Shorter College (“Shorter College,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the information you provide when visiting our website at shortercollege.edu and related online services (collectively, the “Site”).
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, when we may share it, and the choices available to you.
This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through the Site, including information submitted through online forms, donation pages, embedded media, and analytics or advertising technologies used on the Site.
We may collect the following categories of information:
We may use information we collect to:
The Site may use cookies, pixels, tags, scripts, and similar technologies to understand how visitors use the Site, improve functionality, measure traffic, and support advertising or remarketing efforts.
These technologies may be provided by us or by third parties such as:
These tools may collect information such as:
This information may be used to:
You can manage cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect parts of the Site.
The Site may use third-party form tools, including Wufoo, to collect inquiry, application, registration, or other submitted information. Information entered into those forms may be processed and stored by the third-party service provider on our behalf, subject to that provider’s terms and privacy practices.
We use these services to facilitate form submissions and related administrative workflows.
The Site may use Google reCAPTCHA or similar tools to help prevent spam, bots, and abusive automated activity. reCAPTCHA may collect hardware and software information, IP address, user behavior, and other information necessary for security and fraud prevention. Use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google’s applicable terms and privacy practices.
The Site may include embedded donation forms or links to third-party fundraising platforms, including Donately. When you make a donation through an embedded or linked third-party service, your payment and related personal information may be collected and processed by that provider and its payment processors.
We may receive information associated with your donation, such as your name, contact details, donation amount, and campaign information, as needed to administer gifts, acknowledgments, donor records, and related communications.
We do not store full payment card information on our website servers unless explicitly stated otherwise.
The Site may include embedded content, such as YouTube videos. Embedded content from third-party services may collect information about your device and interactions, may place cookies, and may track your activity, especially if you are logged into those third-party services.
Interacting with embedded content is subject to the privacy practices of the third-party provider.
We do not sell personal information.
We may share information:
The Site may link to or integrate with third-party services and platforms. These may include social media sites, embedded media providers, donation processors, online form tools, and other outside vendors. We are not responsible for the privacy, security, or content practices of third parties. Your use of those services is governed by their own terms and policies.
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Still, no internet transmission or storage system is perfectly secure, so absolute security cannot be guaranteed.
We may retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and maintain appropriate business and institutional records.
The Site is not directed to children under 13 as a primary audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 in a manner requiring parental consent, except as permitted by law. If you believe personal information from a child under 13 has been submitted improperly, please contact us.
This Privacy Policy addresses website data practices. It does not replace or limit Shorter College’s obligations under applicable laws relating to student or educational records, including FERPA, where applicable.
You may:
Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” setting. Because there is no universally accepted standard for responding to those signals, the Site may not respond to them.
The Site is operated in the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the Effective Date above. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy to the extent permitted by law.
Shorter College may offer the option to receive communications via SMS (text messaging). This section governs those communications.
Express Written Consent (Opt-In Requirement)
By providing your mobile phone number and affirmatively opting in through a clear and conspicuous mechanism (such as a checkbox on a form), you provide prior express written consent to receive SMS messages from Shorter College.
Consent must be obtained separately from other terms and may not be a condition of admission, enrollment, donation, or any other service.
Identification of Sender
Messages will clearly identify Shorter College as the sender.
Types of Messages
Messages may include, but are not limited to:
Message Frequency Disclosure
Message frequency may vary depending on your engagement with Shorter College.
Message and Data Rates Disclosure
Message and data rates may apply based on your mobile carrier and service plan.
Opt-Out Instructions (Mandatory Compliance)
You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying “STOP” to any message.
After opting out, you will receive a one-time confirmation message, and no further messages will be sent unless you re-subscribe.
Help Instructions
For assistance, reply “HELP” to any message or contact us using the information provided in this Privacy Policy.
Recordkeeping and Proof of Consent
Shorter College maintains records of opt-in consent where required by law and applicable regulations.
No Third-Party Sharing for Marketing
Mobile phone numbers collected for SMS communications will not be sold or shared with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Use of Service Providers
We may use third-party vendors to deliver SMS messages. These providers act on our behalf and are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for authorized purposes.
Age Restrictions
SMS services are not intended for individuals under the age of 13 without verifiable parental consent, consistent with applicable law.
Security and Data Handling
Information collected through SMS interactions is handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection standards.
Carrier Disclaimer
Mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
