No person is immune to mistakes and this includes the faculty of Saint Joseph’s University. A recent situation which demonstrated this involved the Patrick F. O’Brien, associate dean of the Haub business school, who, on March 6, sent an email to business students. A message that was originally intended as an informational bulletin came with some unexpected information. The associate dean did not notice that the message included a list of students who have a GPA higher than 3.25 and their GPAs, which were consequently sent to this entire group.
This mistake is inexcusable and avoidable. Students expect that their grades and transcript details will be kept private, and have a right to this guarantee. Additionally, deans and associate deans are responsible for a great wealth of personal student information and are reasonably expected to handle such responsibility accordingly. This grievance could have been easily avoided, and does nothing but reflect poorly on the department. Mishandling private information is an error that should never be committed, and must be avoided in the future.
Another reflection of the department was the manner in which the error was handled. Two follow up emails were sent, one asking students to delete the message, and another apologizing for the error. While the first email did nothing more than call student attention to the previous message, the second was a genuine, respectful desire for understanding, and demonstrates comprehension of the gravity of the situation.
That being said, this situation perfectly demonstrates the need for caution and comprehension of the power of technology. A simple incorrect click of a button can lead to potential privacy violations, and once information is released into the internet, it is impossible for it to be retrieved. Although there is a sense of security we place in email, social networking sites, and blogs, nearly all of this information can be accessed by more people than we may originally intend. Keeping this in mind, we have a responsibility to maintain privacy and control of our own personal lives and to understand the power of the Internet.