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Resolution 02-05: SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER REFORM

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Number 02-05
Description randomly generated ID number
Authored by Josh Warren
Sponsored by Samuel Padilla
Date Submitted Tuesday, March 5, 2002
Date Considered Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Committee Student Affairs
Result Implemented
Remarks IMPLEMENTED - Amended on April 9th, 2002 that Social Security numbers be taken off faculty class roll sheets. This is being done as of Spring 2006.
Whereas Identify theft and fraud are at an all-time high; and
Whereas Current measures to protect student social security numbers by only providing professors with the last 4 digits of the student's ID number have failed as professors are asking students for their entire ID number on homework and exam papers; and
Whereas There have been cases of professors accidentally posting a student's complete ID number online viewable to anyone on the Internet who cared to look; and
Whereas Many students are rightly concerned with divulging their social security number so freely; and
Whereas The University has no legal right or authority to request social security numbers; and
Whereas The current working on the application for admission to the University leads many students to believe that it is critical that they provide their social security number and does not inform them of alternatives.
Be It Further Resolved That The University change all applications for admission to the University to state that by providing a social security number to the University the applicant may create an additional risk of fraud and identify theft. The University must also provide a check-box or similar device on the application next the blank for the applicant's social security number that the applicant may check to indicate that they do not want their social security number to be their ID number and that they want a randomly generated student ID number; and
Be It Further Resolved That An option will be added to SAM to allow current students, who were not informed of the option to have a randomly assigned ID number, to request their ID number be changed to a randomly assigned ID number.