Baton Rouge resident Latoya Hawkins was arrested Tuesday on accounts of identity theft and forgery against University graduate student Tara Nation. In November 2006, a skimming device was attached to the ATM at the Chase bank near campus to record account information and personal identification numbers. Former University student Asim Khan stole the identities of 40 students in October 2006 by using the name and contact information of a former University Registrar employee. These three instances of identity theft in Baton Rouge during the past four months reaffirm the reality of identity theft as a steadily increasing concern for University students. So what is the University doing to protect the identity of its students? In October, the University negotiated an agreement – the first of its kind among academic institutions – with the credit agency Equifax, allowing students, faculty and staff to enroll in the company’s program CreditWatch at no cost. This program provides a free credit report, $2,500 in identity theft insurance and instant monitoring of financial history for a year. The Athletic Department printed the Social Security numbers of thousands of students on football tickets for the fall 2006 season. Administrators developed a plan to distribute identification numbers to students to replace the use of Social Security numbers on campus, but many professors still require Social Security numbers be written on tests and assignments. A new set of identification numbers needs to be implemented and soon. While these efforts taken by the University are to be applauded, incidents of identity theft are still prevalent in the area. Professors who are taking extra steps to use alternate means of identification in their classes are doing the right thing, but this should be a universal policy among University faculty. The University’s partnership with Equifax is commendable, but students should take advantage of this convenience and enroll in the CreditWatch program. The protection of University students’ identities should continue to be a top priority for the University as well as for students themselves.
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