Your Privacy, In Plain English
What we collect, why we collect it, and how to say no. No legal maze. Effective August 11, 2026.
The short version
This site uses one analytics tool: Google Analytics. It helps us understand which pages people visit so we can make the site better. It runs only if you click "Accept All" on the cookie banner. If you decline, no analytics cookies are set and nothing about the site changes for you.
You can change your mind at any time using the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of every page.
Who we are
This website is operated by the ETSU Research Corporation, a university-aligned entity based in Johnson City, Tennessee, USA. If you have questions about this notice or your data, call 423.439.5157 or reach us through our contact page.
What we collect and why
Analytics (only with your consent). If you accept, Google Analytics 4 sets cookies (named _ga and _ga_G63SK28GKL) and collects information about how you use the site: pages visited, time on page, approximate region, device and browser type, and how you arrived here. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. We use this to understand what content is useful. We do not use it for advertising, and we do not sell or share this data.
Your cookie choice (always). When you accept or decline, we store that choice in your browser so we do not ask you on every page. This record contains only your yes-or-no choice and the date you made it. It is strictly necessary to honor your preference and expires after 12 months, at which point we ask again.
Forms. If you submit a form on this site (for example, to start a partnership conversation or subscribe to the Beacon), we receive what you type. We use it only to respond to you.
That is the complete list. No advertising cookies, no social media trackers, no data brokers.
The legal basis
We apply one standard worldwide: nothing optional runs without your permission. For visitors in the European Union, United Kingdom, and other regions with consent-based privacy laws (such as the GDPR), our legal basis for analytics is your consent, which you may withdraw at any time via "Cookie Settings." For visitors in U.S. states with privacy laws (such as California), note that we do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising; declining the banner opts you out of all analytics collection entirely.
Google Analytics is provided by Google LLC in the United States. Google participates in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, which governs transfers of European data to the U.S.
How long we keep it
Analytics data is retained in Google Analytics for 14 months, then deleted automatically. Your cookie choice is stored in your browser for 12 months. Analytics cookies set by Google last up to 2 years unless you decline later or clear them, which removes them immediately.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal data, and to object to or restrict how it is used. We honor these requests regardless of where you live. Call 423.439.5157 or use the contact page, and we will respond.
To withdraw consent for analytics, click "Cookie Settings" in the footer and choose "Decline All." This stops collection and removes Google Analytics cookies from your browser.
Children
This site is intended for professional audiences and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Changes to this notice
If we add a new tool or change how we handle data, we will update this page and, where the change requires it, ask for your consent again. The effective date at the top always reflects the current version.
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