The Registrar's Office recently added a link to Bear Port allowing you to obtain an enrollment certificate via the "National Student Clearinghouse." In order access this system, however, you will need a social security number. Some F-1 or J-1 visa holders may have not yet applied for a social security number. If this is your situation and you need an enrollment certificate (perhaps in order to have tuition funds transferred to the U.S.), please see April Cantrell in the Registrar's Office about having an enrollment certificate issued manually by her office. April's phone number is 301-2494. Alternatively, the Office of International Programs can provide an enrollment letter to international students as needed.
In order for a criminal to have a credit card issued in your name, he or she needs 1) your name, 2) your birthday, and 3) your social security number.
If you have a social security number, beware of "phishing" schemes where someone tries to get you to volunteer the number (e.g., e-mails or phone calls supposedly from banks, or even the government, asking for you to login or verify account and social security information, etc.)
Also, it is best not to leave much personal information (that can be used by strangers) on a Facebook, Myspace, Xanga, or other such social networking sites. If you feel that you must leave your birthday on one of these sites, it would be best to at least omit the year of your birth. It is also wise to restrict access to your site so that only people you know can see it.
On a related theme, please be selective about which photos to publish at these sites, either of yourself or of your friends. Some employers search the internet for information about prospective employees. You wouldn't want your social networking site to disqualify your for a job.