Feds and National College Database

Parent Cafe
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<p>A proposal by the Education Department would force every college and university in America to report all their students’ Social Security numbers and other information about each individual to a national databank. The government will record every student, regardless of whether he or she receives federal aid, in the databank. </p>

<p>The government’s plan is to track students individually and in full detail as they complete their post-secondary education. The threat to our students’ privacy is of grave concern, and the government has not satisfactorily explained why it wants to collect individual information. </p>

<p>Researchers at the Education Department say this mammoth project would give them better information on graduation rates and what students pay for college. </p>

<p>Perhaps this would be interesting information to collect, but at what cost to individual privacy? At what cost in time and effort to the government and the educational institutions? </p>

<p>As a college president who has spent her career in higher education, I know that a system is already in place to collect statistics. This system meets the government’s need to inform public policy without intruding on students’ privacy. </p>

<p>Since 1992 every college or university whose students receive federal financial aid has been required to submit summary data on enrollment, student aid, graduation rates and other matters via the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. </p>

<p>Under the proposal that will soon be submitted to Congress, instead of aggregate statistics, colleges and universities would be required to feed data on each student to the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics. </p>

<p>Should an institution refuse, the government could take away federal grants, loans and work-study funds from every student at the college, a penalty that would fall on students in need while leaving more affluent students unaffected. </p>

<p>Required information</p>

<p>Among the personal information the U.S. Department of Education wants colleges and universities to report about students is their:</p>

<p>•Race or ethnicity</p>

<p>•Number of college credits earned</p>

<p>•Plan for academic degree</p>

<p>•Grants and loans received </p>

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<p>Actually, I think, under the Patriot Act. the Government can already access and compile this information.</p>

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<p>A lot of colleges are worried about this.</p>

<p>FWIW, information on college student enrollments is accessible already via the National Student Loan Clearinghouse. You have to be an approved searcher (for example, a researcher at a participating college) and be looking for specific records, but the data is there. Where a student went to school, what degree they earned. Despite the name it’s not just about student loans. It’s useful if a college wants to track what happens to its graduates or transfers/dropouts, for example.</p>

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<p>But do you really want the government to know your business?</p>

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<p>They are just protecting you from those who want to do you harm.</p>

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<p>That includes the FBI, CIA and Pentagon right? They are on U.S. soil?</p>

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<p>I don’t need to be in another database. We’re still trying to get off the dumb college board list! Son received something today from the SEARCH program at college board…from Wake Forest…"Dear prospective student yadda yadda. </p>

<p>My son, will graduate in May, and actually was already accepted at WFU. I don’t really want another year of college spam. Apparently they are still selling his information. :(</p>

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<p>How does tracking millions of college students protect us from harm? If we start tracking college students because someone might be there to do us harm, then those people will just find another way. This will be really a colosol mess. It way to market, sell data, and track people. yep, another wonderful result of the patriot act.</p>

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<p>There is only one thing I fear and that is Big Government. If we let the Dept. of Education know our social security numbers, the next thing we will see is that other government agencies will want the same information. For example, I cannot imagine the harm that would come if the Social Security Administration knew my social security number. They might be able to track my income and base my benefits on that income. We need to keep information about social security numbers only in the hands of those we can trust such as credit card companies, employers, local and state governments. </p>

<p>I will let you in on a little secret. Did you see that Chinese guy yesterday standing at the White House demanding to speak with the President? The feds then came and knocked him down and hauled him away. That is what will happen to you if the Department of Education has its way and gets your social security number.</p>

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<p>I just really wonder what the true motivation is for tracking students…</p>

<p>Bigman, it would help if you are going to tell a story to get the facts right.</p>

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<p>citygirlsmom:</p>

<p>The 9/11 hijackers were enrolled in US flight schools. Their grades were borderline, but they continued their schooling anyway. JIMO that grades could be an indication of subversiveness when coupled to other factors as ethnicity, religion, source of college funding, residency, admittance essays, handwriting samples, fingerprints, possible DNA. that includes student’s and parents profile etc. - all of which is readily available in college applications and admittance documents. </p>

<p>the 9/11 commission covered various aspects of the lack of compilation of data that could have flagged these terrorists.</p>

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<p>I think some of the motivation is accountability. I suspect the government wants to be able determine which colleges aren’t (in its opinion) using the investment of federal student dollars wisely. That could be a good thing, but also a bad thing.</p>

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<p>Other factors- didn’t you just read about that nice white boy from the south who just confessed and took a plea bargain for all those bombings? I think he was even claiming to be Christian. </p>

<p>I am wondering about the true motivation. Trying not to sound mean, but
what on this earth would reading a kid’s admittance essay do with protecting our USA…handwriting samples, what use is that, with computers, etc, the internet; religion, hmmmmm, that is a really scary thought to track someone based on religious beliefs, lets see, they are tracking Religion A so I am gonna put down Religion B; Ethnicity: my brother in law is Irish, but gets stopped almost everytime at the airport because he is “darker” then his Irish buddies, all traveling together, and what is ethnicity anyway? Anyone could put down anything, to a degree. My brother in law could say white, middle eastern, hispanic, swedish, who would know? And remember, there are lots and lots of schools in this country that don’t need all this stuff. Bob Jones University, for example, requires the minimal to get in. </p>

<p>Use this money to protect the ports, the cargo ships, the borders for heavens sake. So the bad guys won’t go to college…now I feel soooo much safer.</p>

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<p>Our grade, MS-HS have better security than any college.</p>