In computer system
Safety measures guard student records
By Fritz Wenzel
Of The Print
Clackamas Community College
has upgraded its computer
capabilities to keep up with the
management of information about
its students and curriculum, but as it
updates, are traditional safeguards
to. protect the student’s right to
privacy being observed? Is personal
information too easy to get hold of?
Will the addition of terminals to the
“mainframe”. ■ college computer
system enable more people to take a
look at what a random student is
computer system was installed.
He also said the security of the
system revolves around a series of
safety techniques, which include an
automatic sign-off, which ter­
minates any access to the computer
if there has not been any activity on
the keyboard for 20 seconds.
Passwords are also constantly
changed to hamper illicit entrance
into the system, and the. timing of
those changes are known only to
Adams, and are not scheduled. “I
would tell you how often I change
the passwords, except that I’have to
^We have a heavy responsibility to
maintain the accuracy and privacy
of students9 records.99'
doing, or how he is doing in school?
Will financial records of students re­
main confidential? This report on
the proliferation of technology on
campus investigates these questions.
Chuck Adams, registrar at the
College, and the one chiefly respon­
sible for the security of student
records, said recently the proper
management of student records is
his highest concern since the new
vary that just like everything else,”
Adams said.
“We in the Registrar’s office have
a heavy responsibility to maintain
the accuracy and privacy of a stu­
dent’s records,” he said. “Because
of that responsibility, we have
designed a number of safety
features into the mainframe
system,” Adams said.
“The biggest threat to the
system’s security is the person who
either wants, to get a student’s
records to alter them and perhaps
harm the individual’s record of
good standing, or the person who
wants to get his hands on records to
use them for his own purposes, like
.producing a fraudulent transcript,”
Adams said.
“Aside from discouraging those
who want to defraud the system by
making it hard to gain access, we
also limit the flow of important in­
formation in the first place,” he ad­
ded.“For instance, academic infor­
mation can only be obtained
through three terminals; one in my
office^ one over in the Financial Aid
Office and one in the veteran’? of­
fice.
“Those people who only need to
gain limited access to a student’s
records for the purposes of,' say,
registering the student for a new
term of classes, has only the primary
level of a dual-level password
system,” Adams said.
“They may not gain any informa-
tion on the student’s past perfor­
mance or his financial aid status,
which is why when you register, you
have to present that handful of
paperwork to the gal at the ter­
minal, to let her know that you are a
financial aid student. If we operated
on a single level password system,
she wouldn’t need a shred of
paper,” he added.
The three terminals that do have
access, to the student’s private
records are pretty secure.- Adams
said that “people just don’t walk in­
to my office and use my equipment,
fot instance,, but even if they did,
each of the three terminals has its
own code that must be entered
before the information is accessed.
Like I said before, we have tried to
make the -system as secure as possi­
ble.”
According to a survey conducted
by this paper, students at the Col­
lege are not really concerned about
the security of their personal infor­
mation, and Adams attributes this
confidence in the system to the good
track record the College has had.
“If we had a reputation for sending
incorrect transcripts to other col­
leges or employers, or had a history
of record fraud, then the students
would be concerned. As it is, things
around here are going pretty well.
Of course, as soon *as I say that,
something somewhere is bound to
.go wrong,” he said.“I know one
thing for sure,” Adams said,
“anything is possible. My job is to
keep most of what is possible from
happening. So far, it’s working.”
Friendship class upcoming
Making friends with
members of the opposite sex
does not have to be a struggle,
two clinical social workers
who will conduct a seminar on
relationships Saturday, May 4
at Clackamas Community
College say.
Marv Clifford and Carol
Swanson, who also work in
private practice counseling
families and couples, will lead
discussions about male/female
friendships, expectations, sex­
uality, communication and the
perception of others.
Clifford said the workshop
will help men and women
learn how to be friends
without having to become
romantically involved. Other
topics of discussion include
how to deal with one’s feel­
ings, how to listen and how to
effectively share beliefs and
values.
Joint Venture Books
New & Used Books
Special Orders Welcomed
Special Discount
for CCC Stddents
719 Main, Oregon City
1
Wednesday, May 1,1985
Call 658-2155
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