Student records secure at GHC
Berry College loss of records draws attention to issue
By Joshua Owens
[email protected]
Staff Writer
The recent financial aid records mishap at Berry College is no cause for concern for students at Georgia Highlands College.
Berry College received substantial press last month after nearly 3,000 student financial aid records and applications were lost by a contracted consultant. These documents contain personal and confidential information such as social security numbers, home addresses and tax information.
At Georgia Highlands College, sensitive paperwork is initially scanned and stored via a high-tech system called Xtender Solutions, a combination of software and hardware that acts as a virtual storage and retrieval databank, according to Todd Jones, director of admissions.
After scanning, hard copies are filed in a safe records room on the Floyd campus and destroyed after one year of receipt. Electronic copies are permanently stored.
Access to this database is strictly monitored by key individuals in GHC’s administration. These overseers–Jones; Kelly Gribble, director of financial aid; Sandie Davis, registrar; and Jeanette Eckles, IT department–may impose a variety of parameters on employees, such as placing records in a view-only mode or granting access only to certain files or portions of files. “It is a very versatile program,” said Jones.
Jones estimates that there are 20-25 persons with some degree of access to the program. A new college regulation requires all such staff members to undergo a criminal background check as part of the hiring process.
Jones encourages students not to worry. “Typically information like this isn’t released by a school,” he said. Jones further explained that all employees with access to Xtender have been briefed on the precepts of professional confidentiality.
Stacie Buffington, an early childhood education major from Armuchee, remarked, “I’ve never had a reason to doubt that my records were secure, but it is a scary thought to think that that quick and they’d be gone.”
|