E-mail attachment included Banner IDs

An attachment mistakenly sent with an e-mail reminder shared confidential student information to the Association of International Students in Education listserv.

Linda Robertson, director of the center for international and intercultural education, said she requested a list of new international students in the College of Education, Health and Human Services. Debra Lyons, manager of the international student and scholar services, sent her the list, including information about each student’s major, country of origin, Banner ID and other information.

Robertson said she forwarded the list to Rose Onders, senior secretary of the Center for International and Intercultural Education, asking her to update the formal listserv.

id she added a paragraph for Onders to send as an invitation to the International Student and Scholar Reception on Monday.

“When she went back to retrieve that pre-written invitation, not realizing it, the list was still attached,” Robertson said.

“It was very hectic that morning because I had been gone for three days at a funeral,” Robertson said, “and were just trying to get the students to the event that we were having in their honor.”

The same morning, Robertson said she and Onders received an e-mail from Lyons asking them what had happened. The mistake was also brought to their attention by two students who were on the list.

“There was no malice,” Robertson said. “It was just human error.”

Onders then sent a message to the listserv telling them not to open it because it contained confidential information.

“I’m sure that many people didn’t read the attachments because the body of the letter didn’t even mention why the attachment was there,” Robertson said.

Onders declined to comment about the incident.

Contact safety reporter Kelly Byer at [email protected].