I agree...every time I am asked for my SSN, I want a very specific reason why. This does not seem like a good one.

The student has to be registered at the college in order to pledge. Colleges routinely use s.s.n.s to identify students - I always have to provide mine to get transcripts. I doubt that many students would lie about their s.s.n. to enroll in college - it would make it too difficult to get employment later. So, some means of cross-checking with the # is probably feasible.
Having said that, I don't think it is really that big of a problem. In this case, I would notify both NPC orgs. Perhaps her losing both memberships would be a good example!

and again, considering greeks are at a university at their leisure, you think sschool officials have time to be cross-checking SSNs for every PNM during rush?

also, many colleges are moving away from using SSNs as ID#s. NYU had a whole big to-do about it a couple years ago. doesnt mean they still dont have my SSN.

You've got to think about the ROI here. First, creating a database that's going to hold information about probably half a million people. (I'm just guessing at a number here, based on an approximate number of new members we get in Alpha Gam annually, plus some, because we have fewer chapters than a lot of NPC's and multiplying by 26 NPC groups times four because they are in college for about 4 years). Someone has to add in 3000-5000 new members per year per NPC. This database has to be accessible by ___ ?? Who would be able to add members to it? Who would be able to check it? Would you have one person at headquarters designated to check for each chapter? When do you do this? During recruitment on all PNMs? During their new member period but before Initiation? So, you have to figure out who has access to this database with SSNs in it. THEN, you have to ensure that this database is kept really secure so that they don't end up having to pay for credit monitoring for half a million women.

I'm not sure all that is worth it to catch a handful of women who do this each year.

But those who are stupid enough to do it and are caught - really need to be kicked out of their NPC GLOs!

Yep.

ETA: I think the best thing would be for the chapters to carefully screen the new members that they get who are transfers before initiation. (Even the hometown sponsor thing might fail if your hometown was big enough to include two members who didn't know each other that you could ask for recs at the different campuses.) But once the girl is a new member, then before initiation, you call the old school's office of Greek life. If they don’t have good lists, you could call each of the chapters at the old campus. Worst case is that you’d call 26 groups if the old campus had EVERY NPC group, which seems unlikely. Considering that you probably didn’t pledge that many transfers, it would seem worth it to protect your ritual.

Also, how do you know the SSN's are real? If a girl is going to lie about being initiated elsewhere, why not also give a false SSN?

True--if someone is going to be dishonest about her affiliation, why would she be honest about her membership in another NPC sorority. However, I am of the opinion that NPC should have some sort of database to show membership. I know that each has its own website with membership info for alums and collegiates, so why not just merge the two? :confused:

I don't think you'd necessarily need an SSN anyhow - in most cases, name, birthdate, and hometown/HS should be sufficient to do a check. (What are the odds of 2 Jane Smith's both born on 3-14-89 both from City XYZ? And then what are the odds of them both going through NPC recruitment? In the rare event that a duplicate match might happen, a procedure could be established for a deeper verification.)

Many of us already gave our SSNs to our own NPC group on the new member paperwork. (I won't go so far as to say that all NPC groups collect them for their pledges/new members, but I suspect a lot do.) However, I wouldn't be in favor of an NPC database that contained them for all 26 orgs members in one location. Too hard to control for who has access and to big of an expense to develop/maintain.

Jeau??? Is this how kids spell "Jew" these days??? First, it was "azn"...and now this.

I'd still put my money on an Alumnae Panhellenic checking all transfer students than ANY information such as a SSN any day of the week. Anyone who has sat through a bid matching or a planning session of any sort that involves Advisors or Alumnae Panhellenic ladies know that they are a force to reckon with!

One thing about the social security numbers... When I started college I didn't have one. (I have no idea why) The university gave me a temporary number similar to the ones they give students from abroad. So, unless I'm mistaken, my sorority doesn't have my real SSN.

I'm glad of that too. I'm completely opposed to some huge database with my personal information in it. Especially if its only purpose is to weed out a tiny number of girls who might try to join two different NPCs.

And once again for the record (I think I've told this story on GC at least 4 times) my chapter had a sister who had transfered from another school. By the time I pledged it was pretty much common knowledge within the chapter that she had been a member of another NPC at her old school. Strangely, I don't remember anyone really caring about it. I know I didn't. She was a great KD sister.

I'm not advocating it, just stating a fact.


*edited to add*

Funny, I just checked my mail and the current issue of The Angelos came in. The headline across the front reads, "The Great Imposters: Identity Thieves Want to Steal Your Good Name" One of the tips the article gives on how to protect yourself - "Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet.... Give it out only if absolutely necessary and first ask to use another identifier." Later in the article it states that, "toward the end of last year, more than 800,000 Social Security numbers were hijacked from a restricted UCLA database." Yep! I'm keeping my SSN private! Thanks for agreeing with me, KD.

I am also against the SSN thing as many members of my chapter are not citizens of the U.S. and don't have them. Plus, I honestly wish my nationals had no requested it of me. I do get mail for a "my org." credit card and many other things I neither requested nor need. It's annoying enough and it's hard enough to keep your information private these days. :mad:

Just to update...

I was calling Kappa Delta Headquarters today anyway, so I decided to ask if they kept Social Security Numbers of members. They do NOT. Some NPCs might, but since KD doesn't I'm guessing that some others might not either.

There goes the giant database idea.