Their names won't change but their numbers will. All employees currently holding identification cards will be issued new cards in late April that will carry a unique Ball State number.

"The sole reason for the change to the university-assigned number is to protect the identity of the user," Registrar Thomas Bilger said.

Bilger said Ball State recognizes the confidentiality of Social Security numbers.

"This change should stop the prolific use and display of employee and student Social Security numbers," he said.

Bilger explained that for decades Ball State has used Social Security numbers as individual identification for anyone associated with the university.

"Most transactions used at the university to either input or extract information requires the use of the Social Security number," Bilger said. "Starting May 17, most transactions will be changed to accept the Ball State ID number."

Recently-hired employees have been issued new numbers not related to the Social Security number. Last month all employees were asked to obtain a photo at the Registrar's Office for a new identification card to be encoded with their unique Ball State number.

University Computing Services is currently developing a secure Web page where employees can learn their Ball State ID number.

For more information on Ball State identification, contact the Registrar's Office at 5-1722.