Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Changes to protect students’ privacy

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 05:34:30 -0400

Changes to protect students’ privacy
Danielle McGillis
Grand Valley Lanthorn

Rachel Kuspa never thought she would end up in jail.

She also didn''t know she had a delinquent phone bill with Ameritech that was close
to $1,000 and an account with Nextel.

Kuspa was slapped with the reality, right after police slapped handcuffs on her for
failure to return rental property. She realized quickly that she was a victim of
identity theft.

Kuspa was a Grand Valley State University student at the time of her arrest. A year
prior, her purse and backpack were stolen out of her car in downtown Grand Rapids.
She called to cancel her credit cards, but someone still had her driver''s license and
her student identification card with her social security number displayed on the
front. These two pieces of identification is what Kuspa believes enabled someone to
take over her identity.

In the past year, Grand Valley has taken measures to make sure students privacy is
better protected. Student ID''s have been modified so that they only reflect the
student''s last four digits of their social security number. Transcripts have also been
modified, as well as schedule confirmations students receive every time they
register.

"We surely don''t want anyone''s identity stolen," said Bob Fletcher, vice provost of
Academic Services. "People who are worried about it should go change their
numbers. It''s not a problem."

Students never have to use their social security numbers and many opt to do so
anyway, he said. That could be a mistake.

Fletcher said the university is working on getting a new student information system
up and running within the next year, but with budget cuts, it may be put on hold.
He said the new system would handle much better on the administration side but
would not be any different from the student''s view.

"In the next few years, I hope we will be going far far away from social security
numbers," Fletcher said. "Our concern for students is number one here. There is no
reason to be uncomfortable with that. Put your tuition to work. Our system will
support students not using their social security numbers."

Sgt. Brandon De Haan of GVSU Public Safety, said he has had reports of student''s
having their credit cards, drivers licenses and checkbooks stolen and used but
couldn''t recall any detriment done by a social security number on a an ID card.

"I think it is very wise, though, that we have made that move because identity
theft is an up and coming crime," he said.

Identity theft in fact is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the United States.
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission received 380,000 complaints of identity
theft, and the Justice Department claims the number could actually be closer to
700,000.

Michigan comes in eighth in the nation for this crime. There were 4,640 victims in
Michigan, January through December 2002. Of those, 123 victims live in the Grand
Rapids area.

Rachel Kuspa unfortunately had to become one of the statistics. Kuspa said she has
since gotten all of the problems resolved and her credit restored but at a great cost.

Her bail was $200, and for a college student she said that was devastating to her
bank account. She didn''t receive the money back for three weeks. She also had to
take an incomplete in one of her classes and basically had to "spend a lot of time
cleaning up."

"It was a painful lesson," she said. "I''m glad that [Grand Valley] changed their
policy."

http://www.lanthorn.com/news.asp?type=NS&aid=2404

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Make Money Online Auctions! Make $500.00 or We Will Give You Thirty Dollars for Trying!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/yMx78A/fNtFAA/AG3JAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/