The University of Western Ontario is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information that is shared with us. The University collects personal information under the authority of the University of Western Ontario Act, 1982, as amended. The Division of Housing and Ancillary Services collects, uses, and discloses your personal information to enable us to run an efficient and effective residence program. Within the University, we share personal information with a number of units including the Registrar's Office and Information Technology Services in order to carry out routine administration. Where required to address specific incidents or concerns, we will share personal information with Campus Community Police Services, the Student Development Centre, Equity Services and/or Student Health Services.

University Students' Council

At the request of the University Students' Council (USC), we disclose selected information (e.g., your name, residence address, and faculty) to the USC for orientation purposes.

Parents and Guardians

The privacy of your personal information is important to us. Due to privacy legislation we will not release personal information about you unless authorized by you to do so. To give a third party (parents/guardians/friends) the ability to access information on your behalf, you will need to complete a Release of Information form ^-pdf. On this form, you can specify the individual to whom you wish to give access and the specific access that you wish to assign to this individual.

If you are under the age of majority, we will notify your parents or guardians if we terminate your residence contract and will provide them with relevant information. We also may share information with parents or guardians about violations of the Residence Understandings or if serious health issues arise. For more information, see the Residence Handbook and Understandings.

Emergencies / Law Enforcement

In the event of an emergency, personal information may be disclosed to emergency personnel, emergency contacts and next of kin. With your consent, we may also disclose personal information to outside social agencies to facilitate any needed treatment. The London Police Service or other law enforcement agencies will normally be notified of serious behavioral incidents.

Utility Providers

For tenants of Glenmore and Platt's Lane, selected personal information is provided to utility service providers including London Hydro, Canada Post and Union Gas.

Telephones in Residence

As a resident, your name and residence address will be provided in advance to a preferred long-distance telephone service provider in order to increase the efficiency of the move-in process. You can opt out of this disclosure by contacting the Housing Office before August 1, 2008. (See below for contact information.). Please note that if you opt out of this disclosure but choose to use the preferred long distance telephone service provider, your personal information will need to be filled out by hand and this will result in a longer registration process.

We provide a list of students at each residence to the UWO Telecommunications Department. This list adds your name to the auto-attendant telephone service, allowing people to call you using the automated student directory phone list, which is sorted by last name. If you do not want your name added to this list, contact the Housing Office before August 1, 2008 (see below for contact information). Please note that opting out of this service means that you may only receive calls from those to whom you have given your phone number.

For Further Information

If you have any questions about the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information by the Division of Housing and Ancillary Services, or if you want to exercise your right to opt out of the services described above, contact the Director of Residences, Elgin Hall Room 102, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B9, tel: 519-661-3548 or housing@uwo.ca.