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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 2000)
Thursday Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas Newsroom: (541)346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu January24,2000 Volume 101, Issue 84 Eifierald Beata Mostafavi Most of us use it at least once a day. Our teachers see it, class mates see it and perhaps ran dom strangers see it also. The most unique and important number we own becomes public knowledge everyday because we think it’s the only way to identi fy ourselves here at the University. We call it our social security number, but it is any thing but secure. I am only now feel ing the insecurity be cause of an event tf*at took place last week. It was a normal Friday afternoon, students squirming in their seats anxious to get off of campus and move onto weekend extrav aganzas, and the teacher’s voice was becoming nothing but background noise to my own thoughts. I had definitely spaced it. And there’s noth ing wrong with zombie mode, except for the fact that when I returned to reality, I came to a horrific realization: My purse was nowhere to be seen. Now whether I left it on the bus, mis placed it in another class or dropped it in a puddle I still don’t know. But it wasn’t just the purse I’d lost. Its contents included my student identification card, driver’s license, Visa card, checkbook, car keys, house keys and of course little sentiments. I literally lost my identity. Now even though most of these items can be replaced, canceled or forgotten, there’s one thing that still keeps me in a constant mode of paranoia. It’s actually what would seem to be the least important component from the list—my student ID. And this fear is not because I’m afraid someone will see my picture and laugh (and they would) or because someone will use it to bum free bus rides, but because the number on that card is my social security number. You’re probably thinking “so what?” Most students can recite their own social security numbers in their sleep because they use it so much. It is our identification number here at school, so of course we find ourselves writing, saying and displaying it left and right. This is exactly the problem. Stu dents aren’t aware of the fact that giving out their social secu rity number is 100 percent optional, and no one is forced to toss it around like a ping pong ball, but we do anyway be cause we think we have to.' This is what needs to change. The University should make it well known — that all it takes is a trip to the Office of the Registrar and mini mal paper work to make that number some thing else. People lose those ID cards much more of ten than they lose purses and wallets. From July 1999 to today, there have been at least 2,083 misplaced cards, according to the University Card Office. That’s a lot of social security numbers floating around. But then again it’s just a number right? I hate to break it to anyone who thinks so, but it’s much more than just that. It’s one of the key elements that represents your iden tity in many government records. If it got into the wrong hands, someone with the motivation and cleverness could easily open different accounts under different names. It happens all the time. Most of us here at the University are still young, with acceptable credit records, but all that could change if our social security numbers were misused by someone else. And it’s not an easy task to clear those records back up. It’s one of those scenarios you’d expect in a movie but would never imagine happening DUCK.N to you. Now that can become a pretty scary thought when you think back to all the times you’ve written that number down for University purposes. For example, many classes require it to appear on just about anything that's turned in. In all the years that you’ll be here, that's a lot of random pa pers that will possess those nine sacred dig its. Who knows where those will eventually end up? Most students don’t keep every homework assignment they have ever done. So this concept, in addition to the very possible chance of losing a student ID, only increases the number of people it could be exposed to. And, unfortunately, out of all of those people there’s usually at least one ma licious person who knows exactly what he or she can do with such information. And it isn’t good. It seems silly to even run the risk of such hassle when the process of making an ID number different from a social security number is so simple. More and more gov ernment agencies, schools and businesses depend on SSNs to identify people in their ...... computer systems. But you always have the choice not to use it. If ever down the road you find much of your time spent attempting to clear your name because of social security number fraud, that’s when you’ll wish you’d made that 10-minute trip to the Office of the Reg istrar. Now this isn’t to say that anyone who has ever lost an identification card should be alarmed. Perhaps it’s just sitting in that bot tom desk drawer you rarely open or in the voluminous space you never knew existed under your couch. It could turn up. And if not, it could be in the back of a garbage truck or in the hands of a harmless person. Maybe you’ll never experience any problems at all. But should you have your entire identity stolen and your reputation besmirched, just remember that this vigilant columnist gave you opportunity to prevent such fateful misdeeds. Beata Mostafavi is a columnist for the Oregon Daily Emerald. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald. She can be reached via e-mail at bmostafa@gladstone.uoregon.edu. Studentparents deserving of respect and PFCfunding On Tuesday evening, the ASUO Programs Finance Committee tabled the budget con siderations for the ASUO Stu dent Childcare Subsidy. I recog nize the goal of the PFC is to achieve a benchmark of O-per cent increase overall. Childcare, however, is an inappropriate area to balance the budget. For stu dent parents, access to higher ed ucation means quality, affordable childcare. As per reported com ments by a PFC member at Tues day’s budget hearing, it seems there is a lack of understanding as to the needs of student par ents, a substantial part of our di verse University community. Comments by one member of the PFC regarding making a choice between being a parent and being as student invoked a spirit of exclusion within our di verse community. There is no tol erance for discrimination of any kind on our campus, including discrimination against students who have chosen to become par ents. As with other groups on campus, student parents offer new perspectives that enrich our campus community. They offer an understanding of the issues in volving work and family needs, which many students will some day choose to balance. It is important to note in these discussions that student parents pay into the student activity fees system. Our University programs and policies must reflect the di versity of our student body. Whether by intent, availability or policy, many student activities do not serve the needs of student Commentary Sarah DeVoi parents. For many student par ents this is the only program they are able to access. This term 186 families have re quested subsidy (the limit pro vided by the current subsidy budget is 195). As with many other types of financial aid, stu dent parents would be unable to attend this University without childcare support. The $234,052 may appear large to some, but this money covers only 15 to 45 percent of most families’ needs, with most receiving a 35 to 45 percent subsidy. There also was concern raised regarding providing childcare costs for the ASUO non-tradi tional student advocate position, a voice for University student parents. Historically this posi tion has been very difficult to fill — not because of lack of interest but because without childcare, many students are excluded from consideration. This year’s budget includes 10 hours per week of childcare costs in addition to the stipend for the 20 hours per week position. It is an understandable and necessary expense. Primari ly this position has been filled by a student parent. While other stu dent leaders in the ASUO are paid, this position has expected the student, in practical terms, to pay for the opportunity to work. That is, the stipend fails to cover the additional costs of childcare expenses incurred by a student parent working in that position. Whiie the University commu nity continues to foster a more in clusive community, it is impera tive that the needs of all students be considered. Student-parent voices often go unheard in these discussions due to their multi faceted lives—being an active student must be balanced with be ing an active parent. I strongly en courage the PFC to support the ASUO Student Childcare Subsidy budget and student parent needs in general. As well, I encourage student parents to attend tonight’s PFC meeting. Of course, children are welcome! Sarah DeVore is the Women in Transi tion coordinator for the ASUO Women’s . Center. Her views do not necessarily rep resent those of the Emerald. She can be reached via e-mail at sdevore@glad stone.uoregon.edu.
