Penn State's decision to stop using Social Security digits as student ID numbers, and to replace them with random nine-digit identifiers is an important change that will help to protect students from potential identity theft.

Federal authorities arrested three men just last month in connection with the identity thefts of more than 30,000 people. In our increasingly digital age, identity theft is one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes. Someone can use Social Security numbers to gain access to bank accounts and apply for credit cards, ruining the victims' credit histories.

Social Security numbers used as student IDs make that information entirely too accessible to potential criminals.

In an often misguided attempt to protect students' privacy, some professors will post grades next to a Social Security number rather than post names. Even more worrisome is when grades are posted on the Internet this way. Professors will often pass around attendance sheets listing ID numbers -- another instance when they'd be easy to copy.

A committee will decide how to implement the change, and nothing will be immediate. In the meantime, professors should take care to keep student numbers as confidential as possible. It will be easier to recover from the embarrassment of a bad grade than a ruined credit history.

It might be an expensive adjustment that will take time. The university is going to have to allocate funding to facilitate the change, and the committee should look for ways to keep that particular budget low.

And sure, memorizing another identifier may be difficult. But if it finds its way into the wrong hands, who cares?

The time, money and potential aggravation are worth the effort for our safety.