Editorial: Hull wise to protect student privacy

They don't think twice about giving their Social Security numbers to any business person or university official.

They'll enter their SSN on Internet programs and write it on credit card applications to get a free pair of fuzzy dice.

But other people prefer to keep information to themselves. Maybe they're just private people. Or maybe they're avoiding an abusive ex-spouse or a stalker who doesn't know how to give up.

For those students, a new bill that Gov. Jane Hull signed into law last month should provide some sense of relief.

After repeated stalling, Hull and the Arizona Legislature finally took steps to protect the state's university students from possible privacy invasions.

The legislation, which takes effect in 2002, orders the three state universities to identify all incoming students with nine-digit numbers that differ from SSNs.

And in an equally valiant move, instructors' and staff members' Social Security numbers will also be protected.

On this campus, privacy debates began in Spring 1998 when University of Arizona officials illegally released thousands of SSNs to Saguaro Credit Union and MCI Telecommunications Corp.

Many students felt betrayed, complaining that their identities were sold solely in an effort to line the university's coffers.

Some staff members even had the guts to stand up for their rights, risking their jobs to beg for reform.

The scandal prompted action from student activists, who in turn began lobbying state lawmakers to pass legislation that stops universities from being careless with priceless information.

One lobbyist, Arizona Students Association Director Sam Leyvas, shocked legislators when he printed records from one state university's Web site that included students' Social Security numbers.

Leyvas, however, remains somewhat unsatisfied with the new legislation, saying he is concerned that students must still provide their SSNs to the university.

While his concerns about credit card fraud and other possible criminal activity are valid, Leyvas needs to end the fight and be satisfied that Hull and the legislators paid attention to ASA's petition.

He should remember that change, finally, is coming. Administrators are listening to student concerns and legislators are making sure that those ears stay open.

The UA already offers students the option to change their ID number. One can stop at the Administration Building and request a new nine-digit code.

But Hull and the Legislature paved the road to true reform. Now, freshmen who might otherwise be distracted by their new surroundings and captivated by the mystique of the university, can avoid allowing their privacy to be abused by an institution that has proven itself irresponsible in the past.