Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Last updated January 1, 2020

Privacy Statement

The University of Massachusetts respects the privacy of visitors to its Site to the extent permitted by United States, state and federal laws.  This Privacy Statement informs you of what information is collected by this Site and websites with the domain "www.massachusetts.edu" and how the information is used.  Other University of Massachusetts websites may adopt different privacy statements or policies.

Your use of websites is subject to the privacy statement of the providers of those websites.  You are encouraged to be aware when you leave this Site to read the privacy statement on each website you visit.  You can tell you are leaving this Site by looking at the URL of the destination site.

When you access the University of Massachusetts Home Page ("www.massachusetts.edu"), and all pages within the Site, your visit is not tracked by the University of Massachusetts using your individual name or any other personal information.  However, this Site does utilize Google AdWords, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other software that may track and collect personal information from your device from the time you access our Site. The information automatically collected is subject to their privacy policies.

Some computer information and automatic and optional information is collected by third party vendors, such as Google AdWords and Facebook when you access the Site. This information is subject to the privacy policies of these services. Information collected may include:
Internet domain and Internet address of the computer, mobile device or other device you use to access the Site.

Essential technical information collected includes the identification of the page or service you are requesting, type of browser and operating system you are using; and the date and time of access.

Optional information is collected only if you choose to send it. For example, if you choose to complete an online form, register for an event, or send an email. Optional information that is collected may include: Your name, e-mail address, and the content of your e-mail

 

EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

This Site is intended for general use and is viewable on the internet throughout the world.  If you are visiting this website from the European Union (EU), personal information you provide to the University of Massachusetts may not be subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  The GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and was designed to strengthen data privacy protections for EU residents. Should you have additional questions or need information regarding GDPR’s impact and its application to personal information provided to the University of Massachusetts, visit the GDPR website at the below link:

https://www.massachusetts.edu/general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr-compliance

Terms and Conditions of Use

By using and/or accessing this website, signified by the URL "www.massachusetts.edu", you agree to these Terms of Use and Privacy Statement.  This website is the official website of the University of Massachusetts, (the "Site"). The Site is owned by the University of Massachusetts and operated by the University of Massachusetts Communications Office (referred to as "we," "us," or "our."). By using or accessing this Site you agree that you have read these Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Statement and agree to be bound by and comply with them. If you do not agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Statement, please exit this Site.

We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of the Terms of Use and/or Privacy Statement at any time. Please review these Terms of Use and Privacy Statement periodically for changes.

Except as noted, the information below applies to the Site, consisting of designated Web pages or publications of the University of Massachusetts, its departments, administrative offices, divisions, and other units pertaining to the Site.

You may also find within the Site publications created and maintained by the University of Massachusetts faculty, staff, students, student organizations and others for which the University of Massachusetts is not responsible for the content and administration. These pages and their content, including but not limited to factual statements and opinions, are the sole responsibility of their creators and do not represent, explicitly or implicitly, positions, policies or opinions of the University of Massachusetts. Although the University of Massachusetts encourages compliance with all policies and practices at such websites, The University of Massachusetts serves only as a provider of Internet-related services in these cases.

Disclaimer of warranty

While we try to maintain the information on the Site as accurate as possible, we disclaim any warranty concerning its accuracy, timeliness and completeness, and any other warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Limitation of liability

The user assumes all responsibility and risk for the use of this Site and the Internet in general.  Under no circumstances shall the University of Massachusetts, its employees, president, Trustees, agents, representatives, affiliates, or anyone involved in creating or maintaining this Site be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, lost profits, or other damages whatsoever including, without limitation, damages that result from; the use or inability to use or access to the Site and/or any other websites which are linked to this Site; reliance by a visitor on any information obtained via the Site; or mistakes, omissions, interruptions, deletion of files, viruses, errors, defects, or any failure of performance, communications failure, theft, destruction or unauthorized access. In states which do not allow the above limitations of liability, liability shall be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

Copyright and Acceptable Use

All text, images, graphics, logos and information contained on the Site is the intellectual property of the University of Massachusetts, unless otherwise identified. You must obtain written permission in order to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or license a given work. Whether or not a website includes a statement about copyright, the U.S. copyright act provides protection for such works, and they may not be used or reproduced without permission.

The University of Massachusetts is not responsible for any errors in the material provided on the Site and shall not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of any material found at this Site or on any other Site with the "www.massachusetts.edu" domain. Links may be directed to these pages, but images, logos, maps, may not be copied and/or posted for any reason.

Logos, Designs, and Trademarks

Certain names, words, titles, phrases, logos, icons, graphics or designs appearing in the pages of this website may constitute registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names of the University of Massachusetts. The display of any of the above trademarks or trade names on pages of this website does not imply that any license has been granted to any third party to use the trademarks or trade names of the University of Massachusetts.

All external commercial use of the University of Massachusetts marks must be licensed or approved by the University of Massachusetts Trademark and Licensing Administration prior to use. Use includes the manufacture and distribution of all commercial and consumer products, advertising, promotion, domain names, Internet commercial use, websites and all University of Massachusetts marks used in conjunction with commercial ventures or Intellectual property licenses. If you wish to apply for permission to use the University of Massachusetts' marks for a commercial use or venture, please contact the University of Massachusetts Trademark and Licensing Administration at 413-577-8126.

Cookies and Web Beacons

The Site utilizes "cookies" to enhance your experience on this Site and for marketing purposes. Cookies are text files we place in your computer's, mobile device’s, tablet’s or other device’s browser to help us improve our access to our Site and identify repeat visitors to our Site.  Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of visitors to our Site to enhance the experience on our Site. We use cookies to understand Site usage and to improve the content and offerings on our Site. We also may use cookies to offer you products, programs, or services, or to provide you with personalized online display advertising tailored to your interests. In addition, we may use the services of third parties to collect and use anonymous information about your visits to and interactions with our Site through the use of technologies such as cookies to personalize advertisements.  Cookies do not store personal information about you, unless you voluntarily provide it. The University of Massachusetts does not collect any personal information about you unless you provide that information voluntarily by sending an e-mail, completing a University of Massachusetts Information Request Form, or completing an online application.

You may refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. Your browser may also be set not to accept cookies.

The University of Massachusetts may collect a limited set of non-personal information about you to help manage our online advertising and promotions, we or our third party advertising providers use "web beacons" (also known as "clear gifs" and "pixel tags"), in conjunction with cookies as non-personal information. Web beacons are small transparent graphic images used by many websites in connection with cookies. For more information about the use of this technology by us and our third-party advertising service providers, including how to opt out of these technologies, please visit the Consumer Opt Out page on Network Advertising Initiative and Adobe Digital Marketing Suite Opt Out page.

The University of Massachusetts may use remarketing pixels created by Google AdWords, DoubleClick, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other services to show you ads or relevant content on these channels or across the Internet.  These marketing pixels collect information about the websites you visit, which are stored by these services and then provides you ads on other websites. You may manually opt out of these services or the vendor’s use of cookies by visiting their websites. Here are on how to opt out of third-party services that may or may not be utilized on this website:

Social Media Features

Our Site includes Social Media functions, including Facebook buttons, and Widgets, developed and maintained by University of Massachusetts-approved vendors and/or third-party services. These features may collect your IP address, pages you visited, and may set a cookie to enable the Feature to function properly. Social Media Features and Widgets are either hosted by a third party or hosted directly on our Sites. Your interactions with these Features are governed by the privacy policy of the company providing it.

University of Massachusetts Information Technology Services

University of Massachusetts Information Technology Services (UITS) establishes, monitors and enforces policies for use of University of Massachusetts computing and information technology resources which include, but are not limited to, equipment, software, networks, data, and telephones whether owned, leased, or otherwise provided.

Links to Other Sites

This Site contains links to other websites. This Site is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such other websites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave this Site to read the privacy statements of other websites.

Updates to the Terms and Conditions and/or the Privacy Statement

The University of Massachusetts has the right to make changes or additions to the Terms and Conditions of Use and/or the Privacy Statement at any time. Please review the Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Statement periodically for changes.

Contacting the Site

If you have any questions about the Terms and Conditions of Use or the Privacy Statement, the practices of this Site or your dealings with this Site, please contact the Office of the President Communications department by using our contact form.