How does Gramm-Leach-Bliley affect me? -or- Why should I care about Gramm-Leach-Bliley?

If you are a University employee or faculty member who handles or maintains "customer information," Gramm-Leach-Bliley may impact how you do your job on campus. While the University already employs security measures to protect a wide range of confidential or private information, including "customer information," Gramm-Leach-Bliley will force the University community to increase its awareness of the need for security. If you handle or maintain "customer information," you should discuss your department's security measures with your supervisor and, possible, with the University's Information Security Program Coordinator.

Who is a "customer?"

A customer is someone who receives a financial service from the university and in the process provides the university with non-public financial information about themselves. Customers can be students, students' parents, faculty, staff, or other third parties.

What is "customer information?"

Customer information includes any non-public financial information about a customer that the university handles or maintains.

I have concerns about how the University is handling information related to a payment someone has made to the University. Who should I contact?

Information about payments made to the University may qualify as customer information and be protected by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Therefore, you should contact Denise Moss, the University's Information Security Program Coordinator, about your concerns. However, if the payment information involves payment for healthcare services or benefits, the information may be protected by HIPAA. For concerns regarding payment for healthcare services, please contact Nancy Stokes, the University's HIPAA Privacy Official.

I have concerns about how my health and/or benefits information is being used by the University. Who should I contact for more information?

The University's HIPAA Privacy Official, Nancy Stokes, can help address concerns about health information. For more information, please see the University's HIPAA Information web page.

I am a student or a student's parent, and I have questions about my academic information, such as how the University uses it, who has access to it, and how I can get access to it. Is there someone to whom I can direct my questions?

Yes. The records you have described are, most likely, protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). You may wish to begin by reviewing the University's FERPA notice and FERPA rule. If you still have questions, you should contact Dr. Sharon Johnson, the University's FERPA Coordinator.


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