Q: How long should I keep personal information on file?
FIPPA states that public bodies should keep records containing personal information that is used by or on behalf of the public body to make a decision that directly affects an individual for a minimum of a year. This is a minimum time frame, for FIPPA purposes only. There are many other timelines that need to be considered and which are outlined in Kwantlen's Directory of Records and Retention Schedule. Sometimes as a matter of business practice, records are kept even longer than the guidelines require, which is an administrative decision by the public body or one of its units. A link for Kwantlen's Records Schedule is available under the "Records Management" tab.
Q: Can we use servers that reside in the U.S. and if we can, what information are we limited or not limited to use?
Personal information must be stored and accessed only in Canada. Section 30.1 of the FIPPA, however, does allow storage and access outside of Canada under limited circumstances such as when a user has given informed consent (in writing, specifying to whom the personal information may be disclosed and how it will be used). Personal information includes a student's personal or university email address, an employee's personal (not Kwantlen) email address, and personal email addresses of community members.
Q: How long are we are required to keep the course presentations archived?
Keep in active files one year after being superseded or made obsolete. After that keep in semi-active files for five years. Then send to the Library Archives.
Q: An instructor is questioning how long he needs to keep tests, projects, class assignments and final exams. Is it just the final exam/marks he needs to keep? And for how long?
All marked exams and assignments not returned to students are assumed to be part of "instructional material" in the Directory of Records. They should be kept for one year after last use.