www.theloquitur.com
THURSDAY
INSIDE: • Cabrini student honored in NYC, page 4
September 19, 2002
• Neal Newman's theater plans, page 6 Vol.XLIX Number Three
• Kool-Aid's 75th birthday, pages 8 & 9
Students make easy targets for ID theft JAJliA FAGOTTI STAFF WRITER
Identity fraud is the cause of much concern for college students as they embark on the journey to their future. While trying to maintain normalcy throughout their college years, security is not something that students should have to be concerned about. Credit.card fraud is just the beginning of this widespread trend. Director of Public Safety, Charlie Schaffner said, "Most college students are preyed upon because this is their first experience in the real world." Schaffner said that Cabrini bas had several incidents of identity fraud concerning students on campus last year and, so far, there are two reported incidences this year. Megan Beauduy, a sophomore and resident of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is one of those victims. Beauduy received a phone call from Capital One inquiring as to whether she opened an account. She had no~ and yet the company had all of her information including her home address, telephone
number and social security munber. She was shocked to learn that she had been a victim of identity fraud. Days later she received credit reports, one with the wrong date of birth, indicating that there was a third party involved. Beauduy contacted Public Safety who claimed that with such little information not much could be done for her. Beauduy still has growing concerns and suspicions as to how her information could have been obtained. Schaffner said that students should "be judicious in the use of Credit cards. Many companies obtain personal information through a ploy that is a part of college fundraising in which the colleges sell the addresses for money. Cabrini is not one of them." He also commented about online services such as America Online that open so many options to their clients for buying products online; the buyers do not read the terms of agreement which may state that their site is non-secure. That is exactly how online services interconnect and fraud hap-
pens. What happens if you receive a pre-approved credit card application in your campus mailbox, in your Cabrini email account, or under the windshield wiper of your car? Schaffner said, "Contact Public Safety immediately." Credit card companies are not allowed to solicit on campus. Past incidences have resulted in the intervention of Radnor Police. Posters have been hung around campus to alert students that identity fraud can happen to anyone. Schaffner urges students not to be fooled. He also encourages students to cut up or shred papers that contain valuable information before throwing them away.Public Safety says it will try to do anything they can to stop students like Megan Beauduy from being victims of identity fraud. If you are a victim of identity theft or have experienced any signs of identity theft contact Charlie Schaffner, director of Public Safety, at X825 l .
JENNA lEwANDOWllWSTAFFPHOTOGIIAPHER
ID and credit cards make it easier to adopt another person's identity.
Digital atmosphere requires adjustment MELISSA DIPJETRANTONIO STAFFWRITER
Since schools are requiring the use of the Internet, students have to adjust to a more digital atmosphere. Used by students as a primary reference source and for daily communication, the unreliability of the campus network has students frustrated. "I get aggravated when the server goes down because I use the Internet to get all the news in the world such as sports and business. I check my e-mail a lot because I get more e-mail than phone calls and I use Instant Messenger more than the phone,"
junior Ryan Dixon said. " When I do not have the Internet, I feel disconnected from the world unless I buy a newspaper. Because I go to Cabrini, I try to deal without the Internet, because it usually goes down once a week. Having a reliable network is not possible here, because when the net goes down no one knows why and it happens often. It doesn't run well and it needs to be taken care of." The Internet is useful to students, but with the frustration when the network is down, are students too dependent on it? Sophomore Karen Bonin said, "Cabrini students are no more dependent on the web than any
other students. Teachers have made it a necessity, so it would be almost impossible for college students in general not to be dependent on it." Some professors at Cabrini require students to use their personal websites, which increases web dependency. Some professors post the syllabus on the web and students submit their papers via email attachment. The problem with this is sometimes the sites are down and cannot be accessed. And, of course, when the server is down, how are students supposed to send anything to teachers? English professor Marilyn Johnson is an avid web user. In
fact, she has her own website which she uses to communicate with her students between classes. Johnson distributes a one-page syllabus to her students in class, and the syllabus tells them where they can find the rest of the information. "Currently my students send their papers to my e-mail, to the WebCT class page, and to Turnitin.com," Johnson said. "I am experimenting with all three ways to see which one works best. However I get the papers, I then read and comment on them using Insert Comments or Track Changes and e-mail them back to the students."
Johnson also has a class e-mail group. This allows students to keep in touch with the teacher outside of the two class meetings. It is ideal for students who are too shy to participate in class. How dependent on the web is Johnson? "I really, really like having this tool," she said. "I like being able to be in touch with my students at any time. I also use email to arrange conferences with advisees and to do some advising, too." As uses for the Internet continue to expand, students will be expected to be web savvy.