UL Alumni Privacy Notice

ULA is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy outlines why we hold your data, the types of data that we hold and how we use this data to provide services to our alumni. We aim to be clear when we collect your personal information and not do anything you would not reasonably expect us to as a graduate. By providing any personal data to ULA, you agree to our use of such data in accordance with this privacy policy.

ULA supports (a) the University of Limerick through contact with alumni and (b) graduates through keeping you informed and connected to your alma mater and to your fellow-alumni. We do this by offering a range of supports as well as social and networking opportunities.

To do this, ULA maintains a database that contains personal data collected by the University and by ULA.

As a continuation of your journey as a student at the University of Limerick, you are automatically a member of ULA following your graduation. ULA must process your personal data in pursuit of legitimate interest in order to engage with you on the following activities:

• welcome email and graduation video
• Alumni Awards programme
• Alumni gatherings
• Reunion events
• Newsletters and communication
• UL Governing Authority Elections

We may pursue these legitimate interests by contacting you by telephone, email, post or social media. Information about how you can manage the ways that we contact you, including how to opt out from some or all contact from ULA, is outlined in the ‘Your Rights’ section below.

Whilst we rely on legitimate interest as the legal basis for processing where this is not overridden by the interests and rights or freedoms of the data subjects concerned, we recognise that it is not the only lawful ground for processing data.  As such, where appropriate, we will sometimes process your data on an alternative legal basis – for example, because you have given us consent to do so.

We primarily obtain personal information about our past students from the student records system (past students personal data is transferred from their student record to the alumni database when they graduate). A significant proportion of the additional information we hold on alumni is that which alumni provide to us.

Data relating to the newest graduates is obtained twice-yearly following conferring events from the University of Limerick Student Records system and is copied to an alumni database held by ULA (as cited within the University’s Student Privacy Notice:

Graduate data is then supplemented by data given to us directly by you which is added to your personal graduate record held by ULA.

2.1  Categories of your personal data collected/recorded include:

Your data is used by us for several interdependent purposes in support of alumni engagement communications and events. These include:

• updating alumni on your legal entitlement to vote in the election of graduates to Governing Authority
• keeping you up to date with news and progress by sending you publications regarding developments at UL and its community (e.g. e-zines and communications from the University’s President)
• conducting surveys
• providing services and benefits of being a graduate, including access to University facilities (e.g. Library, Sports Arena)
• inviting you to alumni gatherings and other University events (e.g. professional career development events or class reunions)
• promotion of other opportunities and services available to you (e.g. offers and opportunities available through the University’s network)
• internal record keeping, including the management of any feedback or complaints
• Administrative purposes (e.g. to administer an event you have registered to attend or have attended)

Communications to you may be sent by post, telephone or electronic means (principally by email), depending on the contact details we hold, and any preferences expressed by you.

1. Your personal data may be shared between members of staff within ULA in order for ULA to fulfil its mission
2. In addition to the foregoing principle, ULA will employ reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, personnel, procedural and physical measures to safeguard your information against loss, theft and unauthorised users’ access, uses or modifications
3. ULA does not sell your data to third party under any circumstances or permit third parties to sell any of the data we have shared with them
4. The following principles apply:
   • Confidentiality - only people who are authorised to use the data will be authorised to access it.
   • Staff are required to maintain the confidentiality of any of your data to which they have access.
   • Integrity – ULA will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that your personal data is maintained accurately and remains suitable for the purpose for which it is processed.
   • Availability - that authorised users should be able to access the data if they
   • need it for authorised purposes

ULA will share your data with the following third-parties where necessary for purposes of the processing outlined above:

• the UL Foundation, with whom the database allows shared access; to learn more about the work of the UL Foundation and to view its Alumni Data Privacy Notice, please visit: https://ulfoundation.com/privacy-statement/

Additionally, where we use third-parties to process personal data on our behalf (acting as data processors), a written contract will be put in place to ensure that any personal data shared will be held in accordance with the requirements of data protection law and that such data processors have appropriate security measures in place in relation to your personal data.

In the course of processing your personal data, it may be transferred outside of the European Economic Area on the understanding we rely on legally approved mechanisms to lawfully transfer data across borders including the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.  For example, data may be shared while planning international Alumni events.

In keeping with the data protection principles, we will only store your data for as long as is necessary. For the purposes described here, we will store your data in accordance with our Record Retention Schedules.

One of the principles in GDPR is that personal data should be kept for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed (except in certain specific and limited instances).

When it comes to alumni, ULA sees its relationship with you as a lifelong one, which includes keeping in touch with us and those that you attended with and engaging in a mutually beneficial relationship. Therefore, information that is kept can be held indefinitely. This means that we will maintain a graduate record for you until such time as you notify us that you longer wish us to keep in touch. In this instance, we will delete the majority of your personal data it holds, but will maintain basic personal data to ensure we do not inadvertently create a new record in the future.

We consider our relationship with alumni and supporters to be lifelong. We will always try to ensure that the data we hold for you are up to date, reasonable and not excessive. You will always have the right:

• to find out if we use your personal data, access your personal data and receive copies of your personal data;
• to have inaccurate/incomplete information corrected and updated;
• in certain circumstances, to have your details deleted from systems that we use to process your personal data or have the use of your personal data restricted in certain ways;
• to object to certain processing of your data by ULA;
• where we have relied upon consent as a lawful basis for processing, to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time;
• to not be subject to solely automated decision making;
• to request that we stop sending you direct communications.

Requests for any of the above should be addressed by email to Norita Kelleher, Alumni Services Manager norita.kelleher@ul.ie or in writing setting out your specific request to the Alumni Services Manager, UL Alumni, University of Limerick campus, Limerick, Ireland V94 T9PX. Your request will be processed within 30 days of receipt. Please note, however, it may not be possible to facilitate all requests, for example, where ULA is required to collect and process certain personal data of University graduates in order to maintain accurate records of such former students.

Additionally, you can update your personal data on the YourMembership system ‘UniversalL’ (online community exclusive to UL graduates) or alternatively by contacting ULA via email at ulaa@ul.ie

Queries, Contacts, Right of Complaint: You can contact the ULA Executive Director by writing to Executive Director, UL Alumni, University of Limerick campus, Limerick, Ireland V94 T9PX.

Additionally, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (Supervisory Authority). While we recommend that you raise any concerns or queries with us first, you may contact that Office at info@dataprotection.ie or by writing to the Data Protection Commissioner, Canal House, Station Road, Portarlington, Co. Laois, Ireland R32 AP23

Please note: ULA may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy was last updated 7th May 2020.