The University took yet another precautionary measure last Thursday to ensure safety for students, faculty and staff by removing the campus directory from the LSU Web site.
In a collaborative measure by Computing Services, the Registrar’s Office, University Relations and the Chancellor’s Office, people no longer can access personal information for anyone involved with the University through the public directory. Students now must go through their PAWS accounts.
Gene Sands, executive director of University Relations, said various officials met and agreed the information needed to come off of the Web.
Ron Hay, director of Computing Services, said the process of removing names was not complex.
“We still have all the information in databases, but we had to write a routine to not show everything,” Hay said. “It’s a simple process of blocking and suppressing the information. We wanted to make sure it becomes difficult to find someone by their name and address.”
Cynthia Hadden, director of Enterprise Solutions at Computing Services, led the project.
Hay said some may see the move as an overreaction, but the days of open access of information to the public are gone.
“We’re all going to have to decide how much privacy or convenience we want,” he said.
Robert Doolos, University registrar, said the University has been working on tougher access to student information since the last week in March.
He said the project is part of a two-step process.
“Our first priority was to get students, faculty and staff information off the public directory,” Doolos said. “The second step involves flexibility — giving students the option to put information on PAWS if they want to and what they want to display.”
He said the Registrar’s Office is working on giving students the option to choose what or if they want certain information displayed on PAWS instead of having it automatically entered.
“We’ve already received some responses of people concerned that their information is still available even on the PAWS directory, but there are ways they can withhold that,” Doolos said.
He said students can access their PAWS accounts and go to “Personal Preferences” to pick what they want to have available to those on campus.
Doolos said the process of protecting faculty and staff is somewhat different because students and outside contacts need to have business information on professors and University officials.
“The only thing on the public or PAWS directories for faculty and staff is work-related,” Doolos said.
Robin Titone, a secondary education senior, said she took her information off before Thursday and likes having the directory available only to students and campus personnel.
“I didn’t want people to have my information,” Titone said. “I think it’s a good idea to take that off because people not affiliated with LSU don’t need to know where I live anyway.”
Christin Meeker, an architecture freshman, said she does not think student information should be on PAWS or the public directory.
“I don’t want people to know where I live,” Meeker said. “I think if people need to get in touch with their teachers or people in their classes, there should be a listing for each class with students’ e-mail addresses.”
Howard Metoyer, a marketing freshman, said he thinks having directories has a purpose, but providing that much information to anyone is a little too dangerous now.
Kristin Shannon, a dietetics junior, said having contact information only on PAWS will make students safer, but it may not eliminate every danger.
“I think if someone really wants to get in touch with you or wants to stalk you, they’ll find a way,” Shannon said.