Privacy not the issue

Since Sept. 11, 2001, it's impossible to watch the news without mention of terrorist attacks, death tolls and suicide bombers. And among the news-speak mainstays, "privacy issues" rank high.\nLegislation like the USA Patriot Act have Americans feeling vulnerable to the prying eyes of Big Brother. But after the hoopla surrounding the federal government's proposed use of a new student database, we think folks might be overreacting. \nAs of now, colleges and universities log general information regarding enrollment, graduation rates, cost and financial assistance. Schools release the information to the federal government for purposes of determining financial aid packages. \nBut according to the newly-proposed plan, institutions would release information to the government regarding every enrollee on an individual, student-to-student basis. As before, the data would include information regarding financial aid, enrollment, graduation, price, etc. -- only in this case, the info would also include every student's transfer and enrollment history. Proponents of the plan argue that the info could be used to track trends and provide more reliable statistics -- a new facet we would enjoy.\nLegislators in Congress said the data would be reviewed, analyzed and protected by the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education. But critics worry that the post-Sept. 11 climate makes students' information susceptible to misuse should it fall into the wrong hands.\nWe agree. But the reality is any information the NCES might submit to the government is information the government already has. The only difference is it's in one more place. If the data collected makes institutions more accountable, we're all for it.