Services

The Open University Poetry Society (OU Poets) is a poetry group for students and staff, past or present of the Open University, Milton Keynes, UK, which promotes interest in poetry within The Open University, provides members with a means of circulating their work to other members for critical comment, and publishes an anthology of members’ poems annually.

Use of Your Data

We take data privacy very seriously. We have set out below the uses to which we will put the information that we have about you in the delivery of the Services, and the legal basis for this, as well as introducing the rights that you have over the way that we use your information. By joining the Society you signify that you have read and understood the Society’s data processing detailed by this Privacy Policy, which can be viewed on our website: https://oupoets.org.uk.

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and any subsequent UK legislation covering data protection, we (OUPoets) are the data controller (the entity which processes your data). All queries relating to this policy and/or data protection more generally should be referred to the Secretary of the Society by contacting secretary@oupoets.org.uk.

The information collected about you might include the following:

• First name
• Last name
• How you wish to be known, if different
• Email
• Address
• Postcode
• Phone number
• Subscription/payment details
• Connection with the Open University (student, ex-student, tutor, ex-tutor etc.)
• Dietary requirements*
• Accessibility requirements*

The Data is collected when you sign up to become a member of the Society, except for items marked with an asterisk (*) which will only be requested if you attend an event.

We may add any additional Data that we collect subsequent to initial Data collection, to your record.

All Data will be kept private and not shared automatically, with the exception of your name (or how you prefer to be known). A list of members’ names will be included in each workshop magazine to ensure eligibility of submissions. Your hometown will also be included if you have given consent to this. Any member who wishes to contact another member directly may apply to the treasurer who will pass the request on to the other member. By so applying, the first member agrees to the disclosure of their contact details to the other member.

The society may use the Data that you provide for the following purposes (“the Purposes”):

• to deal with your enquiry or application;
• to provide you with further information including sending you our workshop magazine and our anthology;
• to ensure that only current members can contribute to, and access, our workshop magazine;
• to contact you about a poem or article you have submitted to the workshop magazine;
• to manage your membership of the Society;
• to support your attendance at events;
• to enable the election process for positions in the Society;
• to help us plan and improve our services;
• to share with other members on request to encourage community and networking, if you have given consent for this.

The use of your information for the Purposes is lawful because one or more of the following applies:

• you have given consent to this. You may withdraw consent to these uses at any time by emailing us at treasurer@oupoets.org.uk, but this will not affect the lawfulness of processing of your Data prior to your withdrawal of consent being received and actioned.
• For the majority of the Society’s processing of personal data for the purposes set out above, we will rely on the fact that it is necessary for the Society’s legitimate interest, or for your legitimate interest. Given that you will have made the application to become a member and would anticipate receiving the benefits of becoming a member, we would presume that there is no prejudice to you in carrying out these purposes. However, if you would like further information on how we have established the legitimate interest, please contact secretary@oupoets.org.uk.

Transfer to Third Parties

Your information may be collected, passed and/or held by the following third parties:

• Open University Students Association
• other members of the society, if you have given consent to this
• external venues such as hotels (if you attend a poetry weekend or other event)
• Facebook (if you join our Facebook group)
• PayPal (if you pay for your membership through PayPal)
• The society website: https://oupoets.org.uk

Use of your data will be subject to each of the above party’s Privacy Polices, further details of which are set out at the point you provide your information to them or consent to us passing your information to them.

Storage of Data

Your information will be stored only for so long as is reasonably necessary in order to carry out the Purposes. For example, when you cease to be a member of the Society we will usually delete the data we hold about you within one year.

Your obligations

In agreeing to this Policy, you agree that you will take reasonable steps to protect the information of other members where this is shared with you. This includes not sharing the workshop magazine or its contents with non-members, and storing or disposing of the workshop magazine securely.

Your rights

You have the right to request details of the processing activities that we carry out with your personal information through making a subject access request. More detail about how to make a request and the procedure to be followed can be found on the ICO’s website here.

You also have the following rights:

• The right to request rectification of information that is inaccurate or out of date;
• The right to erasure of your information (known as the “right to be forgotten”);
• The right to object to the way in which we are dealing and using your information; and
• The right to request that your information be provided to you in a format that is secure and suitable for re-use (known as the right to portability).

All of these rights are subject to certain safeguards and exemptions, more details of which can be found on the ICO’s webpage. To exercise any of these rights, you should contact the Treasurer of Open University Poets at treasurer@oupoets.org.uk.

If you are not happy about the way in which we have processed or dealt with your information, you may file a complaint with Information Commissioner’s Office. More detail about how you may do so can be found here.

Transfers outside of the European Economic Area

The following text refers to use of data on online tools which host servers outside the EEA, such as MailChimp and SurveyMonkey.

We may send your information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). We do this because your Data may be stored on servers based outside the EEA. However, we meet our obligations under the relevant legislation by ensuring that the information has the same protection as if it were being held within the EEA. We do this by ensuring that any third parties processing your Data outside the EEA either benefits from the EU – U.S. Privacy Shield and/or, where appropriate, we have entered into a Data Processing Agreement containing the model EU clauses.

Security of Your Data

We understand the importance of security of your personal information and take appropriate steps to safeguard it. We ensure that only authorised persons have access to your information, which will usually mean the Society’s committee. Those with access to your information are made aware of their responsibilities under data protection legislation.

The Site is a globally-based website and we take reasonable care to comply with the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 2018 (‘the Act’) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) relating to the personal information you supply on the Site. The Site uses a security system that protects your information from unauthorised use. However, as no data transmissions over the internet can be guaranteed to be one hundred per cent secure, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us and you do so at your own risk.

Updating your Information

If any of the information you provide when joining the Society changes, please notify treasurer@oupoets.org.uk.