Ryerson’s degree verification website is progressing slowly, but the associate registrar remains optimistic that service will be completed by June 2010.

“When you walk across the stage in June, not only are you going to get your award but you’re also going to get a document that outlines how to use that service,” Ken Scullion said.

Employers looking to hire a Ryerson graduate can soon input a candidate’s personal information, such as their student ID number or date of birth, on a website and verify the degree. The site will be similar to the one York University launched in October 2009.

“For any prospective employer, it means they can very quickly turn around that confirmation, which means they should be able to expedite their job offer processing,” he said.

But the site has a long way to go.

The service needs to comply with Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), but Ryerson’s access to information co-ordinator says there still isn’t a solid proposal to evaluate.

“It’s not at a place right now where we have a concrete system,” said Ilone Harrison. She said despite the June deadline, there will be no compromise on complying with FIPPA.

She said that Scullion submitted an informal request last November, but there hasn’t been a change since then.

Scullion said in an email that despite the deadline, his team will continue to do work, which will be handled in-house, so no budget will be set aside. The office receives thousands of degree verification requests every year via fax or telephone.

He doesn’t know long building the site will take, but he says it shouldn’t be difficult since York has already done it.

Only graduates from 1984 and onward with a degree can use the site. The graduation date will be shown, along with the program and type of degree. Normally, confirming the degree can take between two to five days, he said. The site will also prevent degree forgery.

Don Murdoch, York University’s associate registrar for student services, said the site’s launch was successful and has seen about 10,000 visitors with “a few hundred per week.”

But privacy issues worries Avner Levin, director of Ryerson’s Privacy and Crime Institute.

“It all depends on how they allow people to search up information,” Levin said. “There may be unintended consequences.”

He is worried about exposure due to a simple error like a spelling mistake, he said.

But Scullion says only one result will show when a search is conducted. The person must also have enough information to produce a distinct match for results.

The site will only provide specific information, he said. For more details like grades, employers will need to ask the student to contact Ryerson. Only then will an official transcript be mailed.