ASU-Newport joins Advancing Community Equity and Upward Mobility Initiative

Jeremy Shirley

Arkansas State University-Newport has been selected as one of only seventeen community colleges in the nation to participate in the Advancing Community Equity and Upward Mobility (ACE-UP) initiative. ACE-UP is a first-of-its-kind community of practice convened by the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW), with support from the Lumina Foundation.

The initiative brings together community colleges and industry leaders to design strategies that align education and training, increase access to employment and advance equitable employment outcomes. The Urban Institute will document the project, and experts from CSW will lead the community of practice.

“With the diversity, equity and inclusion plan of action, the design and implementation of equitable support services and programs are among our priorities,” according to ASU-Newport’s Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Dr. Amber Grady. “The goals include: 1) cultivate a campus culture of inclusivity and belonging, 2) create opportunities for internal and external outreach and engagement and 3) support the recruitment and retention of more diverse students, faculty, and staff. We see our participation in this community of practice as an opportunity to ensure these goals are met. Collaboration with institutional and community partners is essential in expanding resources to address the challenges of diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and beyond.”

ACE-UP seeks to address racial disparities in key occupations and sectors by focusing on five themes: advancing institutionalized equity, aligning policy and practices, cultivating employer partnerships, enhancing student services and making data-driven decisions. Participants will engage in ten virtual sessions, closing in the summer of 2024, and will learn from invited guest researchers and practitioners from the field.

“We are excited to work with these community colleges and their industry partners to help them turn their goals to address equity gaps and meet the skill development needs of marginalized and underrepresented workers a reality,” said Melissa Goldberg, CSW’s director of competencies and credentials, and project lead. “We believe the sharing of resources and peer-to-peer networking will help to scale the good work already underway.”

ASU-Newport is committed to the goals of ACE-UP and is eager to share resources and learn from peers.

Learn more about ACE-UP and the goals of the community of practice at www.ace-up.org N

Surging check fraud is banking’s latest challenge

Chuck Jones

During the COVID-19 crisis, the world’s economy nearly ground to a halt, so thieves began trolling for other ways to steal your money.

They began intercepting government stimulus checks that were targeted to taxpayers. Then they feasted on billions of dollars defrauded from a federal program intended to help businesses provide paychecks to their employees during the pandemic.

Since the Coronavirus emergency has eased and the government programs have ended, criminals have returned to a classic source of thievery – check fraud.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service reports check fraud is surging across the country, fueled by dramatic increases in theft from postal service mail collection boxes, and even armed robberies of postal carriers.

It is ironic that even as fewer people use paper checks, there have been more reports of criminals stealing checks from mailboxes, and then changing the dollar amounts and names of the recipients.

“Criminals committing mail theft-related check fraud generally target the U.S. Mail in order to steal personal checks, business checks, tax refund checks, and checks related to government assistance programs, such as Social Security payments and unemployment benefits,” according to a recent alert to banks issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (or

BACC Ribbon Cuttings Chris Hill

“FinCEN”), which is part of the U.S. Treasury Department.

“Criminals will generally steal all types of checks in the U.S. Mail as part of a mail theft scheme, but business checks may be more valuable because business accounts are often well-funded, and it may take longer for the victim to notice the fraud.”

Last year, reports of check fraud filed by U.S. banks nearly doubled, with check fraud losses totaling nearly $19 billion annually, FinCEN said.

Banks across Arkansas and the nation work diligently every day to combat check fraud, using innovative methods to detect and prevent the criminal activity, which has increased by 143% in the state and 165% nationwide over the past three years, according to FinCEN data.

One common forgery scheme is known as “check washing” in which, FinCEN says, criminals steal signed checks from postal boxes, then use common chemicals like nail polish remover to remove the dollar amount and the name of the “payee,” or recipient. Then they rewrite the checks for a new recipient and a larger sum – often hundreds or thousands of dollars more – before cashing the check.

To avoid becoming a victim of check fraud, Kenny Gerhardt, senior vice president, teller operations manager at First Community Bank, suggests a few simple tips.

The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Dixon Family’s Kona Ice to celebrate the expansion of their service area into Batesville. Kona Ice is a mobile tropical shaved ice entertainment vehicle where guests can flavor their own shaved ice with Kona Ice’s signature Flavorware. They specialize in events of all varieties and fundraising.

“Whether indoors or outdoors, we handle various events, including schools, corporations, daycares, summer programs, youth sports, picnics, weddings,

“If you must send a check through the U.S. mail, make time in your day to take your letter directly to the post office during business hours, and either hand it to a clerk or slide it through a mail slot inside the building,” Gerhardt said.

“Never leave envelopes containing checks in your own mailbox or in outdoor postal collection boxes after the last pickup time. Also, don’t let delivered mail sit for very long in your mailbox; pick up your mail every day as close to the delivery time as possible.”

Other suggestions:

* Use a pen with blue or black non-erasable gel ink. Gel ink soaks into paper and may be more difficult to remove or “wash” than ballpoint pen ink.

* Pay your bills online. As long as you’re not on a public Wi-Fi connection, paying bills online is safer than a check through the mail. Your bank account and the payment systems for your bills are encrypted.

* Monitor your bank account. Don’t wait for your monthly statement. Go online at least every few days to review account balances and your checks that have been cashed.

* Report incidents quickly. Contact your bank as soon as possible after suspicious activity; banks are generally required to replace funds stolen via fraudulent checks, but only if the scam is reported within 60 days of the date of your bank statement. N and major sporting events and festivals,” said owner Jim Dixon. Kona Ice of Little Rock, a family-owned franchise, is a fundraising machine. “Just show us where to park, and we’ll serve our reduced sugar, vitaminenhanced Kona Ice and return a very nice percentage of total sales to your organization,” (image on page 17).

Learn more about Kona Ice at www.kona-ice.com or by calling 501.278.6900 N