UA FERPA violations fail to receive attention from feds

The Department of Education has taken no action since the UA illegally released of Social Security numbers last spring.

During initial CatCard startup efforts, student, faculty and staff Social Security numbers were released to MCI Telecommunication Corp. and Saguaro Credit Union.

"We are not currently investigating the University of Arizona in conjunction with any violation of FERPA," said Jim Brashaw, a Department of Education spokesman.

UA Attorney Michael Proctor said he notified the Federal Policy Compliance Office of the slip-up, and has not heard anything back from them lately.

UA President Peter Likins took responsibility for the institution's mistake, and promised the numbers had been retrieved.

The UA also added a five-year provision to its contract with Cybermark to ensure that personal information is secure.

The purpose of the FPCO is to bring universities into compliance with the Federal Education and Privacy Rights Act of 1974.