The month of October is always composed of haunting attempts and scares as Halloween approaches on October 31, however one trick that tends to stick around all year is phishing emails and other scams that invade campuses and effect students all across the nation. It is because October has been deemed Cyber Security Awareness Month. This is an annual campaign that is utilized in order to raise awareness about cyber-security. As technology has become so prevalent in our everyday lives, cyber-security is relevant and should be recognized by everyone in the Oswego community.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, National Cyber Security Awareness month is designed to engage and educate public and private sector partners through events and initiatives to raise awareness about cyber-security, the purpose is to provide people with tools and resources needed to stay safe online, and increase the resiliency of the Nation in the event of a cyber incident.

To bring light on cyber-security SUNY Oswego has launched its first annual Phishing Tournament through Campus Technology Services. The goal of this tournament is to raise awareness to the cyber threats placed on the campus through phishing emails.

The tournament rules are simple, every time a student receives a phishing email on their SUNY Oswego email account, they can forward that email to phishing@oswego.edu with the subject reading “Contest Entry.” Every time a new phishing email is forwarded, the student will be entered in a drawing for an amazon gift card. The winner will receive a $50 gift card, second winner will receive a $25 gift card, and third place will be given a $10 gift card.

Phishing emails often trick people into giving away private information that can be used in illicit ways. Campus Technology Services would never ask for personal information via email, however still advise everyone to check the sender on every email they get and hover over any attached links in the email to see where they go just to be safe. The best thing to do after accidentally interacting with a phishing email in any way would be to change the password to your email account.

The first annual CTS, Campus Technology Services, Phishing Tournament will run from October 1 through October 30, and the winners will be selected on Halloween.

by Jamie Aranoff

Oswego, NY- Students in Oswego State’s MBA program volunteered their time to do free income tax reports for both students and members of the Oswego community.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) has been a part of the Oswego State campus for over ten years. The VITA program assists students who are new to doing taxes on their own as well as community members.   

According to a press release, the Oswego VITA program received a score of 100 percent in quality site requirements in its IRS field audit.

VITA on-site program coordinator Kevin Kania says tax forms are sent by the students to the IRS electronically. If there are any questions or concerns about a form, the IRS will contact them.

“Last year we had over a 99 percent approval rating, which means over 99 percent of the returns we prepare were accepted by the IRS which means we did them correctly and there were no issues or questions for us,” he said.

According to City-Data, the median household income in Oswego was $39,632 in 2015. Many residents fit the requirement for VITA’s minimum income, bringing in many tax forms for student volunteers to file.

“Last year we preformed over 400 returns and this year we’re on track to get over 400 returns throughout the whole semester,” Kania said.

The last day to file taxes is Apr. 18.

The Oswego State women’s basketball team lost against Buffalo State on Friday by a final score of 56-44. With the loss, the Lakers’ chances of making the SUNYAC playoffs have greatly diminished as they fall to 7-15 overall and 4-11 in conference play. The Bengals move to 9-13 overall and 6-10 in the SUNYAC while also snapping a four game losing streak.

Oswego guard Courtney Ameele led all Lakers in scoring with 15 points despite her shooting just 4-for-23 from the field. Senior Zana Dillard had a team-high 5 assists and 16 rebounds.

The Lakers will look to get back to their winning ways on Saturday against conference foe Fredonia. Tip off is scheduled for 2 pm.