Students and faculty who object to using their social security number as their identification number can breathe a sigh of relief -- more than one year from now.

Robin Anderson, associate director of customer communications for Information Technology Services (ITS), said the university is currently in the planning stages of updating the ID method, but the changes will not take place until the winter break of 2004.

A committee of faculty and administration has been set up to determine exactly how much of the current system will need to change to make the plan successful.

"It will cost money, but as of right now there is no exact amount predicted because we don't know the entire scope of everything that needs to be changed," Anderson said.

She said one change will affect how the faculty is paid. Their current ID numbers are used for payroll purposes, she said.

The committee must look into changes for specific colleges, which will take time, she added.

The new system will use random numbers, unique to Penn State, instead of social security numbers as a way to identify students and faculty.

The change is a proactive measure by the university to combat identity theft, Anderson said. There is no estimate to the cost of the switch, she added.

Jonathan Milewski (junior-landscape contracting) said the new system would be an improvement on the current method.

"I don't feel comfortable handing in a test where someone can see my social security number," he said. "You can get a lot of information from one number."

Milewski said there is no way to avoid giving out your social security number under the current method.

The new PSU-IDs will feature a nine-digit number in a 9-9999-9999 format.

"We are using nine digits because it has more flexibility than say a seven digit number," Anderson said. "Also the conversion will be easier since the social security number is also nine digits."

The change in format is designed to help distinguish the new PSU-ID number from the social security number, Anderson said.

Students and faculty will get new PSU-ID cards at no cost when the change is implemented.

Leah Miller (junior-marketing) said she would prefer that the university just waited and gave incoming freshman new numbers without changing it for the current students.

"I don't have a problem with my social security number being used," Miller said. "It's not an invasion of privacy or anything like that."

Leah Orchinik (sophomore-psychology) said that getting a new card wouldn't be a problem.

"It'll probably be an inconvenience, but it's a one-time thing," Orchinik said. "Once you get a new card and number, the problem is over."

Billie Willits, associate vice president for the Office of Human Resources, is a member of the planning committee for the change.

"Reality is that the social security number in not intended as an identification number," Willits said. "The government has chosen to use the social security number for so many vital purposes that as an employer, it could be harmful to the employee if used as the identification number."