This story is developing and may be updated with additional information.
The student and staff directories of William Jewell College have been published to the public-facing internet and are searchable on Google and other search engines. The information in these directories—which includes students’ full names, Jewell email addresses, and ID file photographs—has been available since at least Thursday, Oct. 2 and may have been available earlier, according to a source familiar with the matter, granted anonymity by The Hilltop Monitor. As of the time of publication, both directories are still online and publicly available.
According to Jewell’s data classification and handling standards, directory information, such as names and email addresses, are considered level 4 data and can be legally revealed to the public. Photographs are considered level 4 data if they are posted in an official College publication. It is unclear whether the College intended “publication” to mean College-issued news and media (such as press releases) or anything public-facing produced by the College.
Physical descriptions of students, which are easily obtainable from photographs, are considered level 3 data, meaning they are for internal use only and ought not to be published. Employee ID numbers of Jewell employees, also easily obtainable from the staff database, are likewise listed as for internal use only.
William Jewell College is also required to comply with federal law, including the Family Educational Rights and Policy Act (FERPA). Under FERPA, “directory information” (such as name, email, major, etc.) can be legally published. Any student who has requested confidentiality under FERPA (also known as setting a FERPA flag) cannot have their information published as part of the directory. The Hilltop Monitor does not know of any students who have set such a flag (which is by design, as their information would be private).
Whether the College intended to release this information or not, publishing the directory to the internet is quite concerning. Publicly posting students’ identification photos, college emails, ID numbers, and full names may enable stalkers or others who wish students ill to track and harass them. It is the opinion of the author that the College should either redact public-facing information to not include student photographs, or take the directory off the public-facing internet.
The Hilltop Monitor asked College administrators whether the release was intentional, for how long directory information has been available, and how the College intended to protect student and staff privacy. College administrators did not respond to a Hilltop Monitor request for comment.
If you are a student who has set a FERPA confidentiality flag, please check if your info is available via search engines and, if you are comfortable doing so, please inform the Hilltop Monitor (via the Story Suggestions page) or Student Senate of any concerns.
