Author: Brynn Boyer

On March 31st Epsilon, a company that provides commercial email services, sent notice to their customers that they had experienced a data breach. Their customer list includes over 2500 clients including TIAA CREF, US Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, American Express and Capital One. The data that was lost includes a list of each organizations client email addresses and their full names.  A full list of companies affected is available here: http://www.securityweek.com/massive-breach-epsilon-compromises-customer-lists-major-brands

As a result, a notable increase of SPAM and phishing email has permeated the Internet. The resulting phishing attempts will be more difficult to spot as they will target only customers of their respective institutions and will be able to personalize the messages.  This is known as spear-phishing.

We want to remind everyone that you should never provide any password or account information to anyone via email. Users should be especially vigilant in the next few weeks. All email should be considered suspect. Users should avoid clicking links within email, instead opening your browser of choice and hand typing the company’s address.

The university blocks thousands of SPAM messages every hour, but due the sheer volume and quality of this round of phishing messages, some may make it through our system.  Additionally other personal mail providers will likely experience similar spikes in unwanted email. We want to ensure that the UMW community is aware of the dangers and repercussions of this recent incident.

There are several steps that you should take to protect your account if you receive a phishing email:

• Immediately delete any message that you get asking for your credentials or any other personal information.  Do NOT respond to these messages!
• If you replied to a phishing message or believe that your account has been compromised, change your password immediately.
• If you need assistance in accessing your account, and / or in correcting a problem with your account, please contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@umw.edu or at 540-654-2255.

 University of Mary Washington hosted a second UMW Play Lab this semester.  At UMW Play Lab, current and pre-service teachers (both undergraduate and graduate) take an elective course where they learn disability characteristics, teaching strategies, and research-based supports for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and related disabilities.  Halfway through the semester, UMW students run the Play Lab which meets for about 7 weeks.  UMW students work 1:1 with the children with disabilities under faculty and community agency supervision.  This semester we had 21 children (with and without disabilities-some are typically developing peers serving as role models) and 19 UMW students running Play Lab.  Our focus this semester has been on the TEACCH program, Handwriting without Tears, and the Model Me Kids Social Skills.  At the end of each session, UMW students train the families in the strategies that have been helpful in working with the children and parents receive resources at the training to help them  support their child at home, school, and in the community.Reactions to the Play Lab have been overwhelmingly supportive and positive.  Play Lab will start again this coming fall after taking a break for summer.  UMW Play Lab is a non-profit organization managed through the UMW Foundation and is coordinated by Dr. Nicole Myers at UMW and Heather DeCou, M.Ed., LPC, of Exceptional Support Services of Fredericksburg.  It currently meets at Helping Hands Pediatric Occupational Therapy.  For more information about the course or to receive an application for a child to participate in Play lab, send an email to nmyers@umw.edu.

Claudia Emerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and English professor at the University of Mary Washington, has been selected to receive a prestigious fellowship awarded by the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

The annual luncheon was held at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center on Saturday, April 2, 2011, with more than 200 guests in attendance. Students took the opportunity to thank their donors for their generosity, and donors enjoyed hearing about their recipients’ plans for the future.
Here is a slideshow of the day’s events.

Beginning with the Summer 2011 Sessions, the UMW bookstore will offer textbook rentals. Visit our website or the Campus Store for more information . umw.edu/bookstore

http://umw.bookrenterstore.com/