Navigating Baylor University's Student Directory: Protecting Your Privacy

Baylor University provides an online directory for students, faculty, and staff. This directory is designed for informational and security purposes within the university community. It includes individual photographs consistent with the image on a student, faculty, or staff Baylor ID Card. Understanding how this directory works and how to manage your privacy settings is crucial for all members of the Baylor community.

Accessing and Managing Your Information

To manage the display of your ID photo and other information in the Baylor online directory, follow these steps:

Navigate to the Baylor online directory at www.baylor.edu/directory.
Enter your BearID and password and click Submit.
Select the "Release Settings" option from the menu bar at the top of the page.
Use the information release settings descriptions to determine how to properly classify and display your photo and other information on Baylor's directory.
Click the "Update Settings" button near the top left of the page to submit any changes.
You will receive a message on a new page that says “You have successfully updated your information release settings.”

Appropriate Usage of ID Photos

ID card photos are primarily intended for use with the physical ID card for verification of identification. The online directory provides convenient access to these photos when needed. It's crucial to understand the appropriate and inappropriate uses of these photos.

As a general practice, these photos should not be added to other software applications to augment the checking of University ID cards. Information Technology Services (ITS) allows faculty, staff, and students to control the viewing of their ID card photo in the online directory by setting privacy flags. It is not appropriate usage to copy photos from the online directory and use them for any other purpose.

Requirements for Using ID Photos in Systems

All requests for using University ID card photos within other systems should be directed to the Chief Information Security Officer, who will coordinate review by the appropriate parties. Access to University ID photos will primarily be provided to life safety/health systems, first responder systems, and systems essential to teaching and grading by instructors of record.

Read also: Baylor's Notable Alumni

Additionally, the following requirements apply:

Any secondary system approved to use ID photos must respect the privacy flags for usage in real time unless explicitly given an exception.
Such secondary systems should access the photos in real time rather than maintaining a local copy unless explicitly given an exception. Maintaining local copies of the photos poses a security/privacy risk and requires valuable computing resources to transfer the large picture files.
If a local copy is required and approved, the load must respect the individuals’ privacy flags and be updated on an approved regular interval.
The only exception to these requirements is for physical safety systems. These requests must be reviewed and approved by the General Counsel’s office. If granted the exception, the system should display a warning not to copy the ID photo and/or inform users by training of the restriction. In addition, these exceptions allow for the full load of photos including those that might be privacy-restricted.

Based on the above, exceptions allowing additional uses of these University ID photos will be very limited.

Sanctions for Misuse

Misuse of the online directory or ID photos can lead to serious consequences. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to:

Suspension of technology privileges
Termination of employment
Referral to Student Judicial Services
Criminal prosecution

For additional information, please reference Technology Systems Usage Policy BU-PP 025.

Related Policies and Legislation

Several policies and pieces of legislation govern the use of information at Baylor University. These include:

Technology Usage Policy BU-PP 025
Student Records Policy and FERPA
Directory Information Use BU-PP 026

Common Questions Regarding Photos and the Online Directory

Here are some answers to common questions about photos and Baylor's online directory:

Who can see the photos? All individuals currently listed in the online directory can see the photos when they log into the directory with their BearID and password. The photos will not be available for the general public.
Can the photos be downloaded? Photos will not be included in any file downloads available through the online directory. ITS will take steps to disable the ability to easily right-click and copy the photos, but this is not a guarantee that it is impossible to copy the photos one at a time. If an individual is concerned about their photo privacy, they should set the photo to be private.
Can I provide my own picture to be used? No. Only the official ID photos from Baylor ID Cards will be permitted.
What if I want to refresh the photo on my faculty/staff ID card? For employees or students on Baylor's Waco campus, new photos may be made at the ID Office located in the Speight Parking Garage.

Understanding FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

What is FERPA?

FERPA requires that the student give written permission for the release of “any personally identifiable information” other than general “directory information.” This permission should specify the records to be released, the purpose of the release, identify the party or class of parties to whom the release should be made, and be signed and dated by the student.

Students' Primary Rights under FERPA

Inspect and review education records
Request an amendment to their record for inaccurate or misleading information
Consent to the disclosure of information contained in their record
File a complaint with the US Department of Education for alleged violations

What is an education record?

Any record that is directly related to a student and maintained by Baylor, or someone acting on behalf of the institution. This includes all forms of record keeping, regardless of medium.

Who can access student education records?

Generally, schools must have signed consent from the student in order to release information from a student's education record. However, an exception is that school officials with legitimate educational interests can access student education records.

Read also: Affording Baylor University

What is a legitimate educational interest?

Legitimate educational interest is when a school official requires a student's education record in the course of performing his or her duties for the University.

Privacy Concerns and Personal Information

Many students may be unaware of the extent of personal information available in the online directory. While the directory is accessible only to those with a valid Bear ID (faculty, staff, and students), the potential for misuse exists. One possible consequence of personal information being accessible is the increased risk of stalking or harassment.

If a student leaves the “faculty, staff and student” setting on for their residence hall address, anyone could attempt to find and wait for them. While the Baylor community is generally trustworthy, it's important to be aware of the potential for individuals to take advantage of such information. This could include unwanted texts and calls from a stranger attempting to gain something or simply cause trouble.

The open access to a permanent address can be particularly concerning, as it allows strangers to know where an individual lives when they are not at Baylor or where their family resides. This can put both the student and their family at risk of being stalked or harassed.

Taking Control of Your Privacy

Fortunately, Baylor University provides opportunities to ensure that your personal information remains private. Baylor’s Use of Online Directories BU-PP 026 allows students to request that the university not disclose directory information by making a written request to the Office of the Registrar.

It is highly recommended that students, faculty, and staff who may be unaware of the directory or the personal information it releases take steps to hide personal information that does not need to be available to others.

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