Effective 4/2021

Policy Name	Academic Phone Number Policy
Policy Category	Data and Technology
Policy Approved By	Cabinet
Responsible Division Head or VP	Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Responsible Department	Academic Affairs
Responsible AVP or Director	Associate Dean for Student Academic Success
Original Policy Date	1/25/2021
Last Known Revision Date
Current Policy Effective Date
Recommended Policy Review Date	01/25/2023
Policy Applies To	Entire Campus
Additional Authority/References	N/A

POLICY PURPOSE

This policy covers the solicitation and collection of an academic phone number from students. This phone number is to be used to provide direct communication with students to support student success initiatives while a student is attending Albright College. This number may be utilized by student success groups on campus including, but not limited to, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Health and Wellness, and the Office of Student Success. The academic phone will not be shared outside of the Albright College Community.

BACKGROUND

The student phone numbers that are currently stored in the Student Information System are the original phone numbers from when the student completed their application to Albright College. This phone number is typically not the student’s direct contact phone number (cell phone) and is actually in many cases a home or parental phone. The academic phone number is needed so that we can directly contact the student via their cell phone (through voice and/or text) and also so that we do not violate FERPA by calling and potentially talking with someone who is not approved.

DEFINITIONS

TERM	DEFINITION
Academic Phone Number	Phone number to be used as the primary phone number at which a student can be contacted while enrolled on campus. This should be a personal cell phone, if possible.
Current student	A student who has matriculated at Albright College and is currently enrolled in classes.
Incoming student	A student who has submitted a deposit, but has not matriculated as an Albright student.
Phone form	Web-based interface for collecting information.
Student Information System	PowerCampus
Student services offices	Any administrative departments with whom students interact directly. These offices include, but are not limited to, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Academic Learning Center, Office of Accessibility and Advocacy, Student Accounts, and Residential Life.
Internal purposes	For use only by Albright personnel to contact the student for purposes related to the College’s business and mission related to the student while student is enrolled at Albright College.
Albright community	Entire administrative, faculty, staff, and student populations of Albright College
Onboarding process	Process of matriculating from accepted student to enrolled student attending Albright College
Identity system	System used by students to keep on track with forms and other tasks needed to be completed as students continue to progress towards their degrees.

POLICY TEXT

Students will be asked to provide a personal phone number for communications from student services offices to support student success. These offices include, but are not limited to, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Health and Wellness, and the Office of Student Success. In the interest of student privacy, the academic phone number will be utilized for internal purposes only and will not be shared outside of the Albright community.

Students will be asked to provide a phone number (preferably mobile phone) at which they can be reached while enrolled. Students will provide this phone number through a phone form and will be able to update the phone number at any time while enrolled as a student. Students will also have the option to opt out of providing an academic phone number, but will be reminded that they are limiting the ability of key offices on campus to contact them directly when needed. Incoming students will be asked to provide this new phone number as part of the onboarding process through the Identity system. Current students will be required to provide a phone number or opt out and will be prompted until they complete one of the two options. If a member of the Albright community finds that a student cannot be reached at the number provided, the academic phone number will be deactivated, and we will resume prompting the student to update the academic phone number or opt out of contact. Every five years, the academic phone number will expire. Current students will resume being prompted until they verify or opt out of providing an academic phone number.

The academic phone number will be collected through eDocs and stored in the Student Information System (system of record). The phone number will be shared to other systems as needed, but will be updated to those systems upon update in the system of record.

ASSOCIATED PROCEDURES LOCATION

REVISION LOG

DATE OF REVISION	MAJOR CHANGES *(Note: electronic copies of the former versions of the policy must be maintained within the unit, department, or division)*
Click or tap to enter a date.
Click or tap to enter a date.
Click or tap to enter a date.
Click or tap to enter a date.
Click or tap to enter a date.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN – For decision-making purposes only. This will not appear in the Final Policy that is posted to the Policy Repository.

A request will be sent to the entire student population from DSI to complete the eDocs form for phone number. We plan to start the data collection as soon as we receive policy approval with a push to collect these numbers during the spring 2021 semester.

DECISION – For decision-making purposes only. This will not appear in the Final Policy that is posted to the Policy Repository.

Date of Draft Policy Review	Click or tap to enter a date.
Name of Reviewing Committee/Individual
Date Approved	Click or tap to enter a date.	Comments:
Date Rejected	Click or tap to enter a date.	Comments:
Date Draft Tabled or Further Review Needed (provide comments including plan for re-submission)	Click or tap to enter a date.	Comments:

View this policy as a PDF.