Social security numbers (SSN)s will no longer be used as student identification numbers, in light of complaints about security of the practice. The class of 2006 will be the first to receive randomly assigned ID numbers rather than using SSNs.
Student numbers appear on ID cards and paperwork and are also used for a variety of purchasing functions.
Upperclassmen will have the option to maintain the SNN-based identification or receive a new number.
The ability to adopt a random number is not new and can be accomplished by visiting both Dowling Hall and the Tufts University Police Department and paying a $15 fee.
But the change will eliminate SSN numbers entirely beginning with next year's freshman class. The move, spearheaded by freshman Senator Jackie Zapata and Dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs Kristine Dillon, began after students expressed concerns to the Senate about the risks of the widespread use of SSNs at Tufts.
"Over the next four years, hopefully the entire undergraduate student body will have adjusted to the numbers," Zapata said.
Because Tufts identification cards display ID numbers and birth dates, students have worried that a lost card might place a SSN in the wrong hands. Even though a lost card does not work in University systems, it nonetheless divulges personal information. "It's scary having your Social Security number out there for everyone to see," freshman Elizabeth Johnson said.
ID numbers are used for a variety of purposes such as purchasing points and buying meals on the Merchants on Points (MOPS) program.
"It's kind of creepy giving your Social Security number to the different restaurants," sophomore James Mitchell said.
International students are currently assigned random ID numbers, since they do not have Social Security numbers. Freshman Sangeeta Parekh, a native of Switzerland, said that she had never thought of the difference.
"I would rather have a random number," Parekh said.
