Faculty/Staff Conversion Information Overview With the conversion to the new Penn State ID numbers (PSU IDs) set to take place over the winter break, a new University policy has been created to govern the future use of Social Security numbers (SSN) at Penn State. Policy AD19 is designed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of an individual’s SSN. This new policy will take effect Jan. 1, 2005, when the PSU ID will be used in place of the SSN to identify students and employees. It has been published now to give University offices time to comply with its provisions. How will Policy AD19 affect me? The University will still be required to collect SSNs for reporting and taxation purposes, but the new policy strictly limits their use. SSNs will only be available to authorized University employees who are required to use them in completing the business of the University. Some key policy provisions you should know include the following: SSNs may not be stored electronically anywhere other than Penn State’s Central ID Repository, unless an exception is granted by the Chief Privacy Officer Any spreadsheet, database, online list or electronic document containing SSNs must be deleted, printed and secured, stored securely off-line on a CD or converted unless the Chief Privacy Officer grants an exception Documents that contain SSNs in Microsoft Word and e-mail messages must be secured, but do not need to be converted. Unnecessary files of this type should be deleted SSNs will still be collected from persons seeking enrollment and employment at Penn State Offices are encouraged to use a standard disclosure statement on forms requesting SSNs from prospective students What about current and historical paper records? Both current and historical records containing SSNs in off-line storage such as paper, tape, cartridge, fiche, microfilm or magnetic media do not need to be converted as long as access to them is limited and secured. All online and off-line records containing SSNs will be considered confidential information. If you have any such records that you no longer need, they should be purged in compliance with the General Retention Schedule for University Records. I have some electronic files that contain SSNs. How do I convert them? If you have data that you will need to retain for continued use after Jan. 1, 2005, you can convert the SSNs in your files to the new PSU IDs by using the Web-based SSN Conversion Utility. The Utility is available to every faculty and staff member with a Penn State Access Account and instructions are in the SSN Conversion Utility Overview. If you have questions about converting your data, please see your Local SSN Contact. How and when will I receive my new PSU ID? You will receive your new PSU ID number when new Penn State id+ cards are distributed in November to all existing cardholders (i.e. students, faculty and staff). Your new nine digit PSU ID (9-9999-9999) will be printed on the front of your new card. Existing photos will be used so new photos will not be necessary.  Below are some important dates to remember from the SSN Project Timeline: Nov. 1-5 – New id+ cards distributed at HUB event (activation date will be Dec. 20) Dec. 20 – Automated card reading systems scheduled to be converted (students, faculty and staff should carry both their old and new id+ cards from now until the end of the year – just in case) Jan. 1 – New PSU IDs become effective University-wide Are there guidelines for the use of the new PSU ID? As policy AD19 states, the PSU ID may only be used in e-mail or other correspondence within the University among appropriate University personnel and offices in performing their assigned duties, or in e-mail or other correspondence sent directly to that individual. The PSU ID should never be part of the subject line of an e-mail or printed on the address label of written correspondence, and unless the full number is required (i.e. to notify an individual of his or her PSU ID), only the last four digits should be used in the text of the e-mail or correspondence. How does the new policy affect research? More specific information regarding the SSN Project's impact to researchers can be found in the SSN Project Impact on Research section of this Web site. Is there more specific information for me as a faculty or staff member? Yes. Faculty can find additional information in the faculty specifics section and staff can find additional information in the staff specifics section of this Web site.

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