If the Tribune decided to publish a random person's address on the front page, it likely wouldn't be any more public than it already is.
That's because addresses, along with much of students' other personal information, are considered directory information and can be freely given out by the university to anyone, thanks to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
The act, passed back in 1974, states that "schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record."
However, the act also gives schools the right to "disclose, without consent, 'directory' information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance." At Marquette, directory information also includes email addresses, photos, majors, and participation in extracurriculars.
It is this latter part of the act that has students like Adrienne Bortell, a freshman in the College of Education, upset.
"I'm uncomfortable with the fact that the public has access to all my records," said Bortell, who says she feels that the university has the obligation to better inform students about the act and its ramifications.
Bortell has more problems with the university's policy than just principles, however. The public availability of her personal information has caused problems in her private life.
"There are people in my life who I don't trust with that information who got it through the school," she said.
According to associate registrar Kerry Grosse, blocking that information is students' responsibility.
"Students can block that information via CheckMarq," said Grosse. She also said that the default status of directory information is public, so students have to physically choose to have their information hidden.
According to Grosse, more than 600 students have done so, approximately five percent of the student body.
However, the means by which students can access their privacy settings has changed. The registrar's website still states that students reach privacy settings by "logging into CheckMarq, accessing the 'Student Self-Service' tab and clicking the Directory Restrictions link," but when CheckMarq was changed earlier this year, this path was removed.
Instead, students now must click the Student Center link at the top of the page, and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Then, they have to select Privacy Settings from the lowest drop-down menu, under Personal Settings, from which they can block their addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.
Without blocking any of this information, anyone can ask for it and receive it, no questions asked.
This policy is roughly the same at nearby UW-Madison, but only because of the Wisconsin Open Records Law, which requires public schools in Wisconsin to release directory information without requiring any identification or reason, said Marilyn McIntyre, manager of information services at Madison.
Unlike Marquette, however, students at Madison are offered a "third-party block," which only restricts requests from third party sources, versus a total block which would restrict other educational institutions from having the information as well.
McIntyre says she still tries to caution students against getting a block, as its downsides can potentially outweigh its benefits, and blocking their information through the school doesn't guarantee its security.
"In this digital age, there are lots of ways to get information without going through the university," she said.