2008 Woodie Awards
Telemarketers have easy access to student information
Issue date: 4/15/05 Section: Opinion
As if answering telemarketing phone calls wasn't bad enough, now students need to be wary of soliciting scams. The days of trust are long gone, as any personal information given over the phone can come back to haunt you in the form of identity theft. Con artists will try to swindle you out of money any way they can, and often it is very difficult to tell if you are dealing with a legitimate business.
These thieves will even go as far as to pretend to be raising money for a charity, only to take your money and run.
It's pathetic to think that telemarketing disrupted peoples' lives so badly, that a Do Not Call Registry had to be formed. How did it get so out of hand? Luckily, the Federal Trade Commission did create this list, but some calls may still slip through, especially if they are fraudulent.
Privacy seems to be non-existent, which is dangerous in a day and age where a simple number can lead to a person's identity being stolen.
Students at Slippery Rock are not exempt from these calls. In fact, college students may be more vulnerable to fraud. Student contact information designated "directory information" is available for disclosure without consent of the student. This information includes name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, activities, program and concentration, among other things.
The university maintains it does not release student contact information en masse to any group. The long distance company the university has contracted out for residence hall students also said it does not release contact information, as does the company that produces the telephone directory.
Yet somehow this information is released, as many students on the SRU campus will attest that they receive numerous telemarketing phone calls.
We at The Rocket feel the university should do more to protect student contact information because telemarketers are not just an inconvenience anymore.
Students may choose to withhold information from the student directory and keep it private. However, this option is not recommended because then the university cannot answer any questions about you. For example, if you are on your parent's insurance, the university cannot provide proof of your enrollment.
If this is not a feasible option, something else should be done to ensure that student contact information is not available to the highest bidder.
These thieves will even go as far as to pretend to be raising money for a charity, only to take your money and run.
It's pathetic to think that telemarketing disrupted peoples' lives so badly, that a Do Not Call Registry had to be formed. How did it get so out of hand? Luckily, the Federal Trade Commission did create this list, but some calls may still slip through, especially if they are fraudulent.
Privacy seems to be non-existent, which is dangerous in a day and age where a simple number can lead to a person's identity being stolen.
Students at Slippery Rock are not exempt from these calls. In fact, college students may be more vulnerable to fraud. Student contact information designated "directory information" is available for disclosure without consent of the student. This information includes name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, activities, program and concentration, among other things.
The university maintains it does not release student contact information en masse to any group. The long distance company the university has contracted out for residence hall students also said it does not release contact information, as does the company that produces the telephone directory.
Yet somehow this information is released, as many students on the SRU campus will attest that they receive numerous telemarketing phone calls.
We at The Rocket feel the university should do more to protect student contact information because telemarketers are not just an inconvenience anymore.
Students may choose to withhold information from the student directory and keep it private. However, this option is not recommended because then the university cannot answer any questions about you. For example, if you are on your parent's insurance, the university cannot provide proof of your enrollment.
If this is not a feasible option, something else should be done to ensure that student contact information is not available to the highest bidder.
