The following questions and answers outline our approach to collecting and managing your information.

Why do we collect your data?

We collect and manage personal data about our members so we can:

• Contact you to let you know about our activities, elections, campaigns, events or projects; and provide information on how you can get involved in them.
• To administer your involvement in certain initiatives (such as the Course and Faculty Rep programme; clubs and societies, and social events.)
• Undertake research into the student population at LJMU, to make sure that the overall student experience is meeting your needs, and to identify areas that need to be improved.
• Ensure that our activities are as representative and inclusive as possible.
• Improve how we deliver our services.

What data do we collect?

We collect and manage information that helps us contact you with general information about our activities, or in some cases, things that are of specific interest to you.

For this, we will collect information such as:

• Your name
• Your LJMU email address
• Details about your Course (including Year, Location, Mode and Programme of study; and the Department and Faculty)
• Your nationality
• Your gender
• Your personal email address (where necessary for a particular project or activity or where this is your personal preference,)
• Your home or mobile phone number (where necessary for a particular project or activity)
• Your home or term time address (where necessary for a particular project or activity)

In some cases we may ask you to share certain “special category data” with us in order to help us undertake some research projects, and to ensure that our activities and initiatives are as inclusive as possible.

This could include particular sensitive information, for example in relation to your ethnicity, your sexual orientation, or memberships of any political organisations.

How do we collect your data?

We collect your personal data in two main ways:

• Shared via LJMU

When you signed up for your IT account on becoming a new student at LJMU, you were asked to opt-in to sharing your details with us. If you opted in, this means that we automatically received your data, along with all other members that have also opted-in, via a live feed that is regularly refreshed to ensure accuracy. This data is stored on the National Union of Students (NUS) secure server, based in the UK, which we use to administer our website, contact you about our activities, and administer your involvement in clubs and societies.

This data allows you to sign-on to and use our website.

• Directly collected

Throughout the academic year, we also regularly ask you to share your information with us for particular projects, so we can keep you informed about them as they progress, or so we can effectively support your involvement.

Some examples of this are:

• Collecting your details at Freshers’ Fair so we can contact you about joining taster-sessions arranged by clubs and societies at the beginning of the academic year.
• Registering your interest in standing to be a candidate in our NUS Conference Delegate elections, or Student Officer Elections.
• Ensuring Course Reps have the right training, and ongoing support to effectively represent their fellow students.
• To get feedback on the academic experience at LJMU, and feedback on our events and projects.

We will usually collect your data via either an online form powered by Snap Surveys (based in the UK) or Google Cloud (based in the USA, with appropriate security credentials, as demanded by the GDPR); or on paper surveys, stored securely on site at LJMU.

This data is kept and treated separately to the main data-set that is shared with us automatically via LJMU

 

How do we seek your consent?

In line with the above methods, we seek your consent in two main ways:

• Via Opt-in on registration at LJMU

In order for us to receive your data via the live-feed from LJMU, you are asked to opt-in to data sharing when prompted when you register for your IT account. You can manage this setting and change your opt-in status at any time via your “My LJMU” account online. If you decide to opt-out, this will generally take 24 hours to take effect, and you will then be unable to access certain online services such as clubs and societies.

• Consent statements on data collection forms

Each time we ask for your data in relation to a particular project or initiative, you will be presented with a Data Protection Statement outlining the following:

• The specific purpose for which we will hold your data.
• How and why your data will be shared with any third party (if at all).
• Who to contact in relation to any queries about how we’ll use and store your data; or about how to withdraw your consent.

Alongside this information, you will be presented with a tick-box to demonstrate your explicit and unambiguous consent.

 

How do we store your data?

We’re committed to storing your data securely, in order to safeguard your privacy and rights. We do this in two main ways:

• Electronically

We use the following electronic methods to store your data:

• Via password protected forms held on the internal LJMU server. All data held on the LJMU server is protected by the use of robust authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorised access to University data, and secure passwords, which have forced changes periodically.

• Via forms and address lists stored on trusted and secure third party servers.

• Hard copy

We may sometimes ask for your data via paper surveys, or receive petitions undertaken by students. If either are the case, the paper used to record your data will be locked in secure facilities at the main JMSU offices at John Foster Building.

If data on paper is collected away from the main JMSU Office at John Foster Building, a member of SU staff will lock them in a dedicated SU unit on site in one of the student social spaces on campus, prior to personally bringing them by hand to the main offices.

Data on paper will not be kept off site for any period beyond 24 hours.

 

Who might we share it with (and how will you know)?

Every time we asked for your personal data, we’ll state clearly if we intend to share it with any third parties, prior to you giving us your consent.

Examples of where we may share your personal data might be:

• The Programme Leader on your Course if you’re a Course Rep, to ensure that your status and role is known to them.

 

• A third-party email or survey providers in order to collect your data online, provide you with tailored, relevant information, and to facilitate your participation in surveys.

 

How long do we keep it for?

We do not keep hold of your data for any longer than necessary.

If you’ve opted-in to data sharing from LJMU, student data updated usually within a 24 hour period; meaning that if you opt-out or when you graduate, we will automatically no longer have access to your details, effective after the same period.

If you’ve consented to providing us with your details for the purposes of a particular project or initiative; we will keep hold of them for the remainder of the academic year (August to July).

If you’ve consented to providing us with your details for the purposes of administering the Academic Representation system (e.g. if you’re a Course Rep of Faculty Rep), we keep your data for the academic year, based on when you started your course.

We may keep certain data for longer than this for the purposes of audit or trend analysis. Where we do this, we will make it clear to you in advance of this, so you can withdraw your consent if you would prefer to.

 

How is personal information disposed of?

If it is held digitally, it will be permanently deleted, or anonymised (meaning that it will become inaccessible to us). If it is held on paper, it will be shredded, via a secure shredding service.

 

How can you remove your consent to us holding your data?

To stop your LJMU data being shared with us, you can opt-out at any time via the “My LJMU” web portal.

If you would like us to remove any of your personal data that you have consented to providing us for any other reason, please email studentsunion@ljmu.ac.uk with your request.

 

How I can access my personal data?

You can request a copy of any personal information about you that we hold. This is known as a Subject Access Request.

To do this, please email the Data Protection Officer via studentsunion@ljmu.ac.uk with details of the information that you’re requesting.

We have 40 calendar days to comply with your request after receiving proof of identity. Depending on what is involved in fulfilling your request, we may charge the statutory fee of £10 to find the information requested.

Resources:

Our Privacy Notice (PDF)

Requesting your Personal Data (PDF)

How we Manage Data Breaches (PDF)