Legal issues relating to privacy at colleges and universities arise in a variety of contexts. Many of the laws addressing privacy on campus seem to embrace either of two conceptions of the university's role. According to one conception, universities should protect their students from the peering eyes of government and the public. Another set of laws casts the college more as a monitor of student (and faculty) compliance with government rules. For higher education officials, government regulation in the privacy arena seems to pose an array of new challenges. In part this is because colleges and universities do so much in addition to providing education, but also because the law imposes special privacy regulations on colleges and universities. When privacy-related issues arise in an institution's day-to-day functioning, practical necessity often dictates that common sense substitutes for fine grained legal analysis, and when legal analysis is required, most colleges and universities turn to the general counsel. Boards of trustees should become conversant with major areas of the law both to help their presidents avoid costly litigation and to help produce sound policies in all institutional pursuits. This article is a primer that illustrates for trustees some of the areas in which privacy law may affect institutional policy.