Not all AI tools protect your data the same way. The AI tool must match the data classification level.
Institutionally licensed tools run under a Lamar contract. Your data stays inside that contract's protections and isn't used to train the vendor's large language models.
Consumer tools are free or paid public tools with no institutional agreement behind them. Whatever you enter is subject to that vendor's own public terms, not Lamar's. All consumer AI platforms use everything you upload, attach, and create to train their Large Language Models (LLM). LLMs are the content driver behind AI. If you add proprietary information to ChatGPT, for example, you’ve put it into a public space.
Data. If you can type it, paste it, upload it, or say it into a tool, it is data, and it falls under one of the four classification tiers below. Data is any information you create, receive, or work with, as a students, faculty member, or staff member, at Â鶹´«Ã½, including, but not limited to, documents, emails, spreadsheets, student records, images, chat messages, and research files — regardless of format.
| Tool | Covered By | What That Means |
| Microsoft Copilot (signed in with your Lamar account) |
Microsoft 365 enterprise agreement with Data Protection | Recommended tool for campus use. Prompts and files stay inside Lamar's protected tenant. |
| Adobe Express | Lamar's Adobe Creative Cloud license | Same coverage as Firefly, for design and layout tasks. |
| Anthology AI Design Assistant | Lamar's Anthology Blackboard Learn Ultra license | Built into Blackboard for course design, assessment generation, and rubric creation. |
ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Canva's AI features, and Microsoft Copilot when you are not signed in with your Lamar account (the public version at copilot.microsoft.com without your LEA login) all fall here. None of these carry a Lamar data agreement. Only Public data can be used in any of them.
Lamar classifies data into four tiers under Policy 15.01.02. Here's what each one means in practice, with real examples from campus work.
| Tier | What It Means | Example at Lamar | Consumer Tools | Institutional Tools |
| Public | Cleared for public release | A course catalog description, an event flyer, a published press release | Yes | Yes |
| Sensitive | Internal use; not for public release, but not legally regulated | A draft strategic plan, internal meeting notes, an unpublished budget line | No | Yes |
| Confidential | Must not be disclosed except as authorized by law | Personnel records, unpublished research data, vendor contract terms | No | Possibly: Information must be de-identified. |
| Regulated | Covered by a specific law (FERPA, HIPAA, etc.) | Student grades, SSNs, disciplinary records, health records | No | Seek guidance from IT/Compliance or University Innovation |
If you're unsure which tier your data falls into, treat it as Confidential until you confirm otherwise. Never enter Regulated data into any AI tool, institutional or consumer, without checking with IT Compliance first.
What This Looks Like in Practice
The University Innovation team supports faculty, staff, and students with AI adoption and workflow questions.
Support is available 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Kimberly Conner, J.D. | Director of University Innovation
For more information about our department and programs, please email us at universityinnovation@lamar.edu.