When Athabasca University (AU) collects personal information directly from an individual, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. F-25, requires AU to inform the individual of:
All AU forms that collect personal information must be reviewed to ensure they comply with the FOIP Act. Forms should be reviewed and revised at every reordering or reprinting stage.
Review each form and determine what personal information is being collected and why. For each piece of personal information being collected ask why it is being collected. Include on the form or on a separate sheet, a definition statement for each piece of personal information that clearly states what and why each piece of personal information is being collected.
Once a definition statement for each piece of personal information being collected is completed, determine the purpose or purposes for which the personal information will be used. In most cases the purpose(s) will be the same as the definition statement for that piece of personal information.
Determine what is the authorization for collection of the personal information on the form.
The FOP Act allows for only the following authorizations:
If the collection is authorized by an enactment of Alberta or Canada, that particular enactment must be stated.
If the collection is related directly to and is necessary for an operating program or activity of AU, the Post-Secondary Learning Act, S.A. 2003, c. P-19.5 and the FOIP Act (Section 33 (c)) will be stated.
Determine what position will be responsible for answering questions about the collection and use of the personal information. It is suggested to use only a position title, instead of employee name on the form.
If the address is already on the form, you may just list the title of the position and telephone number.
Personal information requested on AU's Undergraduate General Application Form:
Purposes for the collection of the personal information requested on AU's Undergraduate General Application Form include:
Office of the University Secretariat, January 2006
Updated May 30 2014 by Office of the University Secretariat
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