Staff to see early changes in preparation for SSN changeover

Editor's note: This is the second article in a series about upcoming changes related to the University's initiative to issue new Penn State ID numbers and restrict the use of Social Security numbers.

What starts with a nine, is nine digits long and is soon to embody faculty, staff and students' Penn State identities? Anyone who doesn't know the answer by now will learn it before the end of this year. In just eight months Penn State will officially adopt new Penn State ID numbers, or PSU IDs, (formatted as 9-9999-9999) as the primary identifier of students, faculty and staff. The University still will be required to collect Social Security numbers (SSNs), but their use will be strictly limited as outlined in a new official University policy.

To administer these changes, the University's central business and student systems (IBIS and ISIS) will be converted, beginning Dec. 19. These systems, along with the Data Warehouse and eLion, will be unavailable for normal business during the conversion week of Dec. 19 to 25.

The new PSU IDs will take effect on Jan. 1, but the University community won't have to wait that long before catching its first glimpse of the changes to come. In May, the Registrar's office will roll out new versions of nearly 20 student academic forms used by many of the University's departments, colleges and campuses. These forms cover a variety of processes including official transcript request, registration drop/add, course registration and re-enrollment.

At first glance, the forms may look exactly the same as their predecessors. However, a closer look will reveal that the labels which currently request a "student number" or "student ID" have been modified to request a "PSU ID."

"It's a subtle but important shift," said J. James Wager, assistant vice provost for enrollment management and University Registrar. "Between now and the end of the year, people should continue to use these forms as they have in the past," he added. In other words, until PSU IDs take effect on Jan. 1, students, faculty and staff should continue to use their SSNs as their Penn State ID numbers. "Right now, when a form asks for a PSU ID, that's your Social Security number. When the new PSU ID is activated, you can then start using your PSU ID number," explained Wager.

Along with the new Registrar forms, the University community can expect to see similar changes to other business processes and documents in the coming months. While the forms available on Penn State's General University Reference Utility (GURU) Web site will be customized by the appropriate central offices, individual departments, colleges and campuses will be responsible for converting their own unique documents.

Since certain business processes will require the University to continue collecting and using SSNs after the conversion, these updated forms may either ask for an individual's SSN, PSU ID or both. For example, all Penn State employees must provide their SSN as a taxpayer ID number for W-2 forms, as directed by the IRS. New employees must also provide their SSN on the Employment Eligibility Verification (I-9) form issued by the INS. Conversely, employee vacation cards and other activities like the HRDC course registration will use the employee's PSU ID.

Beyond the student academic forms that also will begin using PSU IDs, other University services, such as Financial Aid, non-degree registration and enrollment verification, still will require the student to provide his or her SSN. In addition, many admission and registration documents, including undergraduate and graduate admissions applications, will ask for the current or prospective student's SSN and PSU ID.

Penn State's decision to develop a new identification number comes amid a surge in identity theft cases across the nation. Since SSNs are linked to a vast amount of personal information, the University felt it no longer was practical to use them as a primary identifier of its constituents. Instead, SSNs will be secured centrally with restricted access rights for reporting and taxation purposes.

The new PSU ID will be generated by Administrative Information Services for all current and former employees, students, alumni, applicants and prospects. Current faculty, staff and full-time students will receive their PSU ID numbers when new id+ cards are distributed in November. New photos for the id+ cards will not be necessary. Although the new PSU IDs will be issued during the fall semester, they will not become effective until Jan. 1.

For more information about this University initiative, see the original SSN Project story on Penn State Live at http://www.live.psu.edu/story/3998 and visit the official SSN ProjectWeb site at http://ais.its.psu.edu/SSN