Earlier this summer, Graham Humphrey '08 received a letter. "Imagine the convenience of being able to purchase supplies for your classes without worrying about carrying a lot of cash," it read. "That's the kind of flexibility every student can appreciate ... and it can be yours with the Brandeis University credit card!" The letter was signed Paul Zlotoff, president of the Alumni Association.

Graham's father could hardly believe it.

"I was very annoyed," John Humphrey said. "I didn't realize that Brandeis was entitled to give personal information to companies, especially not credit card companies. ... I was shocked first that they had done it and then that they were allowed to do it."

What neither Graham nor his father initially realized was that Brandeis is in fact legally permitted to give out a student's information-his address, height, weight, photo, his activities-unless the student expressly tells the University not to.

"Such information may be disclosed by the institution for any purpose, at its discretion," The University Handbook states.

It's a tricky situation. Students who want to keep their information private can do so easily, but the process has some serious drawbacks.

Through the online system Sage, students can specify what they want released and what they want to keep private. However, not allowing the University to release their names casts them into total anonymity within the University's system.

They won't receive notices for senior pictures or cap and gowns, and they will be totally blocked from the student directory. No information about their accomplishments can be released to the press, and if reporters ask the University to confirm that they are students at the school, administrators are obliged to say, "I can neither confirm nor deny that students' existence."

In response to the suggestion that some students might be alarmed by this policy, John Hose, the assistant to University President Jehuda Reinharz, responded, "Don't come crying to [the president's office] if you don't receive something. Before students run lemming-like, they should read the policy."

Hose said Brandeis gives out student information to "a fairly narrow list" of companies, which are featured on the Alumni Association's Web site. They range from vineyards to insurance agencies.

But Hose insisted that "the University doesn't share this information willy-nilly, We do not sell mailing lists, nor do we randomly give out mailing lists to anyone who asks for them."

Brandeis can reap a significant profit from "affinity programs" like that between the Alumni Association and MBNA America Bank-a subsidiary of Bank of America and a major credit card company-which sponsored the offer mentioned in Graham's letter.

Brandeis is by no means alone in offering University-sponsored credit cards. According to MBNA spokeswoman Betty Riess, the bank has affinity relationships with about 800 colleges and universities.

"Affinity card programs enable MBNA to provide consumers with card programs that are targeted to their specific interests and organizations they support," Reiss said.

For every purchase a student or alumnus makes with his Brandeis-adorned credit card, MBNA makes a contribution to the Alumni Association.

Paul Zlotoff, who ended his term as the association's president this year, said the partnership brings in a profit of $50,000 annually-money that funds alumni programming, including student scholarships.

"We want a very positive experience for all of our constituents," Zlotoff said.

But Graham's father said it's troubling that students' information is being given away, often without their knowledge.

Graduates who enroll in the Alumni Association (the only way to ensure that e-mails ending with "brandeis.edu" are directed to their new addresses after commencement) agree to have their information entered into a database, which can be shared legally with "affinity companies," such as Avis and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Like new students, alumni are asked when they enroll to give Brandeis permission to distribute their information.

The Alumni Association also has access to current students' information through the University, which explains how students like Graham receive alumni offers after only two years of college.

Receiving ads for Brandeis-sponsored wine through an affiliated vineyard is one thing, Graham's father said, but credit offers aimed at 20-year-olds are unnecessary. Graham's father cancelled his own MBNA credit card when he realized that Brandeis students were being solicited.

He thinks that MBNA is particularly brutal when it comes to charging fees for late payments.

"Students are not the most efficient when it comes to paying bills, and they are likely to be hit with these fees very quickly," he said. "That's why I think an institution like Brandeis should not be associated with these kinds of practices. It's unconscionable that they're doing it with current students who rely on their parents' income."

Recent research suggests he has reason to be alarmed. In a four-part series on debt, The Boston Globe reported that between 2000 and 2005, there was one debt collection lawsuit for every five Massachusetts households.

The Globe found that since the 1990s, credit card companies have aggressively pursued lower-income consumers who are considered to be at higher risk of falling into debt, a strategy which one article called "the industry equivalent of tobacco companies marketing to minors."

But Zlotoff argues that the prevalence of credit cards makes MBNA's affinity with Brandeis acceptable.

"What studies have shown is that it's probably 90 percent or better of current students who have a credit card, so why not have one that helps your University?" he asked.

Instead of students purging themselves from the University system, Zlotoff suggested a more measured solution.

"You're responsible for your own actions," he said. "If you don't want the credit card, then don't sign up for it. I have one. It's really just fine. I utilize it along with another credit card I have, and each time I use the Brandeis card it feels good to know that a portion of my purchase goes to the University.