Privacy Policy

AURARIA HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER

PRIVACY STATEMENT

Commitment to Individual Privacy

Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) is committed to protecting the privacy and accuracy of personal information submitted by users of AHEC’s digital resources and services, including the AHEC website. AHEC does not actively share personal information gathered from users, except as explained in this statement. However, because AHEC is a public institution, some personally identifiable information (PII) collected from the AHEC website may be subject to disclosure under certain circumstances. 

Colorado Open Records Act (CORA)

It is the public policy of the State of Colorado, as expressed in CORA (Colo. Rev. Stat. §§ 24-72-201, et seq.), that all public records shall be open for inspection by any person at reasonable times, except as otherwise provided by law. Public Records are defined by CORA as all writings made or maintained by a state institution, such as AHEC, regardless of the format or medium of the records. CORA contains certain protections for PII collected by AHEC. 

Information Collection

It is AHEC’s policy to collect the least amount of PII required to fulfill its required duties and responsibilities, to complete a particular transaction or as required by law. Any PII sent to AHEC will be used only for the purpose indicated, and only the information necessary to complete the transaction will be collected.

You may choose to provide PII and other information to AHEC via the Internet. If you choose not to provide the information we request, you can still visit most of AHEC’s websites, but you may be unable to access certain services and resources offered.

AHEC may collect PII when you visit our website. This information may include:

  • Internet Protocol (IP) address and domain name used (an IP address is a numerical identifier assigned to your Internet Service Provider or directly to your computer)
  • Type of browser used
  • Date and time that you visited this site
  • Web pages or services that you accessed at this site
  • Other PII that you provide online to AHEC, for example, by filling in a form

The information we collect or store is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how the public is using these services. In addition, we use your IP address to direct the selected department web pages back to you.

We also share information with the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver (“Constituent Institutions”) as necessary to deliver the services we provide to their students, faculty and staff on the Constituent Institutions’ behalf. Please note that the Constituent Institutions each have their own privacy policies that govern the collection of data through the services they provide. In addition, if you have a question related to your rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”), you should refer them to the academic institution you attend.

Finally, we may provide your information to third parties in circumstances where we believe that doing so is necessary or appropriate to: (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; (b) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, or other technical issues; or (c) protect the rights and safety of AHEC or other individuals accessing our services or facilities. 

Email Messages

If you send an email message to us during your visit to our site, the following information will be collected:

  • Email address used to send the email message
  • Contents of the email.

We collect this information to ensure we respond appropriately.  For example, we may need to address issues you identify, make improvements to our website, or forward your email message to others for appropriate action.

Cookies

Some of AHEC’s web pages utilize “cookies.” A cookie is a small text file that may be used to collect information about website activity. Cookies may serve to recall personal information previously indicated by a web user. Cookies created by AHEC web pages cannot be read by a third party. Most browsers allow you to control cookies, including whether or not to accept them and how to remove them. You may set most browsers to notify you if you receive a cookie, or you may choose to block cookies with your browser. You can refuse to accept cookies, can disable cookies, and remove cookies from the hard drive, but refusing to accept a cookie may disable access to some portions of the website or services. 

AHEC uses cookies so individuals will not have to repeatedly enter user names and passwords when going to different areas of the website. This login process uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) so the username and password are encrypted between the web browser and the AHEC server.

Security

Although no computer system is 100% secure, AHEC has deployed extensive security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. Wherever your PII may be held within AHEC or on its behalf, we intend to take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect the information that you share with us from unauthorized access or disclosure.

Tracking technologies may record information such as Internet domain and host names; Internet protocol (IP) addresses; browser software and operating system types; clock stream patterns; and dates and times that our site is accessed. AHEC’s use of tracking technologies allows us to analyze trends and statistics to improve our website and your Web experience. Data used from tracking technologies is not linked to web users’ personal information.

Third Party Services

On AHEC’s behalf, third parties may provide certain services available on AHEC websites. AHEC may provide information, including personal information, collected on the Web to third-party service providers to help us deliver programs, products, information and services. Service providers are also an important means by which AHEC maintains its website and mailing lists. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that these third-party service providers are obligated to protect personal information on our behalf. For example, some pages within AHEC’s website enable users to pay for products or services online with a credit card. Unless otherwise noted, these transactions are encrypted using SSL technology. It is AHEC’s policy that confidential information entered in the transaction is used only for the purpose described in that transaction, unless an additional use is specifically stated on that site.

Disclaimer

The information provided in this privacy statement should not be construed as legal advice or as warranting the security of information provided through this website. The AHEC website contains links to other websites, including websites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses. When you link to another website, you leave our site, which means that this Privacy Statement will no longer apply.  When you link to another website, you are subject to the privacy policy of that website.