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[[Edited to preserve anonymity]] Dear Dean: Given that Google "reads" mail to extract information to distribute to third party advertisers, I believe they may be unsuitable providers of email service for educational institutions, as their use may contribute to violating FERPA regulations.
Here is an article that shows Google "reads" your email to make a list of things you purchase... Note that we use Google to support email today, and that we have this policy:- " All instructors who are employed by the University have a [[University]] email address and access to the electronic library resources. We are moving towards using this address as your primary email inbox for all matters related to your employment at [[the University]]. Your [[University]] email address can be found on our main campus web directory, here: [[Webaddress]].edu " At minimum [[the University]] should require a term in the email provider service contract that bars them from distributing any information extracted from the body of emails to "non-exempt" parties (as defined by FERPA). This should definitely apply for staff email. I think it should also apply to the default email service provided to students, as we may be guilty of contributing to FERPA violations if we don't do that. Sincerely XXXXXXXXXX |