Sensitivity Labels at Clackamas Community College

Protecting CCC Data in Microsoft 365

Information Technology Services — Systems Team

What Are Sensitivity Labels?

Sensitivity labels are classification tags that appear in your Microsoft 365 apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. They help CCC protect sensitive information by marking documents and emails based on how sensitive the content is. When you create a new document or email, a default label ("All Staff") is automatically applied.

Labels are not optional. CCC policy requires every document and email to carry a sensitivity label. The default label handles most everyday work automatically — you only need to change it when you're working with something more sensitive or more public.

Where You'll See Labels

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint: Look for the "Sensitivity" button in the Home tab ribbon. Your current label also appears in the title bar next to the file name.
• Outlook: The Sensitivity button appears when composing a new email. The label is visible in the message header.
• SharePoint and OneDrive: Labels travel with the file. When you upload a labeled document, the label stays.

What Happens When You Apply a Label

Depending on the label, one or more of the following may occur:

• Content markings appear — headers, footers, or watermarks identifying the sensitivity level
• Encryption is applied — only authorized CCC users (or specific groups) can open the file
• Data loss prevention rules activate — you may see a yellow or red banner if you try to share sensitive content externally

Which Label Should I Use?

Decision Tree

Start here: Who is this content for?

→ Anyone, including the public? Use: Public Examples: Course catalogs, event flyers, press releases, public-facing web content

→ CCC staff only, general internal work? Use: All Staff (this is your default — it's already applied) Examples: Staff memos, meeting notes, internal procedures, routine correspondence

→ A specific CCC department only? Use: Department Restricted Examples: Department budgets, internal planning documents restricted to your team

→ Student records protected under FERPA?

• Staying inside CCC → Use: FERPA - Internal Access
• Going to an authorized external partner (National Student Clearinghouse, transfer institutions, contracted service providers) → Use: FERPA - Authorized Partners

Examples: Transcripts, enrollment records, financial aid data, disciplinary records, advising notes with student identifiers

→ Highly sensitive regulated data (SSNs, credit cards, bank accounts)?

• Routine internal handling → Use: Regulated PII - Internal Access
• Maximum protection required → Use: Regulated PII - Maximum Protection

Examples: Tax documents (W-2s, 1099s), employee SSNs, credit card numbers, banking information

Label Reference Table

What Do the Banner Messages Mean?

When you work with labeled content, you may see colored banners (called "policy tips") in your Office apps. These banners are part of CCC's data loss prevention system. Here's what they mean:

Yellow Banner — Warning

"This content is labeled CCC Internal and should not be shared outside Clackamas Community College."

What's happening: You're sharing something externally that's marked for internal use. The system is letting you know. What to do: If external sharing is appropriate, consider whether a different label should be applied. If the content is truly internal-only, don't share it externally.

Yellow Banner — Override Available

"This content contains FERPA-protected student data. External sharing requires proper authorization."

What's happening: You're sharing FERPA-labeled or Confidential content externally. The system requires a business justification. What to do: If you have a legitimate business reason (sending transcripts to a transfer institution, sharing a contract with a vendor), click the override option and provide your justification. This will be logged. If you don't have a legitimate reason, cancel the sharing action.

Red Banner — Blocked

"This content is classified as Regulated PII. All external sharing is blocked."

What's happening: You're trying to share Regulated PII or Maximum Protection content externally. The system will not allow this. What to do: Do not attempt to work around this. If you need to share this type of content externally, contact the Systems Team to discuss secure transfer methods.

Changing Labels — Upgrading and Downgrading

Upgrading (applying a higher-sensitivity label) — You can upgrade a label at any time. For example, if you start with "All Staff" and then paste student records into the document, change the label to "FERPA - Internal Access."

Downgrading (applying a lower-sensitivity label) — The system will ask you to provide a justification for why you're lowering the sensitivity. This is logged. Only downgrade if the content genuinely no longer contains sensitive information.

Removing a label — Labels cannot be removed. CCC requires every document and email to have a label.

Auto-Labeling Recommendations

In some cases, your Office app may display a banner recommending a specific label. This happens when the system detects sensitive content in your document — for example, a Social Security Number pattern or credit card number.

When you see a recommendation banner:

1. Read the banner — it tells you what type of sensitive content was detected
2. If the recommendation is correct, click "Apply Sensitivity Label" to accept it
3. If you believe it's a false positive (the content isn't actually sensitive), you can dismiss the recommendation

The system errs on the side of caution. If you're unsure, apply the recommended label — it's always safer to over-classify than under-classify.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I share a Confidential document with a vendor? A: Yes, but the system will require you to provide a business justification. Your justification is logged for compliance purposes.

Q: Why did my document get a label I didn't choose? A: All new documents start with the "All Staff" label by default. If you see a different label, either the system recommended it based on the content, or someone else who edited the document changed the label.

Q: Do labels work in Office for the Web (browser-based Office)? A: Yes. Labels appear and function in the browser versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Q: What if I need to email a FERPA document to a transfer institution? A: Use the "FERPA - Authorized Partners" label. When you share externally, the system will ask for a business justification. Provide it, and the sharing will proceed with logging.

Q: Will the label stay if I email a document to someone outside CCC? A: Yes. The label and any encryption travel with the file. If the file is encrypted, the external recipient will need to authenticate to open it.

Q: What happens if I accidentally apply the wrong label? A: You can change the label at any time. If you're downgrading (moving to a lower sensitivity), you'll be asked to justify the change. If you've already shared an encrypted document and need to change access, contact the Systems Team.

Q: Who can see what label I applied? A: The Systems Team can see labeling activity through audit logs. Your manager and colleagues cannot see your labeling history unless they open the file and look at the label.

Need Help?

If you have questions about sensitivity labels, which label to apply, or if you believe a policy tip is appearing incorrectly:

Systems Team

• Email: [Systems Team email]
• Phone: [Systems Team phone]

For general IT help desk support, contact the CCC Help Desk.

Last updated: April 29, 2026 Published by: Information Technology Services — Systems Team. This page is linked from the Sensitivity button in your Office apps under "Learn More."