THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 Vol. LII No. 2
Ohlone welcomes new water polo coach,Casey Flemming. See story on Page 7
FREMONT, CA OHLONEMONITOR.COM
Ohlone Faces Hacker from Hell
ROELL BALAN Staff Writer
The last thing anyone expected at the start of the school year was for many staff members to have their information stolen in a massive blackmail scam. But that’s what happened at Ohlone. The FBI is assisting Ohlone’s faculty and staff in a data breach that has affected a number of people on campus. KTVU reported that 226 faculty and staff members have had their personal information stolen and threatened with public disclosure unless they each paid around $610. According to an email from College President Gari Browning, knowledge of the breach started with an email that was sent to Dr. Chris Dela Rosa, the Vice President of Information
Technology Services. The email, sent on August 24th, stated that the information of Ohlone faculty and staff have been stolen. KTVU has reported the email is untraceable. The email goes on to say, the college’s Information and Technology Services Department found many files and spreadsheets that matched the same personal information that was stolen which has lead them to believe that the person who stole the information did not hack into the database system, but found these files. Shairon Zingsheim, Associate Vice President of Human Resources, is providing relief to staff members by giving them advice on how to get credit monitoring and identity protection services. The campus is also in the process of providing a call center for
teachers who have any further questions. The victims are Ohlone’s teachers and staff that were hired before 2010, says Patrice Birkedahl, Director of College Advancement. She continues to say that over Labor day weekend affected staff members received an email telling them to send a bitcoin to this anonymous person or they would publish the personal information. A bitcoin is currently worth $609.75, this adds up to a total ransom of $137,803.50. Birkedahl says, “The college has arranged free services to the affected staff and faculty that provide credit monitoring,” Allclear ID is the firm providing these services. Not all faculty were victims of this breach. Birkedahl says they do not believe that any part time staff was affected by
this. She informed me that the information stolen included social security numbers, dates of hire, gender and birthdates, “The college has chosen not to release the names of any of the people who were affected as a security caution,” The breach does not affect any Ohlone students, the files that were accessed only contained the information of faculty and staff. An official statement from Ohlone said that there is no proof that the hacker infiltrated Ohlone’s information systems. Federal law enforcement agencies, attorneys, and cyber teams are helping with the investigation. Hopefully this ordeal will come to an end soon.
Continued on Page 2
IVAN VARGAS / MONITOR
Ohlone College: No free lunch, students find food at sky-high prices. Should students pay double for convenience? Story on page 2.
SOPHIA NOORY Staff Writer Being enrolled at Ohlone the past four years has given Miguel Fuentes a passion for helping his fellow students. It has also afforded him a clear grasp on the daily obstacles many students face. Earlier this year he was appointed a student trustee on the Board of Trustees, a position that allows Fuentes to represent the students at board meetings, vote on matters of concern to the board, and voice suggestions and concerns. Passionate about helping his fellow students, Fuentes realised his interest in being involved in the Ohlone community through his previous position with the Associated Students of Ohlone College (ASOC) Fuentes learned through his responsibilities as senator that he enjoyed making a difference and helping students have a better experience during their time at Ohlone. “I didn’t know my passion was to help out the students,” he said. Along with his past leadership experience, Fuentes has a lesser known reason for his passion. He cited his grandmother as his main role model. “She never said no to help those who were in need,” he recalled. As a child, Fuentes was cared for by his grandContinued on Page 3
A New Chancellor for California Community Colleges GABE GALLO Online Editor The California Community College System Board of Governors made history recently when it chose Elroy Ortiz Oakley as the new Chancellor. The first Latino chosen to lead California Community Colleges, Oakley officially begins work December 19. According to his interview with Inside Higher Education, Oakley plans to start off strong with a focus on helping Black and Latino students in tough economic situations by closing the in-
come and opportunity gap. He is also planning on better guided pathways to help students reach their educational goals faster. Oakley served four years in the Army and continued his education at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, CA. After GWC, he transferred to the University of California, Irvine where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Analysis and Design and Master of Business Administration. Beginning in 2007, Oakley served as Superitendent
of the Long Beach Community College District, where he pioneered the nationally recognized “Long Beach College Promise”. The initiative helps administrators and high school teachers work with college faculty and staff to create clear structured pathways for students to follow as they move from one education institution to another. Oakley served on the boards and committees of the University of California Board of Regents, the Los Angeles Chamber of Com-
merce, the California Forward Leadership Council, the College Futures Foundation, the American Association of Community Colleges, the YMCA of Greater Long Beach and the Long Beach Rotary Club. Finally, Oakley was the Assistant Vice President of the Property & Casualty division of Keenan & Associates and the Manager of Risk Services at the Coast Community College District before being chosen as the new Chancellor of California Community Colleges.
Chancellor Elroy Ortiz Oakley