Public Data Request
Data Practices
Much public information about the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, the Board of Trustees, system office and our colleges and universities is available on the Internet.
www.MinnState.edu – This is Minnesota State’s main website. Links to all System College and University websites are accessible through this site.
https://www.minnstate.edu/campusesprograms/index.html– Minnesota State Websites
https://www.minnstate.edu/system/ogc/ – Office of General Counsel
https://www.minnstate.edu/system/ogc/dataprivacy/index.html– Data Privacy Introduction
https://www.minnstate.edu/system/ogc/dataprivacy/dataaccessprocedures.html – Data Access Procedures
When can I disclose data?
Data that has been classified as public may be disclosed to anyone who requests access. Data classified as nonpublic, private or confidential cannot be disclosed unless the requesting party has authority to access the data. If you have any questions about whether data is public or private, do not disclose the information until you have consulted with the appropriate personnel on your campus. See below for contact information.
In general, student and personnel data is private and should not be disclosed without express authority to do so. This means you should not talk about individual students or employees except to those within the college (an agent, employee or certain contractors) who have a legitimate need to know. The school’s foundation is not an agent, employee or contractor who would be able to gain access. The Minnesota State system office is permitted access when there is a legitimate reason to share the data with that office.
Do not have conversations about private student or personnel matters on cellular phones, in hallways, restaurants or other places where you are likely to be overheard.
What if I receive a request for data?
You should forward the request to the appropriate administrator on your campus immediately as the law requires a response to requests within a specific time frame. If a student who is in your class or is your advisee asks for access to private data about him/herself, you should provide access. In most other cases, however, you should not attempt to respond to the request.
Security Breach Reporting
State law requires Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to notify individuals of a breach of the security of their private or confidential data – regardless of the form of the data. Timely notice is important to counteract potential identity theft. Good faith acquisition of data by an employee, contractor or agent of Minnesota State is not considered a breach so long as the data is not additionally provided to an unauthorized person.
Any employee who believes he or she is aware of an unauthorized acquisition of data, which compromises the security and classification of that data, is expected to report the incident to his or her supervisor or manager immediately. Suspected electronic breaches may also be reported to the Office of the Chancellor Information Technology Department.
PROCEDURES FOR ACCESSING PUBLIC INFORMATION
Central Lakes College
This document is designed to assist you in obtaining public information for Central Lakes College; it answers such questions as who to contact and how to make a request. Our goal is to respond to requests for public information in a timely and efficient manner.
General Guidelines:
• Any member of the public is allowed to view public information without charge.
• Viewing of public information will be at reasonable times and places.
• Viewing does not include receiving copies of information unless providing a copy is the only way for us to provide viewing.
• Viewing includes remote access and the ability of the public to download public data on the public’s own computer, but in some cases, we may charge for such access as permitted by law.
• We will provide access to public data as soon as we reasonably can, but we may not be able to provide the information you want immediately because we need time to locate or copy the information.
• We do not have to provide data that we do not keep.
• Upon request, we will provide copies of public data. See the attached schedule for information on copy charges.
• You are not required to identify yourself unless we need the information for some purpose such as sending the data, or clarifying your request; you don’t have to tell us why you want the information unless we need it to comply with applicable laws.
• Upon request, we will explain the content and meaning of the data you requested.
• If we store the public data you want on a computer, you may ask that we provide a copy to you in electronic form, and we will do so if we reasonably can. We do not have to provide the data in a format or program that is different from how we store it, but if we agree to do so, we will charge you for the cost of providing the copy.
• If we determine that the data you request is not public, we will notify you and will tell you which law applies. If you ask, we will provide our decision in writing.
MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
CENTRAL LAKES COLLEGE
SCHEDULE OF STANDARD COPYING COSTS
Central Lakes College (CLC) shall collect all necessary fees prior to releasing copies, unless other arrangements for payment have been agreed upon. CLC will not charge another governmental entity for copies provided as part of the normal course of business. Checks for copies provided by the CLC should be made out to “Central Lakes College.”
100 or Fewer Paper Copies: $.25 Per Page
Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes § 13.03, subd. 3 (c), CLC charges $.25 per page (or $.50 per two-sided copy) if the request is for 100 or fewer pages of black and white, letter or legal-sized paper copies.
Most Other Copies: Actual Cost
For requests for more than 100 pages of paper records, or for copies of data in other media such as electronic data, photographs, tapes, microfilm, etc., the charge will be the actual cost of providing the copies, as permitted by law. When calculating actual costs, the law permits inclusion of: employee time to search for and retrieve data that has been requested for copying; employee time to make copies; cost of media (paper, CD ROMs, DVDs, etc.; mailing costs; employee time to prepare copies (sort, label data, remove staples, paper clips, take data to copier); and costs of reproduction that cannot be done by CLC. Charges do not include employee time to separate public from not public data and other factors that are not permitted by law.
Copies of data that have commercial value may be subject to additional fees, as permitted by law.
CLC may provide an estimate of costs before completing a request.
NOTE: CLC retains the discretion to reduce or waive charges for copying in appropriate circumstances, such as when the copying costs are minimal.
OGC rev. 2/2012
HOW TO MAKE ROUTINE REQUESTS FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION
CENTRAL LAKES COLLEGE
- PUT YOUR REQUEST IN WRITING
Your request should be as specific as possible, describing the information you want as clearly as you can. We may need some time to locate the information you are requesting; clearly stating your request will help us to respond more efficiently. Please state that you are making a request under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. - SEND YOUR REQUEST TO THE APPROPRIATE PERSON
For Student Affairs (Academic Records) contact:
Susan Rumpca, College Registrar
Central Lakes College
501 West College Drive
Brainerd, MN 56401
(218) 855-8038
susan.rumpca@clcmn.edu
For Personnel Records, contact:
Nancy Paulson, VP of Human Resources and Culture
Central Lakes College
501 West College Drive
Brainerd, MN 56401
nancy.paulson@clcmn.edu
(218) 855-8054
FAX: (218) 297-8458