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.