Directory FAQs

Q. Who can see the information I choose to present in the Public view?
A. The Public view can be seen by anyone with access to the Internet.

Q. Who can see the information I choose to present in the Penn view?
A. The Penn view can only be seen by those with an active affiliation with the University (such as students, faculty, or staff), and requires viewers to log in using a PennKey and password.      

Q. What is the relationship between my information in the Penn view and in the Public view?
A. The information you choose to show in the Penn view is the starting point for the information you are permitted to show in the Public view. You are allowed to subtract from, but not add to, your Penn view information to create your Public view record.

Q. Do I have to fill in all the blanks when I update my record?

A. No. The blanks represent all the information you are permitted, but not required, to provide. Certain types of information are required from faculty and staff.

Q. What is the minimum amount of information I am required to show?
A. This depends on whether your primary affiliation with Penn is student, faculty, or staff.

If you are a student, you are not required to show any information – you can be omitted from all views of the Directory, if you wish.

If you are faculty or staff, the following information is required:

• In the public view: Name, affiliation (whether you are faculty or staff)
• In the Penn view: Name, title, organization/school, affiliation, campus mailing address, phone number, and email. The campus mailing address, phone number, and email address may be your organization's contact information, rather than your individual information.

These requirements were created by a privacy committee with representation from organizations throughout the University, including Penn's Chief Privacy Officer.

Q. What is the maximum amount of information I can show?
A. You may show as much as the following information:

• 1 name
• 4 entries for Title/Major, Organization/School, Affiliation
• Any email addresses from central Penn email servers, plus 2 additional email addresses
• 4 mailing addresses
• 4 telephone numbers
• 2 web homepages
• 1 PennCard photo (students only)
   

Q. Why can't I add comments to some of my information?
A. If information is provided to the Directory from an authoritative source (such as the Registrar's Office or Human Resources), no comments can be attached. See “How to Combine Comments with Existing Entries.”

Q. How do I list an email address if I haven't been issued one by the University?
A. You can list your organization's email address instead.

Q. How do I list a phone number if I don't have one?
A. You can list your organization's phone number instead.

Q. What are the rules for displaying a photo online in the Penn Directory?
A. The following rules apply to photograph usage:

• You can display a photo only if your primary affiliation with Penn is as a student, not as faculty or staff.
• Your photo will not display unless you specifically request that it be shown, and assent to a waiver statement.
• The only photo a student can display with a Penn Directory listing is a PennCard photo. If you wish to have your PennCard photo retaken, you will need to visit the PennCard center during their operating hours, and also pay a fee to have a new PennCard generated.To learn more about PennCard, please visit https://penncard.business-services.upenn.edu/.
   

Q. Why won't my picture display in my public listing?
A. If your primary affiliation with Penn is as something other than a student, you are not eligible to display a photo with your Directory listing.

Q. What is the relationship between the Penn Directory and Path@Penn?
A. When Penn students need to update their biographic or demographic information, they should make updates in Path@Penn. Any changes made in Path@Penn, with the exception of email address, will be reflected in the Directory within 24 hours.

Q. What is the relationship between the Penn Directory and Workday?
A. When faculty members and employees need to update their biographic or demographic information, this information should be updated in Workday. Changes made in Workday (with the exception of work email address) will be reflected in the Directory within 24 hours.

Q. Can I change my primary affiliation?
A. Your primary affiliation is determined by the University using a complex set of rules, and cannot be changed.

Q. Can someone other than me edit, maintain, or update my directory listing?
A. Yes. The following groups are given this type of access:

• Proxy access can be granted to your organization's Directory Liaison Staff (DLS), complementing their role in printed Directory production.
• Information Systems & Computing's Data Administration group (ISC DA), on behalf of the University (owner of the data), and those who maintain the online Directory database.
   

Q. Can a contractor or collaborator from outside the University get a directory listing?
A. Yes, but a record must exist for the person in Penn Community, the University's people database. Contractors or collaborators should contact their University sponsors regarding inclusion in Penn Community. A University sponsor will then need to contact his or her local Penn Community administrator, requesting the creation of a record with an appropriate persistent affiliation (such as Service Provider, Visiting Scholar). Not all affiliations are eligible for inclusion in the Penn Directory. Contact the Penn Community support team for more information on eligible affiliations.

Q. Can a contractor or collaborator from outside the University access the Penn view of the Penn Directory?
A. Someone from outside the University can have access to the Penn view of the listings in the Penn Directory if they have a PennKey, password, and the appropriate active affiliation with Penn.

Q. What happens if I don't log out from the Directory?
A. If you do not log out from the Directory, you will remain “logged in” to other websites as well: Path@Penn (containing student data like grades) and Workday (containing faculty/staff data like salary and benefits). If you're using a public workstation or a shared computer and you forget to log out, another person would be able to view your personal information, as well as change your Directory listing. This is why it is critical that you log out from the Directory before leaving a workstation.

Q. My personal safety may be compromised if my information appears in the Directory. What can I do to protect myself?
A. If your only affiliation with Penn is as a student, you may completely remove all information about yourself from both the public view and the Penn view of the Directory.

Q. What does UPennAlert do if I maintain emergency contact information in both the Directory and Path@Penn?
A. In the event of a campus emergency, the UPennAlert system will attempt to reach you using every piece of contact information you have provided, whether the information resides in the online Directory or in Path@Penn.