Student Social Security Numbers Inadvertently E-mailed to Scholarship Candidates

By Anne Buckley

The names and Social Security numbers of 561 Virginia Commonwealth University students were inadvertently sent as attachments in e-mails to a group of students notifying them of their eligibility for scholarships.

Two spreadsheets with the private information, which also included grade point averages, were inadvertently attached to e-mails sent to 195 students notifying them they were eligible to apply for scholarships through the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.

The students involved, and those who received the e-mails, have been notified. VCU will make credit insurance available to those students whose Social Security numbers were released.

Mark D. Willis, VCU’s chief information officer, said that despite a vigorous effort in the past year to limit the use of Social Security numbers in databases and reports, some archival information still includes the numbers.

“The exposure of the personal information is the unfortunate result of human error, and VCU is working diligently to ensure the students’ privacy is protected,” Willis said.