Student Information

LSC collects and maintains information about its students (Student Information) in order to fulfill legitimate educational interests. LSC complies with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) when collecting, maintaining, and disclosing student records. LSC students have rights regarding their records, including the right to inspect, review, and request the amendment of incorrect records. For additional information regarding these rights and LSC’s practices regarding Student Information, please see the Lone Star College System District Board Policy Manual.

Student Information is collected from a variety of sources, including but not limited to application materials submitted to LSC, financial records, faculty records, and through the MyLoneStar student portal. Student Information generally includes the following information about Lone Star College students:

• Demographic information including name, mailing address, email address, date of birth, and military status;
• Student education records including grades, class enrollments, and faculty notes;
• Health-related information, including immunizations and other health records;
• Financial information, including financial aid records and account information; and
• System usernames and passwords.

Directory Information

As described in the Lone Star College System District Board Policy Manual, LSC collects Directory Information and Limited Directory Information regarding each student. LSC may release directory information with the student’s consent unless the student requests that LSC not release such directory information. Students can manage privacy settings for their Directory Information in MyLoneStar.

LSC may release Limited Directory Information to LSC Partner Organizations without the student’s consent unless the student requests that LSC not release Limited Directory Information. Students can make such a request by contacting the Office of Student Records directly or by updating their MyLoneStar settings.

Disclosures to Third Parties

Other than the disclosures of Directory Information and Limited Directory Information described above, LSC will never sell, lease, or trade Student Information to third-parties. LSC may disclose Student Information to third parties as necessary for the third party to provide required services to LSC or its students. LSC may store Student Information in locations outside its physical facilities, such as on servers co-located with third-party hosting providers or with secure cloud-storage or software-as-a-service vendors.

Except for the ways outlined in this Privacy Statement, LSC will not disclose the information described in this section to any third party unless we believe that such action is necessary to (a) comply with a court order or other legal process served on us or assist government enforcement agencies; (b) investigate or prevent suspected illegal activities or protect the security and integrity of LSC or its surrounding communities; (c) enforce this Privacy Statement, LSC policies, or other binding agreements between LSC and third-parties providing services to LSC; (d) take precautions against liability, investigate or defend against any third-party claims or allegations; or (e) exercise or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of LSC, its students, employees, or others.

C. Faculty, Administrator, and Employee Information

LSC collects and maintains information related to its faculty, administrators, and employees during the normal course of business (Employee Information). LSC’s practices regarding Employee Information are outside the scope of this Privacy Statement. Questions regarding Employee Information should be directed to the individual’s supervisor or department-head, as appropriate.

III. How We Protect Your Information

Regardless of the source of the information maintained by LSC, protecting your personally identifiable information is important to us. We take security measures—physical, electronic, and procedural—to help defend against the unauthorized access and disclosure of such information. In addition to the restrictions discussed in this Privacy Statement, LSC employees and third-party vendors are required to comply with relevant information security safeguards to help prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to personally identifiable information. LSC’s security measures meet or exceed the requirements of applicable federal and state law.

Despite these precautions, no system can be completely secure and there remains a risk that unauthorized access or use, hardware or software failure, human error, or a number of other factors may compromise the security of the information maintained by LSC.

IV. Updates to This Privacy Policy

From time to time, LSC may update or modify this Privacy Statement to reflect changes in the way it maintains, uses, shares, or secures collected information. Please check this policy each time you visit the Websites to ensure that you are aware of any revisions. Any changes to this Privacy Statement will become effective when we post the revised Statement to the Websites. Your use of the Websites following such changes means that you accept the revised Privacy Statement and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions.

How to Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Statement or wish to review your education records, please contact us by email, telephone, or post:

Email: LSC-OfficeOfTheGeneralCounsel@lonestar.edu
Phone: (832) 813-6779
Address: 5000 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, Texas 77381