Two reports endorsed on student issues
Archived article from Nov 3, 2000
The University Senate Oct. 27 endorsed two reports of its student affairs committee — one dealing with limiting the use of Social Security numbers for student identification and the other with the issue of student credit card debt — and urged the university to implement their recommendations.
Concerned with students becoming the victims of identity theft, the committee noted that students must now give both their names and Social Security numbers for a variety of activities around campus, including participating in intramural sports, borrowing equipment or resource materials, and cashing checks and using credit cards.
"The wide range of opportunities presented within the university for obtaining personal information that should be kept secure makes the continued use of Social Security numbers as student numbers undesirable and potentially dangerous," the report said.
The report urged that the university take immediate steps to identify and eliminate unnecessary uses of student identification numbers, intensify efforts to ensure that class rosters are kept confidential, and undertake an analysis within 90 days of the feasibility of using alternative numbers for identification.
The report on credit card debt recommended initiating a university-wide financial-management educational program for students to be coordinated by the Office of Compliance and Student Policy Concerns; urging campus bookstores to include credit card and debt education materials in shopping bags; and possibly limiting the total number of credit-card solicitations on campus each semester.
The senate also endorsed a report of its Educational Planning and Policy Committee, recommending the continuation of Winter Session as a pilot for two more years and establishing guidelines on course credit and other academic concerns
Joseph Seneca, university vice president for academic affairs, reported that final enrollment numbers for fall 2000 indicated a total enrollment of 49,724 students, just slightly higher than last year; that enrollment goals were met on all three campuses; and that combined SAT scores of entering students increased by 6 points over last year.
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