Privacy Policy

Western University of Health Sciences (“WesternU,” “our,” “us,” or “we”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the information of our website visitors (“you”).  We want you to understand how we collect and use information from our website and all affiliated websites and domains (the “Site”) so you can interact with us with confidence.  By using the Site, you accept and agree to the practices this Privacy Policy describes.  If you do not agree to any of the terms in this Privacy Policy, you should not use the Site.

This Privacy Policy applies to our website visitors.  For information about our Donor and Alumni privacy practices, please visit our Donor and Alumni Data Use Policy.

What Information Do We Collect?

When you use our Site, we may collect, store, and process various kinds of data, including Personal Information about you.  “Personal Information” refers to information about you that can be used to identify you, such as your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, credit card information, or transaction information.

Specifically, we may collect, store, or process information when you:

• Submit a form on the Site;
• Make a purchase or otherwise provide payment;
• Contact us with inquiries, including via email;
• Subscribe to our newsletter or otherwise sign up to receive communications;
• Respond to a survey; or
• Voluntarily provide information.

WesternU is also involved in organizing and conducting public events, and may, from time to time, use the Site to promote these events and invite prospective attendees to supply certain information about themselves. This demographic information will not be disclosed to any third parties without the consent of the individual or organization concerned. WesternU may also keep track of certain traffic data. These include the platform used, browser type, IP address (or Internet Protocol address, which identifies the visitor’s service provider, but not the visitor personally) and the previous URL (Uniform Resource Locator, or Web address) visited by the visitor before reaching the Site.  Some parts of our Site use cookies and other technologies to collect this information about your general internet usage.  See the section below called “How We Use Tracking Technologies” to learn more.

Why We Collect Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• To present our Site to you;
• To process payments;
• To personalize your experience;
• To provide you with information or services that you request from us;
• To administer a survey, or other Site feature;
• To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it;
• To allow you to participate in any interactive features on our Site;
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the information;
• To perform analytics to learn about the behavior of our Site visitors and to improve our Site;
• To send periodic emails relating to WesternU news; or
• To evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by us about our Site visitors is among the assets transferred.

How We Use Tracking Technologies

WesternU reserves the right to use and implement cookies (small text files stored in your browser) and other techniques such as web beacons (small, clear picture files used to follow your online activities) (“Tracking Technologies”) or allow its affiliated entities to do so. Tracking Technologies collect information that tells us how you use our Site. The use of Tracking Technologies does not give us access to the rest of your computer. WesternU does not control, nor have any access to, the cookie information affiliated entities may collect.

This, in turn, helps us make our Site relevant to your interests and needs.  We use a number of different Tracking Technologies, including functional, performance, advertising, and social media or content cookies.

You may choose to not accept certain Tracking Technologies.  However, if you choose not to accept these cookies, the browsing experience on some sections of the Site and its related sites may be diminished, and some features may not work as intended.

Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:

• Tracking Technologies. Most browsers accept cookies automatically. You may be able to set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. For instructions, check your browser’s technical information. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Site may then be inaccessible or not function properly.  Please note that cookie-based opt outs must be performed on each device and browser that you wish to have opted out.
• Disclosure of Your Information for Third-Party Advertising. If you do not want us to share your personal information with unaffiliated or non-agent third parties for their promotional purposes, you can always opt-out by sending us an e-mail stating your request to webmaster@westernu.edu .
• Promotional Offers from WesternU. If you do not wish to have your e-mail address/contact information used by WesternU to promote our own services, you can opt-out by clicking the unsubscribe link in the promotional email.
• Targeted or Interest-Based Advertising. We may work with third-party advertising companies that collect and use information about your online activities across sites over time, in order to deliver more relevant advertising when you are visiting the Site and elsewhere on the Internet. This practice is known as interest-based advertising.  The online advertising industry also provides websites from which you may opt-out of receiving targeted ads from our advertising partners that participate in self-regulatory programs. Note that electing to opt out will not stop advertising from appearing in your browser or applications.  It may make the ads you see less relevant to your interests.  If you delete, block, or otherwise restrict cookies or use a different computer or Internet browser, you may need to renew your opt-out choice.
• Google Analytics. We may use Google Analytics to improve our Site’s functions.  You can choose not to be included in Google Analytics by visiting https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

“Do Not Track” Requests

Our Site currently does not respond to “do not track” or similar signals.

How Do We Share Your Personal Information?

We may disclose your personal information as follows:

• With affiliates, contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support WesternU and/or our Site;
• For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information;
• With third parties for interest-based advertising and data analytics;
• With affiliates if you opt-in to receiving communications from affiliates;
• To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by us about the Sites’ users is among the assets transferred;
• To enforce any agreement, including any applicable terms of service;
• To establish or exercise our right to defend against legal claims;
• To law enforcement and other government authorities such as legislatures, courts, agencies and litigants if we reasonably believe that such action is necessary to: (a) comply with the law and the reasonable requests of governmental authorities; (b) comply with legal process; (c) respond to requests from public or government authorities, including public or government authorities outside your country of residence; (d) protect the security or integrity of the Sites’ information systems; and/or (e) exercise or protect our rights, privacy, safety or those of affiliates, clients, you or others; and
• If we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of WesternU or others.

Payment Information

When you make a payment on our Site, you may be taken to the website of one of our third-party service providers (each, a “Payment Processor”).  The Payment Processors will either collect or have access to your first and last name, zip code, postal address, email address, payment amount, billing information, and payment card information.

When an order is placed online, WesternU scrambles personal data and credit card information using SSL encryption technology. This makes it virtually impossible for information to be stolen or intercepted while being transferred across the Internet. Upon receipt, orders are encrypted until processed.

Billing information will be used solely for billing purposes and will not otherwise be disclosed.

How Do We Protect Your Information?

To protect your personal information, we take commercially reasonable precautions and follow industry best practices to make sure it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed. However, no data protection procedures are entirely infallible. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee that it will be 100% secure. Your transmission of your information to our Site thus is done entirely at your own risk.

Third-Party Websites and Social Media

WesternU’s Site  may contain links to external sites. WesternU is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these external sites. By accessing other third-party websites or applications through our Site, you are consenting to the terms and privacy policies of those websites.  It is possible that other parties may collect personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across different web sites when you use our Site.

Our Site may include social media features, such as Facebook “Likes” or “Recommend” buttons, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube.  These social media features may require cookies to be set to function properly.  These features may also collect Personal Information such as your IP address.  These features are governed by the Privacy Policy of the social media platform.  Please review the Privacy Policy of the social media platforms to learn how they protect your information.

Communications

WesternU maintains a strict “No-Spam” policy, which means the University does not sell, rent, or otherwise give e-mail addresses to a third party without consent or as permitted by this Privacy Policy.

Except as stated above, WesternU will not send e-mail to Web visitors that they have not agreed to receive.

International Visitors

Our Site is hosted and operated in the United States (“US”).  By using this Site, you are consenting to the transfer of your personal information to the US.  If you are accessing our Site from outside the US, please be advised that US law may not offer the same privacy protections as the law of your jurisdiction.

European Union Visitors

For our customers residing in the European Economic Area (EEA), the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) may be applicable.  The GDPR provides a framework for organizations to ensure protection of the personal information of European citizens and gives European citizens certain rights.

Legal Basis for Processing

If you are an individual located in the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, our legal basis for processing your personal information will depend on the personal information concerned and the specific context in which it is collected.  However, we will normally collect or process personal information from you only where:

• We have your consent to do so; or
• We need the personal information to perform a contract with you (e.g. to deliver services).

In some cases, we may also have a legal obligation to process personal information from you or may need the personal information to protect your vital interest or those of another person.  If we rely on your consent to process the personal information, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time in writing or as otherwise permitted.  Please note that this does not affect the lawfulness of the processing based on consent before withdrawal, nor will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.

Retention

We will retain your personal information for as long as is needed to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Rights to Access and Control Your Personal Data

Individuals residing in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland have certain rights to access and control their personal data.  These rights include:

• the right to be informed;
• the right of access;
• the right to rectification;
• the right to erasure;
• the right to restrict processing;
• the right to data portability;
• the right to object; and
• rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

For any European Union resident wishing to opt out of the University storing personally identifiable information please contact our Data Protection Officer, GDPR@westernu.edu.

Users Only of Legal Age of Majority

Our Site is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on this Site or on or through any of its features/register on the Site or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address or any screen name or username you may use. If we learn we have collected or received Personal Information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, please contact us at webmaster@westernu.edu .

Review, Correct, or Delete Your Information

You may review, edit, or request that we delete the information we collected about you at any time by contacting us at the addresses listed at the end of this Privacy Policy.  If your information has been shared with a third party, as described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy, then that third party has received its own copy of your data.  If you have been contacted by one of these third parties and wish to correct or delete your information, please contact them directly.

Updates

By accessing the WesternU sites, Web visitors consent to the collection and use of information by WesternU as specified above. If the University decides to change its privacy policy, it will post those changes on this page to disclose to visitors what information is collected, how it is used, and under what circumstances it will be divulged.

Legislation:

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• California’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003 (CalOPPA)

Definitions:

• Cookie: A small data file issued to visitors and stored on a visitor’s hard drive. A cookie file can contain information such as a user ID that the site uses to track which pages are visited–information useful for marketing purposes and to keep high-traffic pages easily accessible to users. A cookie cannot read or extract information from a hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. Visitors can refuse cookies by turning them off in the browser.

  IP address:  A number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent across the Internet.

• Encryption: The conversion of data into a form that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people.
• Search Engine: A program that creates a large index (or “catalog”) from parsed pages. It facilitates the discovery and searching of content and materials contained in a Web site.
• SSL: Secure Socket Layer. A commonly-used protocol for managing the security of a message transmission on the Internet.
• URL: Uniform Resource Locator: the unique address for a file that is accessible on the Internet.
• Webmaster: A person who creates and/or manages the information content (words and pictures) and organization of a Web site. He/she is in charge of managing the Web server and technical programming aspects of a Web site.