| Policy Title | Student Identity Verification |
| Type or category of Policy: | College |
| Approval Authority: | Provost and Senior Vice President |
| Responsible Executive: | Enrollment, Registrar, ITS |
| Responsible Office: | Academic Affairs |
| Owner Contact: | Kari A. Bennett, Registrar, kbennett@siena.edu |
| Reviewed By: | Kari A. Bennett |
| Reviewed Date: | September 29, 2023 |
| Last Revised and Effective Date of Revision: |
Reason for Policy
To provide information on how Siena verifies student identity.
Scope of the Policy: Entities or Individuals affected by this policy
All members of the Siena Community
The Official Policy
General:
Siena College’s administrative offices adhere to routine identity verification checks for their students.
Enrollment Management: At the point of admission application submission, students provide name, address, email address, date of birth and are required to affirm the information provided on the application is factually true. Transcripts and guidance counselor recommendations are provided to complete the student’s application directly to the college from high schools/colleges include name, address and date of birth. This information is matched with the information the student provided on the application.
The admission application is processed and at that time the student information system generates a unique Siena College identification number (90x) and assigns it to the student. Upon confirmation of acceptance or course registration, a unique username and a unique initial password are created and assigned to each Siena College student. The student is responsible for changing the initial password to one that they maintain. Students are responsible for providing their complete and true identity information. In order to reset a password a photo ID is required.
Students receive an initial email containing their unique username and temporary password for their Siena College network/email account. This email is sent to the student’s personal email account that has been verified by the Enrollment Management office. Students also receive an email, sent to their Siena College email account, with information about setting up access to the Banner Self Service portal. Network accounts are set up with 2 factor authentication (2FA) to protect access. Temporary passwords have an expiration and students are required to change the temporary password in order to continue to access systems. Students have the ability to change their own password for both their network account and their Banner Self Service. If they need assistance from ITS, they are required to provide photo ID. Temporary passwords are only provided in person or through an encrypted link to a temporary password with a finite life.
Verification of a student is conducted in the registrar’ office whether the student is in person, calls the office, or corresponds via email. We require students to provide photo identification or ask definitive questions to verify the person calling is to the best of our knowledge the student. Email we communicate through the Siena email and if it is not from their Siena account we request they email us from their Siena issued email address.
Online course/Distance Education:
Siena College verifies that the student who registers for a distance education/online course is the same student who participates and completes the course for credit by adhering to the following process.
Secure Login and Password: At the time of application the student information system generates a unique Siena College identification number (90x) and assigns it to the student. Upon confirmation of acceptance or course registration, a unique username and a unique initial password are created and assigned to each Siena College student. The student is responsible for changing the initial password to one that they maintain. The student then uses these credentials to log into the College’s learning management system (currently Canvas). Students are responsible for providing their complete and true identity information in any identification verification process. In order to reset a password a photo ID is required.
Responsibilities: All users of the College’s technology resources are responsible for maintaining security of usernames, passwords, and other access credentials as required per the College’s acceptable use policy. An account is given to an individual for the exclusive use by that individual. Attempting to discover another user’s password or attempts to gain unauthorized access to another person’s files or mail is prohibited. It is against College policy for a user to give someone his or her password or allow others to use his or her account. Users are responsible for all activity on their accounts.