Copyright, Legal & Privacy Statement
This Statement describes the practices of Roger Williams University, its divisions, subsidiaries, and affiliates ( collectively, “RWU,” “We,” or “Us”), a United States-based educational institution, in connection with RWU websites, including www.rwu.edu and others (collectively, the “Site”).
ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
When you access the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to abide by the terms described below.
If you do not agree to the terms discussed here, you should exit the Site now.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Everything on the Site is copyrighted. The copyrights are owned by Roger Williams University or the original creator of the material. However, you are free to view, copy, print, and distribute Roger Williams University 's material from the Site, as long as:
- The material is used for information only
- The material is used for non-commercial purposes only
- Copies of any material include Roger Williams University’s copyright notice
The user is free to distribute Roger Williams University’s material from the website as long as it:
a) Is used for information only
b) Is used for non-commercial purposes only and
c) Includes Roger Williams University's copyright notice
d) Is not an item identified as Roger Williams University's confidential
THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTS AND COPYRIGHT AGENT
Roger Williams University is committed to respecting others’ intellectual property rights, and we ask our users to do the same. Roger Williams University may, in its sole discretion, terminate the accounts or access rights of users who violate others’ intellectual property rights.
NO WARRANTY
While Roger Williams University attempts to provide accurate information on this website, it assumes no responsibility for accuracy. Roger Williams University may change the information on the site, or the products or services mentioned, at any time without notice.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
Roger Williams University is not liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use-or the inability to use-the material on the Site. This includes but is not limited to the loss of data or loss of profit, even if Roger Williams University was advised of the possibility of such damages.
LINKS
While this website may contain links to third-party sites, Roger Williams University is not responsible for the content of any linked sites. Roger Williams University provides these links as a convenience and does not endorse the companies or contents of any linked sites.
YOUR POSTED INFORMATION
You are prohibited from posting or transmitting any unlawful, threatening, obscene, libelous, or otherwise offensive material.
YOUR SUBMISSION
Any material, information, or idea submitted or posted on this Website will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary. Roger Williams University may share or otherwise use your submission for any purpose whatsoever.
If any of the information submitted constitutes personal data, you agree that Roger Williams University may transmit such personal data across international boundaries for any Roger Williams University business purpose. Personal data will be treated as set forth in our Privacy Statement.
JURISDICTION AND CHOICE OF LAW
All claims or issues regarding this website, shall be governed according to the laws of the State of Rhode Island. Any legal action concerning these terms or this website must be brought within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises and must be brought in the State of Rhode Island.
PRIVACY STATEMENT
Introduction
This Privacy Statement describes the practices of RWU with information relating to you, your computer, or your device and that enables your identification (“Personal Information”). RWU collects, uses, and maintains (hereinafter “processes”) Personal Information from visitors to the Site. This Privacy Statement addresses the processing of information collected automatically through or from the Site and any information you voluntarily submit, whether through the site or through such means as telephone, facsimile, postal mail, personal delivery, or other or additional offline means or media. Any questions or comments about this Statement or the processing of data can be directed to privacy@rwu.edu.
Collection of Personal Information From Users
When you interact with us through the Site, we may collect information from you as described below.
a. Information You Submit Voluntarily
Some elements of the Site may ask you to submit Personal Information in order for you to benefit from the specified features or participate in a certain activity, such as an application for admission. For example, if you register for an event through the Site or complete a form on the Site, we may request Personal Information such as your name and contact information. We may combine information you submit through the Site with other information we have collected from you, whether on-line or off-line. We treat the combined information in accordance with this Privacy Statement.
b. Passive Information Collection, Use, and Choices
As you navigate the Site, certain Personal Information may be passively collected, meaning it is gathered without your actively providing it. This is done using the following techniques in the following ways:
- IP Addresses: An IP address is a unique identifier that certain electronic devices use to identify and communicate with each other on the Internet. When you visit our Site, we may view the IP address of the device you use to connect to the Internet. We use this information to determine the general physical location of the device and understand from what geographic regions our website visitors come. We also may use this information to enhance our Site.
- Through your browser: Certain information is collected by most browsers, such as your Media Access Control (MAC) address, computer type and operating system type and version screen resolution, and Internet browser type and version.
- Cookies: Like many companies, our Site may use “cookies” to help make sure the Site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements. Cookies are bits of text that are placed on your computer’s hard drive when you visit certain websites. We may use cookies set by us on the Site to tell us, for example, whether you have visited us before or if you are a new visitor. We use third-party cookies set by our service provider, Google Analytics, to collect information about how visitors use the Site, including how long you spend on each page, and how you got to the Site.
You can refuse our use of some or all cookies by turning off the use of cookies in your web browser. If you use your browser settings to block all types of cookies you may not be able to access all or parts of our Site or functionality may be limited. You can set your browser to notify you before you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it. You can also set your browser to turn off cookies.
Changing your internet browser settings can prevent the use of cookies. Each browser has a different procedure for disabling the use of cookies, and the Help function within your browser should tell you how.
You can visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout for information on how to opt out of Google Analytics cookies.
- Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics, which is provided by Google Inc. It uses cookies to collect, for example, information about the operating system and the browser that you use, your IP address, the website you previously accessed (referrer URL) and the date and time of your visit to the Websites. On subsequent repeated visits to the Websites, frequently used information is automatically displayed for you. We are able to track your usage patterns with the help of the cookies. The information generated by cookies about the use of the Websites is transmitted to a Google server, which may be located within or outside of, the United States, and stored there. Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the Websites. Google may transfer these rights to third parties insofar as it is required to do so by law or in order that data may be processed on Google’s behalf. You can visit https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites to learn more about Google Analytics’ use of cookies.
c. Sensitive Information
Unless we specifically request or invite it, we ask that you not send or otherwise disclose to us your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or other beliefs, health, criminal background, or trade union membership. In those cases where we may request or invite you to provide the foregoing information, we will only do so with your express consent, in accordance with applicable data protection law requirements. Where you provide us with such information without request from RWU, we reserve the right (but do not have any obligation) to erase any such information at our discretion.
d. Information About Minors
The Site is not intended for persons under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information online from persons in this age group. We reserve the right to delete any information identified as having been provided by such persons at our discretion.
How We Use the Information We Collect
We use Personal Information submitted by you or otherwise collected through the Site and through other sources for the purposes described in this Privacy Statement and as otherwise described to you at the point of collection. Generally, we use the information you provide to us only for the reason for which it was provided. Specifically, we may use Personal Information from or about you:
i. to send you important information regarding our relationship with you or regarding the Site, changes to our terms, conditions, and policies, and other administrative information;
ii. to ensure our compliance with federal, state, or local laws including, but not limited to, the Higher Education Act;
iii. for our operational purposes, such as data analysis, audits, recordkeeping, developing new products or services, enhancing the Site, improving our services, identifying Site usage trends, optimizing your experience on the Site; and
iv. if we intend to collect and use Personal Information for another purpose, we may seek your permission at the time the information is collected.
We may use any information that does not personally identify you, your computer, or your device, for any purpose.
Our Disclosure of Your Information
RWU does not sell your Personal Information. We may share your Personal Information with third parties only as described in this Privacy Statement or as otherwise described at the point where we collect the information from you, including:
i. to companies or individuals that we hire to provide services to us, such as application processing, contact management, website hosting services and payment processing;
ii. to relevant governmental authorities to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, or local laws including, but not limited to, the Higher Education Act;
iii. pursuant to legally enforceable demands for documents, including but not limited to government subpoenas;
iv. in cases where we believe your business interests will be served, we may share your information (with the exception of account, credit card, and ordering information) with RWU Business Partners, who can alert you about new products and services.
Where Your Information is Processed
RWU is based in the United States. No matter where you are located, your Personal Information will be processed in the United States. The laws of the United States governing data protection may not be as comprehensive or as protective as the laws in the country where you live.
Data Retention
We generally retain Personal Information for so long as it may be relevant for the purposes identified in this Privacy Statement, unless a longer period of time is required by law or RWU policy. RWU’s Retention of Records policy can be accessed here: https://www.rwu.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/records-retention-policy.pdf.
Lawful Basis for Processing Your Personal Information
The laws in some countries require us to tell you about the lawful grounds we rely on to collect, use, disclose, and otherwise process your Personal Information. To the extent those laws apply, our lawful basis for processing your Personal Information is in support of our legitimate interests, where those interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms. In many cases, we collect and process Personal Information because it furthers our legitimate educational and operational interests. This includes:
i. Providing a safe user experience on our Site;
ii. Analyzing and improving our operations (e.g., optimizing the design and operation of our Site);
iii. Ensuring compliance with applicable federal, state, or local laws including, but not limited to, the Higher Education Act; and
iv. Managing legal issues.
In some instances, the processing of your Personal Information may also be necessary to further our performance, or preparation for performance, of a contract to provide educational and other services to you.
Notice for European Union Residents about Data Rights and Choices
The following notice applies to European Union residents: You have the right to request access to your Personal Information and the rectification of inaccurate Personal Information from RWU. You also have the right to obtain from RWU the erasure or the restriction of processing of your Personal Information in certain circumstances, including when the data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed, except when RWU is required by law to maintain or otherwise process your Personal Information, for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims, or the protection of the rights of another person. You may exercise these rights by contacting RWU using the contact information provided below. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the country of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of alleged infringement of the applicable law.
If you would like to submit a data access, correction, restriction, or deletion request, you can do so by contacting us at privacy@rwu.edu and we will process such request, as necessary in accordance with applicable law, with respect to any Personal Information that we are able to link to you individually based on the information that you can provide to us. Exercising any of these rights is a guarantee to be afforded a process and does not guarantee any particular outcome. These rights and options that you have with respect to Personal Information are subject to limitations and exceptions under applicable law.
Notice for Students about Data Rights and Choices
If you are an RWU student, you may have additional rights under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”). For more information about FERPA, please visit: https://www.rwu.edu/academics/registrar/ferpa.
Right to Change This Statement
RWU reserves the right at any time to modify, alter, or update this Copyright, Legal & Privacy Statement. Your use of the Site following any changes means that you agree to follow and be bound by the Statement as changed, subject to limitations under applicable law. Any change to this Statement shall be effective as to any user who has visited the Site before the change was made. Please review this policy periodically, and especially before you provide any Personal Information to us. The Statement was last updated on April 12, 2019.