Concerned students have alerted us to questionable or
inappropriate uses of students' Social Security numbers by
members of the administrative staff and faculty. In a time
when law enforcement agencies are alerting the public to
the problem of identity theft, it is necessary that the
university take steps to limit the use of student SSNs to
those circumstances in which no alternative exists to
authenticate identity.
Posting of grades
Although most faculty understand that posting grades
by SSN is impermissible, we again remind all faculty that
they may not post students' grades by SSN or any other
personal identifier. Personal identifiers include, of
course, the names of students but also the last four digits
of the SSN or student identification number. If it is
desirable to make grades available to students before grade
reports are sent or for any other reason, acceptable
alternatives include posting grades by a number or alias
known only to the faculty member and student (not assigned
alphabetically); or asking the student to provide his/her
e-mail address or a stamped, self-addressed envelope so the
grade may be sent to the student directly.
Other uses of student SSNs
To safeguard against inadvertent disclosure of student
SSNs, at the earliest opportunity the university will
introduce a new unique identification number system to
replace its current reliance on SSNs as student
identification numbers for day-to-day university
activities.
In the meantime, faculty and administrative staff are
asked to curtail immediately their practice of asking
students to disclose their SSNs in connection with academic
and nonacademic activities, confining such requests to
circumstances in which there are no reasonable
alternatives. In those circumstances, the faculty or staff
member collecting the SSN has a responsibility to safeguard
the number from further disclosure. If a student suggests a
reasonable alternative to disclosing his/her SSN, the
faculty or staff member should give that alternative full
consideration.
In courses in which two or more students have the same
name, rather than using SSNs as identifiers, names should
be modified to ensure the unique identification of work a
student submits (e.g., Jane Doe 2). In circumstances in
which the SSN is currently requested at sign-in to verify
eligibility to use university facilities, those facilities
must develop alternatives that do not require a student to
disclose his or her SSN.
When no alternative is feasible, it is important that
the manner in which students provide their SSNs be as
private as possible and that the information be stored or
disposed of properly.
Finally, the deans are being asked to designate point
persons to identify those areas within their divisions that
currently require disclosure of student SSNs and to work
with the relevant programs to eliminate or reduce the use
of SSNs. Students are encouraged to bring specific concerns
regarding use of SSNs to the attention of the individuals
designated by the deans.
We very much appreciate the cooperation of all members
of the university community in this effort to reduce our
reliance on student SSNs. Thank you.
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