By Tiffany Glenn
The depth of data Facebook keeps on its users recently came to light, but students may not know Dixie State University administrators are also tracking their conduct and keeping the records indefinitely.
Select members of the Dixie State University administration have access to a computer program that keeps records of student conduct matters, Title IX cases and housing issues. This log also includes any faculty, staff or citizen that may be involved in a problem on campus.
Ron Isaacson, interim director of campus police, said as the police, their job is to keep tabs on major issues such as illegal activities or health and safety issues; these instances can range from petty theft to suicide attempts on campus. Issues are dealt with as needed, and then they move on. That’s where Maxient comes in.
Maxient is a computer software program for managing behavior records. It is used by more than 800 colleges and universities in North America.
The program stores all qualifying incidents on campus and has the potential to cross reference information to create what the Maxient website describes as a “proactive watch list alert.”
Cindy Cole, associate general counsel and Title IX Coordinator, said they use Maxient for its convenience and assured that DSU does not utilize the “proactive watch list alert” feature of the program.
“[Maxient isn’t] anything nefarious or bad,” Cole said, “It’s just a way to track things. Rather than having boxes of files, it’s all on the computer system.”
Student conduct that may get filed in Maxient comes down to anything that would “rise to the level of a student conduct hearing,” Cole said. According to the Dixie State Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, that could include possession of illegal drugs or alcohol, reckless destruction of DSU equipment, hazing, stalking and more.
“I think [Maxient is] a good thing, but there should be a cap [on how long information is stored],” said Christian Gentry, a freshman general studies major from St. George. “Mistakes are mistakes, and what happens in the past should stay in the past.”
While only a few administrators have access to the information inside Maxient, anyone can submit a claim using the DSU website. All submitted claims are evaluated by an administrator and referred to the appropriate officials.