School pride, profit and privacy have collided according to Sacramento State alumni upset that the University?s Alumni Association has sold their names and addresses to a private directory company.

At issue is a contract between the Sac State Alumni Association and Harris Publishing Co. to use the University?s master list of all 130,000-plus graduates to generate a directory. The publisher then solicites alumni to purchase the directory.

The contract could add as much as $900,000 in revenue to the Alumni Association?s coffers.

The master list contains personal information from all Sac State graduates, whether they are Alumni Association members or not. Senior Justin Campbell and the rest of the reception staff at the Alumni Center have borne the brunt of the complaints.

“Between me and the other assistants, we?ve had over 200 calls on this in the last three weeks,” Campbell said.

He believes graduates should have had a choice whether or not to be included in the directory.

“We?ve had some real unhappy people calling here,” he said. “We should have asked people first.”

Steve Black, executive director of the Alumni Association, believes the privacy issue is overblown.

“They (people) can get the same info from a telephone directory,” Black said.

Jennifer Boyd, class of ?81, said she filled out paperwork to make sure her personal information wouldn?t be used. She was upset to learn her unlisted address and phone number was included in the directory.

“I think it?s immoral to make money off of confidential information,” Boyd said.

“I have no idea how it got there,” Black said of Boyd?s address and phone number. “Sometimes those things happen.”

To opt out of the directory, graduates must submit a request to Black, who then forwards the request to the directory company.

So far, 120 graduates have chosen to opt out, according to Black. The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the California Education Code Section 67100 spell out requirements designed to protect the privacy of students concerning their university records.

An exception is made for so-called “directory information” defined as “the student?s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student.”

Such information is unrestricted and available to anyone who submits a request to the University. “It?s a real valid point,” Black said “There should be an opportunity to opt out, that?s an oversight on my part.”

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