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Credit protection offered to 760,000 after breach

December 16, 2010

Ohio State University is notifying past and present students, faculty, staff and others that a university computer server was illegally accessed by unauthorized individuals. Because there is no evidence that any information was taken, the university does not believe that this incident will result in identity theft for any of the affected individuals. However, it is taking a cautious approach and choosing to offer free credit protection services.

In late October, the university discovered that unauthorized individuals logged into an Ohio State server that housed personal information for approximately 760,000 individuals including current and former faculty, staff, and students, as well as applicants and other individuals affiliated with the university such as consultants and contractors. That server includes names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and addresses. No OSU Medical Center patient records or student health records were involved.

The university immediately secured expertise from some of the nation’s best computer forensic consultants. In late November, they concluded that although access was confirmed, there was no evidence that any data were taken out of the system by unauthorized individuals. The experts did find evidence that the purpose of the unauthorized access was to launch cyber attacks.

“We are committed to maintaining the privacy of sensitive information and continually work to enhance our systems and practices to reduce the likelihood of such events occurring,” said Joseph A. Alutto, Ohio State provost.

“We regret that this has occurred and are exercising an abundance of caution in choosing to notify those affected. We also are working with a nationally recognized data security firm to further strengthen all of our systems,” Alutto added.

All individuals whose information was in the system have been offered 12 months of free credit protection to help safeguard against harm from misuse of personal information. For additional information, individuals should visit: http://www.osu.edu/creditsafety.

Traversing the social media landscape is anything but static

December 8, 2010

Facebook topped 500 million users this year. More than 2 billion videos a day are being watched on YouTube. People use Twitter at a rate of 95 million tweets per day.

It’s no surprise, then, that social media has become an integral part of our daily routine, and an organization interested in grabbing the attention of just about anyone requires having some sort of virtual outreach.

Ohio State has jumped on the bandwagon wholeheartedly at the university, college and department levels, but it’s a never-ending learning curve that is traveled because social media is constantly changing. onCampus has taken a snapshot of what some OSU entities are doing, or are hoping to do, to use the tools this revolution has provided.

Social media around campus

• Technology blog puts Digital Union know-how on display
• With Foursquare, Rec Sports finds a new way to connect
• If you “Like” OSU, you aren’t alone
• A compilation of many of OSU’s social media efforts

Top 3 on 2, 12/9/10

December 8, 2010

Why did you choose to work at Ohio State?
I grew up in the Cleveland area, but subsequently spent a couple years in China researching and attending graduate school in Seattle. The Buckeye state was sending vibes for me to return to the “Heartbeat of it All.”

What do you like about your job? I enjoy interacting and connecting with OSU students, staff, faculty and the community. My favorite aspect of my job is creating and organizing a variety of East Asia-related programs that enable me to be aware of the current state of the China/Taiwan academic field.

What’s the greatest life challenge you’ve overcome? When I was 12, my family’s home was burned down to rubble. However with the help and support of family and friends, we overcame this hurdle and were able to rebuild our lives.

How do you apply the ‘One University’ concept? As a team player in the Office of International Affairs, I collaborate with many different groups to create interdisciplinary programs striving to elaborate on the “One University” concept by building bridges that elevate OSU from prominence to eminence.

If you weren’t working at Ohio State, what would you rather be doing? As an idealist, I probably would start orphanages in rural parts of China because many orphans have been left behind as a result of China’s rapid economic development.

Of what honor or recognition are you most proud?
I cannot think of anything from the top of my head.  Humility is a value that I hold dear.

Who is your hero? My mother is my hero because she has taught me perseverance by example.

She also always echoed Cervantes and told me, “to right the unrightable wrong, to love, pure and chaste from afar, to try, when your arms are too weary, to reach the unreachable star.”

What is your favorite activity outside of work?
I enjoy horseback riding because it gives me a great workout.

What are you going to do when you retire? Give away my worldly possessions and drive around in a Winnebago around the Western Hemisphere.

If you were the university president for a day, what would you do? I would make it my point to meet as many OSU staff and understand how everyone plays a vital role at OSU.

To nominate a staff member for an upcoming issue, e-mail oncampus@osu.edu.

The University Staff Advisory Committee, which sponsors the annual Hidden Benefits Fair, has decided to move the fair from its usual December slot to April 14 at the Ohio Union.

The opportunity to secure a larger, more centralized location was a key reason for the move, said Jen Mercer, co-chair of USAC’s Outreach Committee. Feedback from faculty and staff who attended the event prompted USAC to re-evaluate how the event was positioned.

The benefits of moving the event to April are many, Mercer said, including being able to host more vendors, the greater possibility of better weather (rain and snow have hampered attendance in the past) and keeping the event apart from the stressful holiday season. The free Hidden Benefits Fair, which showcases numerous services available for Ohio State faculty and staff, regularly attracts up to 2,000 people.

Sharvari Karandikar-Chheda, College of Social Work

December 8, 2010

How prevalent is the problem of sex trafficking in Ohio?

Trafficking of women and children for sex is a very serious issue in Ohio. Ohio is identified as a source, destination and transit state for sex trafficking. Women and children are not only trafficked from Ohio but also trafficked into the state and transported within the state.

This also means there are many perpetrators of this crime living in and around the state. Due to its strategic location — surrounded by larger cities such as Chicago and Detroit — and convenient highways, traffickers find Ohio to be an attractive option for operating their business.

In a research study conducted for the Ohio Attorney General’s Trafficking in Persons Study Commission, we identified that one in three Ohio runaways missing for two weeks or longer are at risk of being trafficked for sex.

What is the difference between sex trafficking and sex work?

“Trafficking” and “sex work” are two distinct yet semantically interconnected concepts that are often simplistically understood. The former has connections with forms of physical, social and structural coercion existing in a particular society leading to marginalization, child abuse, poverty, gender inequality and power struggle. The latter is connected with humans living in the profession of sex work, who will not be able to survive without it and may be doing the best they can to make ends meet. In both situations human rights are violated.

In the former the rights of children and women need to be protected. Trafficking is a criminal offense and cannot be tolerated, while living as a sex worker needs acknowledgement and acceptance.

What are the problems of sex workers and victims of sex trafficking?

Sex workers and victims of sex trafficking may have different problems to begin with. Sex workers may struggle to make a living through soliciting sex and face problems finding clients, having to divide their income with pimps and brothel owners and might live under constant fear of law enforcement authorities. They also might have health problems such as sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and problems due to violence and substance abuse.

Victims of sex trafficking are even more vulnerable. They not only suffer from some of the problems as sex workers but also have to deal with problems faced by victims of trafficking. These include dealing with abusive traffickers and pimps. They are transported from one place to another by traffickers and are forced to entertain clients. They are locked up and confined for long periods of time and deprived of basic necessities such as food and health care.

Lastly, both sex workers and victims of sex trafficking are vulnerable to a wide range of mental health problems.

The clarity of ‘Be Here Now’

December 8, 2010

Vice Provost Wayne Carlson describes how distractions detract from success

The pathway from excellence to eminence is not the easiest one to traverse, although it is the right path to take. President Gordon Gee has aptly pointed out that one of the first items on our agenda along this path is culture transformation, and I quite agree. There are many aspects that are highly relevant to this process — accountability, personal behavior, teamwork and the “blue-chip” mindset, to name a few. But none is more logical, yet in many cases more difficult to realize, than the concept of “Be Here Now.”

In the mid-1980s, I worked in an industry that demanded constant attention to the business at hand. My boss was energetic and dynamic and provided that constant attention. But it came with a cost. During important group and individual meetings, he would answer telephone calls, step out of the room to discuss unrelated topics with others, turn to his desk to sort through and look at his mail and be visibly distant as important conversations took place.

Trade magazines were an important component of our business, and it was necessary to keep up with them. He would bring a stack to meetings to page through them as the meeting progressed, thinking of course that he was being very efficient. He was clearly “not here now,” and his lack of presence had a very negative impact on the morale of the people that worked for him. Even his marriage failed as he continued this practice when he left the office and went home.

I learned a lot from this experience, and when the company relocated, I reflected on what I had learned and chose not to accompany my boss. His work-life structure was out of balance, and his relationships suffered as both his family and co-workers struggled to keep his attention and even be heard. The stress associated with the job was magnified many times over as his focus was elsewhere. The employees felt that they were not listened to, that their presence and their needs were secondary to his priorities and they struggled to see that he valued their input. Yet over the entire period, he saw his “multi-tasking” as a positive trait, one that allowed him to move upward in the business world.

“Be Here Now” requires that we be present in the moment. It requires that we quiet our minds and keep our focus on thoughts that are relevant to the conversation or activity that is taking place. It requires that we listen without judgment and with an open mind — or listen to understand. It requires that we be aware of our current environment, including those people and activities that expect our attention. It requires that we minimize the distractions that take us away from each of those requirements. When the distractions divert our attention, our minds wander, and we are not able to focus on important words and actions that are so critical to the present situation.

This is not easy, particularly in our current state of connectedness. Text messages and e-mails continuously arrive, and we get phone calls when we are at lunch, in the car, in class, walking across the Oval or in an important meeting. Expectations for responding to these intrusions are elevated: “I sent you an e-mail 10 minutes ago, and you haven’t responded. What’s up?” Couple this with the current environment of change, the demands that are placed on us and the need to respond in a timely fashion, and the ability to “Be Here Now” is diminished.

It is not possible to totally keep out the distractions. Our thoughts are naturally moving from one topic to the other. But if we can minimize the distractions, and if the impatience, anxiety and inattentiveness that accompany the distractions can be kept in check, we can be more effective at what we are presently involved with when we need to be more effective. We will be able to fully contribute to conversations, and our performance will reflect the attentiveness we bring to the present situation. We will convey to others that their presence and input is valued and considered.

I don’t know what my old boss is doing now, but my guess is that, as successful as he might be in business, there is still not an appropriate balance in his life, that people around him are still feeling that they are not valued and that his attention is not in the present moment. He has certainly missed the fulfilling experience of “Being Here Now.”

The View from the Top is a regular feature that appears monthly in onCampus.

Digital Union

December 8, 2010

By Adam King

In May 2009, the Digital Union had a bright idea: Put together a daily blog of interesting higher education technology topics and invite the OSU community to interact.

Continue reading ‘Digital Union’

Scientists seek new way to aid spinal cord repair

December 8, 2010

Emily Caldwell, Research Communications

If researchers could determine how to send signals to cells responding to a spinal cord injury, they might be able to stop one type of cell from doing additional damage at the injury site, and instead coax it into helping nerve cells grow. Continue reading ‘Scientists seek new way to aid spinal cord repair’

Learning Communities offer valuable learning opportunities for students — and faculty

December 8, 2010

By Julia Harris

As most savvy shoppers know, when a piece of clothing says “One Size Fits All” what it really means is “One Size Fits A Few.” The truth of the matter is, no one thing is perfect for everyone.

Continue reading ‘Learning Communities offer valuable learning opportunities for students — and faculty’

Foursquare

December 8, 2010

By Adam King

The beauty of social media is it evolves so quickly that new avenues to connect seem to materialize almost daily.

That doesn’t necessarily mean organizations do, or even should, rapidly adopt the emerging tweaks to interaction. But if it fits in with your constituency, then why not give it a go? Continue reading ‘Foursquare’

Board approves evaluation, raise; Gee donates bonus to fund scholarships here

December 8, 2010

Ohio State’s Board of Trustees conducted President Gordon Gee’s annual evaluation at its meeting Dec. 1 and approved his annual compensation based upon performance.

“Given the significant challenges facing our state and our nation, we are in greater need than ever before of strong, compassionate and intelligent leaders to help us navigate through these difficult times,” said Alex Shumate, chair of the committee on trusteeship, who presented the presidential evaluation and compensation report to the board. “At Ohio State, we are very fortunate to have as our leader someone who fully understands these challenges and issues and is willing to roll up his sleeves to help solve them,”

The board approved a salary increase of 2 percent (matching the raise pool for all faculty and staff this year) on his base pay of $802,125. The $16,042 raise will bring his new base salary to $818,167.

Shumate said Gee exceeded the annual performance expectations outlined by the board and therefore also was awarded a bonus of 37 percent, or $296,786. Gee said immediately that he intends to contribute his bonus to support his scholarship fund and other strategic university initiatives, yet to be determined.

Accomplishments highlighted by the board include improved retention and graduation rates, a record-setting academic profile for the new freshman class, an increase in research funding, the establishment of a new commercialization center, strengthened ties with Battelle and other partners, the university’s leadership in research on personalized medicine, and prudent fiscal management resulting in nearly $100 million in annual cost savings across the university.

Shumate also noted that Gee’s bonus is paid through private giving through the Academic Excellence Fund that was created for this purpose. The Academic Excellence Fund, established by the board in September 2007, is used to fund the additional total compensation to the president.

“In President Gee, we have a transformational leader who understands where we have been, where we are and where we still need to go,” Shumate added.

In their reviews of President Gee’s work, board members spoke to his “interesting blend of celebrity and leader” and attributed a large part of his success to his ability to cultivate positive, meaningful relationships with students, faculty, staff and the community.

“The board has been pleased with his ability to recruit an outstanding leadership team that complements him so well,” Shumate said. “His ability to recruit, his energy and his effort keep this place infused with enthusiasm. We’re lucky to have him here.”

This fall, Ohio State experienced record enrollment for all of its campuses (64,077) and welcomed its best and brightest freshman class to the Columbus campus with an average ACT score of 27.8 and more than 50 percent of the students graduating in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

The university continues to exceed national averages for graduation rates and boasts a 93 percent retention rate.

The highly ranked Medical Center is home to one of the most comprehensive health sciences campuses in the United States and for the18th consecutive year was named one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by US News & World Report. The university has an annual operating budget of more than $4.5 billion and approximately 40,000 employees.

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