MUSC to end use of Social Security numbers

Identification numbers soon will replace Social Security numbers at the Medical University of South Carolina, a move school officials say will safeguard students, employees, volunteers and contractors from identity theft.

Stewart Mixon, MUSC's chief operations officer, said state and federal lawmakers have in the past proposed legislation to limit the use of Social Security numbers.

The university is taking a proactive stance by making the switch now, he said. "It's simply a very good idea."

The first phase of the process will begin today, Mixon said. He hopes the project will be complete by the end of the year, but says it's a time-consuming process. The university has more than 10,000 employees and 2,500 students.

Using Social Security numbers, he said, is "easy and convenient" but their use also could have "unintended consequences" such as identity theft.

Other local higher education institutions have already made the change from Social Security to identification numbers.

The College of Charleston and Trident Technical College both made the change a few years ago.

The Citadel has issued identification numbers to students, spokeswoman Charlene Gunnells said. The school likely will make a similar change for employees in the future, she said.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, securing personal data is especially important for college students because they are vulnerable to identity theft. College students are required to put out a lot of personal data, and many don't take precautions to safeguard their information.

According to the department, a recent national survey of college students found that:

--Almost half of all college students receive credit card applications on a daily or weekly basis and many throw them out without destroying them.

--Nearly a third of students rarely, if ever, reconcile their credit card and checking account balances.

--Almost half of students have had grades posted by Social Security number.

Mixon said he's worked at MUSC for more than five years and in that time there's never been a security breach.

The university's information technology department, he said, expected to work hard over the holiday weekend to ensure a smooth transition to identification numbers.

"Our real goal is for this to be a nonevent," Mixon said.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.