Privacy Statement

Privacy and Legal Statements  

Ferris State University values individuals' privacy and actively seeks to preserve the privacy rights of those who share information with us. Your trust is important to us, and we believe you have the right to know how information submitted through our talent management system is handled.

We do not collect any personal information unless you provide it to us or authorize its release to us. When you engage with content on our talent management system, you may be asked to provide your name, e-mail address, address and other details such as a telephone number. This information is used to process employment applications, share our services and answer questions and feedback. We do not sell, trade or rent your information to other parties.

As a general rule, the University does not track individual visitor profiles. We do, however, analyze aggregate traffic/access information for marketing campaign effectiveness measurement, resource management and site planning purposes.

If you wish to no longer receive information and/or services from Ferris State University, please contact Human Resources at HumanResources@ferris.edu.

PRIVACY NOTICE

Ferris State University is committed to conducting the collection and processing of personal data with integrity and in compliance with applicable data protection laws. This Privacy Notice, presents information about how the University collects, uses and protects personal data you provide as an employee of the University.

1. Data Controller Contact Information

Ferris State University serves as the Data Controller and determines the purposes and means of processing your personal data. The individual below serves as the primary contact for compliance related to the employee information and is responsible for responding to questions about this Notice and requests to exercise a data subject's rights.

Holly Williams
Manager of Benefits                                                                                                        420 Oak Street, PRK 150
Big Rapids, MI 49307
HollyWilliams@ferris.edu
231-591-3874


2.  Purposes for Collecting and Using Data

The University will keep a record of the details you provided on your application form and any supporting documents requested. We will maintain various administrative and financial records about your employment at Ferris State University. Where relevant, we may supplement these records with personal data from the public domain (e.g. your publications) or other sources (e.g., where relevant, the Higher Education Academy).

Your personal information is created, stored and transmitted securely in a variety of paper and electronic formats. Access to your personal information is limited to staff who have a legitimate business reason in it for the purpose of carrying out their contractual duties, and our use of your personal information will not be excessive.

In addition to this, the University may process some information about you that is classified as ‘sensitive’ personal data, and which requires additional protections. This includes information concerning your ethnicity, or health/disability for planning and monitoring purposes, or in order to provide care, help or suitable adjustments. For certain roles, other sensitive information may be processed, such as information about past criminal convictions. Access to, and the sharing of, your 'sensitive' personal data are controlled very carefully. You will normally be given further details about our use of any such data when we collect it from you.

What is the purpose and legal basis of the processing?

The University will process your personal information for a range of contractual, statutory or public interest purposes, including the following:

  • To assess your suitability for a particular role or task.

  • To support you in implementing any health-related adjustments to allow you to carry out a particular role or task.

  • To administer payroll and other standard employment functions.

  • To administer HR-related processes, including those relating to performance/absence management, disciplinary issues and complaints/grievances.

  • To deliver facilities (e.g. IT, libraries), services (e.g. accommodation, childcare) and staff benefits to you, and where appropriate to monitor your use of those facilities in accordance with University policies.

  • To communicate effectively with you by mail, email and phone, including the distribution of relevant newsletters and circulars.

  • To support your training, health, safety, welfare and religious requirements.

  • To fulfil and monitor our responsibilities under immigration and public safety legislation.

  • To enable us to contact others in the event of an emergency (we will assume that you have checked with the individuals before you supply their contact details to us).

We consider the processing of your personal information for these purposes to be either necessary for the performance of our employment obligations with you (e.g. to manage your employment relationship), or necessary for compliance with a legal obligation (e.g. equal opportunities monitoring), or necessary for the performance of tasks we carry out in the public interest (e.g. non-statutory reporting or research). We require you to provide us with any information we reasonably ask for to enable us to administer your employment relationship. If we require your consent for any specific use of your personal information, we will collect it at the appropriate time and you can withdraw this at any time. We will not use your personal information to carry out any wholly automated decision-making that affects you.

3. Sharing and Transferring Data

We will share data with the Payroll Department as well as with our third party benefits administrators, as authorized by polices, laws and regulations. 

4. Data Retention

Data is retained in accordance with University policy and as required under applicable U.S. laws and regulations. We store your personal information as part of your staff record for the duration of your employment (and it may be used as part of our assessment of any future application you make for further employment at Ferris State University). After you leave certain records pertaining to your employment are retained indefinitely so that the details of your employment can be confirmed and for statistical or historical research and as required by applicable U.S. laws and regulations.

5. Sensitive Data

In addition to this, the University may process some information about you that is classified as ‘sensitive’ personal data, and which requires additional protections. This includes information concerning your ethnicity, or health/disability for planning and monitoring purposes, or in order to provide care, help or suitable adjustments. For certain roles, other sensitive information may be processed, such as information about past criminal convictions. Access to, and the sharing of, your 'sensitive' personal data are controlled very carefully. You will normally be given further details about our use of any such data when we collect it from you.

6. Importance of Data

By you not providing the requested information, Human Resources is not able to deliver its good and services through payroll, benefits or any other Human Resource functions.

7. Data Protection

The University has put in place reasonable physical, technical and administrative safeguards as outlined by regulations designed to prevent unauthorized access to or use of information collected online.