Privacy and Data Protection Policy

Data Protection Policies

The Global Academy of Liberal Arts (GALA) network is managed by a team based at Bath Spa University in the UK. 

Data Management

The GALA Management Team manages all data in accordance with Bath Spa University’s data protection policy. We work with colleagues at GALA partners to promote, organise, and fund a range of collaborative activities and opportunities for students and staff across the network. Our aim is to transform lives and to enhance global understanding through interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research.

We will do this through:

  • Managing the network as a whole and the individual partnerships that we have with each GALA partner.
  • Promoting, organising, and supporting opportunities, activities, and events (e.g. conferences, workshops, summer schools, field-trips, research visits) for staff and students.
  • Organising and supporting GALA workshops and conferences, both virtually or in-person at GALA partners.
  • Organising and supporting GALA summer schools and other residential courses and activities at GALA partners.
  • Organising and supporting GALA-related academic, social, and networking events at GALA partners.
  • Maintaining the GALA website and GALA’s social media accounts.
  • Retaining the names and institutional affiliations of current and former students who have participated in GALA activities and events for audit and reporting purposes.
  • Retaining a list of the names, institutional affiliations, and contact details of current and former students who have participated in GALA activities to promote GALA opportunities and seek feedback on GALA activities and events.
  • Collecting information about student and staff participation in GALA activities and events in order to help improve the network’s activities and the better management of GALA.
  • Sending updates to subscribers with the latest news about the network and its activities through the GALA email list and social media posts.

What we collect

The GALA team collects the following kinds of personal data:

  • Contact details for
    • Key contacts at GALA partners
    • Key contacts at other relevant cultural and creative partners
    • Individual staff and students at GALA partners (including postal addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, web addresses, and social media links)
  • Notes of meetings with the GALA team
  • Records of
    • Email correspondence and other communications between individuals and the GALA team
    • Attendance at GALA events
    • Photographs and audio/video recordings from GALA activities or events
    • Information publicly shared on the GALA website as a contributor
    • Information publicly shared with GALA network (@gala_network) on Twitter and Instagram
    • Biographical information for students at GALA partners consisting of a name, email address, degree programme, university affiliation, and (for Bath Spa University students only) student number
    • Biographical information for staff at GALA partners consisting of a name, email address, department, and university affiliation

We may also collect support information, if disclosed to us (e.g. relating to health conditions or nutritional requirements). This will only be held if it has been provided by you for a specific purpose (e.g. to participate in a summer school activity or to attend a catered event). 

We do not collect or store:

  • Credit/debit card details
  • “Special Category” data as defined under the terms of GDPR, such as racial/ethnic origin, political beliefs, religious/similar beliefs, Trade Union membership, sexual orientation/activities, commission or alleged commission of an offence and any proceedings such as a court sentence. The only exception relates to support information relating to health conditions or nutritional requirements that may be disclosed to us for a specific purpose (see above).

How we collect information

We update our records when you contact GALA, register for GALA events or activities, subscribe to the GALA email list, apply for GALA funding, or provide us with other information in relation to GALA and its activities. As such, most of the information that we hold will have been obtained directly from you.

We collect data from you 

  • When you:
    • Contact us to enquire about GALA, a GALA activity or event, or a GALA funding opportunity
    • Register for a GALA event (e.g. a conference or summer school)
    • Apply for financial support from Bath Spa’s GALA funds
    • Complete an anonymised feedback form following a GALA activity, event, or award
    • Request to be subscribed to the GALA email list
    • Follow us on Twitter or Instagram
  • When we:
    • Ask you as part of an application for funding whether you consent to the promotion and public notification of your award, if successful
    • Ask you after the completion of a specific GALA activity or event whether we can continue to contact you about GALA activities, events, and opportunities

GALA partners may provide us with details about staff and students visiting Bath Spa University so that we can make local arrangements regarding accommodation, meetings, presentations, and social events.

The GALA team may also receive information about staff and students from GALA partners who may want to tell the team about the students’ activities with them.

We do not use your personal data for any other purpose than the ones listed below. The data we process enables the GALA team to support staff and student engagement with the GALA network and its partners.

Why we use personal data

We use personal data for internal use to:

  • Register individuals for GALA activities and events (e.g. conferences and summer schools)
  • Track attendance at GALA events
  • Track costs for GALA awards
  • Track numbers of staff and students participating in GALA activities and events
  • Keep staff and students across the network informed about GALA activities, events, and other opportunities (this includes information about funding opportunities, delegate information for conferences, and registrant information about summer schools)
  • Inform future decisions about strategic priorities of GALA as a network
  • Assess funding applications for GALA support
  • Record submitted applications; all unsuccessful applicants’ data will be deleted once the financial year has been ended
  • Monitor the successful applications from initial award to completion of the activity
  • Book travel and accommodation on an individual’s behalf
  • Identify the successful recipients of awards in newsletters and other promotional channels
  • Compile an annual list of staff and students receiving GALA awards and a brief description of their project/activity/event (e.g. research trip or summer school)

With your consent, we will:

  • Publish accounts of your experience of a GALA activity or event on our website or social media feeds
  • List your name and a brief description of your project in our public annual report
  • We’ll communicate with you via email unless a preferred alternative communication method is requested i.e. telephone or face-to-face

For Bath Spa University staff and students who are successful in applying for GALA funding, their data will be shared internally within Bath Spa University with:

  • Go Global to assist with the travel and accommodation arrangements
  • Finance to provide support for expenses (if applicable)
  • Relevant staff who need to know that you’ll be absent from Bath Spa for the duration of your GALA activity
  • Bath Spa University insurance, who will register you for Bath Spa insurance cover for the duration of your placement
  • Visa Compliance for Tier 4 students only
  • Basic contact details will also be shared with relevant individuals at the GALA partner to ensure that the visit or activity can take place safely and successfully.

Digital tools may be used to monitor and improve our communications, such as tracking when an email is opened and how many links are clicked within the message. We may use this information to personalise the way our websites and emails are presented to you and improve the content of our communications. We also track website visits and use analytical tools such as Google Analytics to use this information to improve our website.

Disclosing information to service providers

The GALA Management team will only disclose data to external organisations that are acting as agents for the Bath Spa University or with other GALA partners where this is directly relevant to a specific GALA event or activity (e.g. registrant information for a GALA conference held at another GALA partner or contact details for a Bath Spa student seeking to visit a specific GALA partner for a research trip).

We always make sure the data is exchanged in a secure manner and that it is not used for purposes other than those agreed by the University.

We never sell or exchange any of your personal information to a third party.

Examples of external providers whose services we may use:

  • GALA partners
  • Bath Spa University’s designated travel agents
  • WordPress (for the GALA website)
  • Twitter and Instagram (for the GALA social media accounts)
  • Email services to send emails and newsletters

We may also need to disclose your information if required by law (for example, to government bodies and law enforcement agencies).

We will not share your details with any individuals looking to contact you, in a personal or professional capacity, without seeking your explicit consent.

Website User Accounts

Staff and faculty at the GALA partners may request a user account for the website. This would allow them to:

  • Share opportunities and ideas with other GALA members
  • Facilitate collaborations with other GALA members
  • Plan collaborative activities and events with other GALA members
  • Promote relevant projects, activities, and events on the public-facing part of the website

They should not use the website for any other purpose.

The GALA Management Team will maintain a register of all user accounts and reserves the right to remove any user account if it is being used for a purpose other than those listed above.

Each user account-holder will need to provide the following information to be given an account: name, email address (institutional email address preferred), institutional affiliation, and relationship with GALA.

Any other personal data shared by a user account-holder through the website is shared at their own risk.

A user account-holder must not share any of the personal data provided on the site with any third party, including by publishing it on the public-facing part of the website, without the express permission of the individuals to whom the data belongs and the GALA Management Team.

All data shared on the website is held on GALA’s own servers and is not shared with any third parties except in accordance with the policies outlined above. 

In creating a user account on this website, you are consenting to us handling your data in accordance with the policies outlined above. 

Copyright

All images used on the website should be properly licensed and attributed, and we require all user-account holders to abide by the UK/EU’s copyright rules. 

If you believe that an image on this website has not been properly licensed and/or attributed, please contact us so we can investigate.

Queries

Any queries about any aspect of these policies should be sent to gala@bathspa.ac.uk.