Confidentiality

General

There are various laws that govern the confidentiality of information that will be stored in Banner.  Some of these include the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).  All those using Banner to access information should always be aware that their access to information stored in Banner is provided with the understanding that they will maintain the strict confidentiality of this data.

Confidential Information Indicator

The confidentiality indicator in Banner is displayed in the APAIDEN form.  If an individual has requested confidentiality of any information, a pop-up box indicating confidentiality on the records will display as the individual’s records are being queried.  Bethel employees must not disclose any information, even directory information, for individuals who have requested confidentiality.

As required by FERPA, there are levels of confidentiality that can be applied to a person’s data based upon his/her request.  The Registrar’s Office manages confidentiality requests for current students and the Human Resources Office manages them for employees using an Argos application.  The information from Argos then triggers the update to the Banner confidentiality flag.  Data managers should not update the confidentiality indicator in APAIDEN. 

Specific questions on what data is or is not included in a confidentiality request should be addressed to either the Registrar or Human Resources as appropriate.  Individuals wanting to request confidentiality for their records should be directed to the appropriate office as well.