This article describes the findings of a Florida commission on campus safety that was issued in May 2007. The commission contradicted assertions by officials at Virginia Tech that they could not share information about the gunman in April's fatal shooting rampage because of privacy laws. The commission was assembled by Governor Charlie Crist in…

Ethical guidelines of the 4 major professional associations representing counselors and psychotherapists are reviewed. To help clarify thinking about writing up clinical cases, 3 kinds of cases are described. The author concludes that the current guidelines for clinician authors in writing about clients for publication or presentation are…

Fernando Viesca has a 24-year-old son who suffers from Angelman Syndrome, a little known chromosomal disorder that has left him with significant functional deficiencies. When Nando lived at home, his father took care of him full time, thus alleviating any worries about medical care. However, now that Nando lives in a group home, his father is no…

Purpose: This study examined the association between cognitive functioning and completion of a durable power of attorney for health care. Design and Methods: Participants were from the Second Longitudinal Study on Aging (LSOA II), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling persons who were at least 70 years of age at the time of…

Confidential performance appraisals were collected from a sample of 504 enlisted personnel and compared to a large sample of official, nonconfidential appraisals. Results indicated that the distribution of confidential ratings showed much less skew and more discrimination than the nonconfidential ratings. (Author)

Discusses the legal implications when a school counselor does or does not reveal confidential records or information to a court of law. (GB)

A look at the growing awareness that the right of individual privacy is fast disappearing from the American scene with the computer playing a prime, if not primary, role in hastening its disappearance," (Author)

An interview with the vice president and general manager of Honeywell's Electronic Data Processing Division dealing with the threat to individual privacy that is brought about by the increasing technology of data processing." (Editor/AA)

Discusses need for minimum safeguards where controversial issues are touched upon in surveys. These include administering of instrument without compulsion; and informing students of legal implications of their participation. (Author/CJ)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) includes important, but limited, protections for millions of working Americans and their families around the ability to obtain and keep health coverage. Among its specific protections, HIPAA: (1) Limits the use of preexisting condition exclusions; (2) Prohibits group health…

This dissertation problematizes the "state dossier system" (SDS): the production and accumulation of personal information on citizen subjects exceeding the reasonable bounds of risk management. SDS--comprising interconnecting subsystems of records and identification--damage individual autonomy and self-determination, impacting not only…

Investigated adoptive parents' (N=42) attitudes toward the open birth record issues using a mail survey. Analysis indicated that parental fear was the most important variable. Most supported a measure allowing adult adoptees access to birth records, provided such access was agreeable to birth and adoptive parents. (JAC)

Brief arguments for and against immunity from disclosure of privileged communications by counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists are made. (HMD)