Student Life
Question 3.7 Details

Is contact information for students, faculty, and staff readily accessible electronically?

One thing to look for on a campus Web site is a search feature that allows you to find information about students, faculty, and staff. It is important to look for directories that are available electronically to assist in finding members of the campus community. Are all students, faculty, and staff included? Can you get both e–mail addresses and phone numbers for these? Can you get office addresses for faculty and staff? How does the campus protect individual privacy? (See question 2.6.)

Many campus directory services allow students to enter additional data on themselves that may even be searchable, so you could find all students that have home addresses in Kansas, for example. This kind of service is usually optional, as there is a trade–off with issues of privacy. Some students may not even want their phone numbers listed to protect their privacy.

Students should check and determine what information is automatically posted in electronic and print directories, and what options they might have to restrict or eliminate this information. Some campuses give the option to have a photograph posted, but this might lead to unwanted contact. Students should explore their options and listen to other students as to what is appropriate to include if such options are available. One thing to check is whether the directory can include pointers to an individual or personal Web site.