Quick Facts

• Date: 5/1/2007
• Institution: Sam Houston State University
• Type of Incident: Unauthorized Disclosure
• Number Affected: 22
• Source: ESI
• Abstract Source: The Houstonian Online (subscription)

Abstract
A Sam Houston State University student turned over a piece of scratch paper to find personal student information. The paper, used in the SHSU math lab, contained the names, Social Security numbers and university IDs of 22 SHSU students. The student quickly informed a math lab tutor and the paper was quickly turned over to SHSU faculty members who are believed to have shredded the document. According to SHSU officials, the university's Writing Center (the source of the scratch paper) adheres to the university's No SSNs On Paper policy. Instead, officials believe that since students are allowed to choose which printer they use, a student might have accidentally printed this list on one of the Writing Center's printers. Unclaimed print jobs are then recycled and used as scratch paper.