The University of Regina Student Union (URSU) is deeply concerned about a recent privacy breach that occurred during the URSU General Elections 2023. It has been discovered that a candidate statement was sent out to students using access to student information, enabling that candidate to send campaign messaging via inappropriate means to University of Regina students. This alleged action is in violation of Elections and Referendum Bylaw- Sec 3.1.15 and a breach of privacy resulting from a failure to follow established privacy standards or follow the direction of the CRO in relation to privacy.
The privacy and security of students’ personal information is of the utmost importance to URSU. The URSU Elections Committee has disqualified the candidate involved in this incident. URSU and the University of Regina are working together to investigate the matter thoroughly and ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. At this stage there is no indication inappropriately obtained student information has been used for any purposes other than URSU Election messaging.
We understand that this incident may have caused inconvenience and concern for students. We apologize for any distress this may have caused and want to reassure students that we are committed to taking all necessary actions to protect their personal information.
URSU and the University of Regina will be working together to implement additional policies and procedures to safeguard student privacy and prevent any future breaches. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time.
For further feedback or inquiries, please contact URSU at gm@ursu.ca.
Sincerely,
University of Regina Student Union
