The Oracle MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 I VOL. 52 NO. 16
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N E W S
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
USF survey reflects views of anxiety, optimism toward Florida economy By Wesley Higgins
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E D I T O R
Floridians are worrying less about unemployment than in previous years, according to the 2014 Sunshine State Survey report. Conducted by the USF College of Arts and Sciences and Nielsen Holdings, the latest weekly release took an indepth look at perceived economic issues. Though unemployment is still the most cited threat to Florida’s economy, the percentage of respondents who thought Florida has poor job creation dropped from 51 percent in 2012 to 27 percent in 2014. Survey Director Susan MacManus, a USF political science professor, said respondents nonetheless saw room for improvement, including areas of the economy other than unemployment. “Floridians acknowledge that the economy is improving a bit,” she said. “But the key finding is that there are a lot of other signs of anxiety.” The second biggest named threat to the economy is gov-
ernment waste and inefficiency, at 14 percent. Close behind, at 12 percent, is undocumented workers/residents. Concern over the economic impact of climate change dou-
“Yes, the economy is improving, but Floridians still feel stressed for the state’s economy as a whole and for their own personal financial situation.” Susan MacManus Sunshine State Survey director
bled from 3 percent in 2012 to 6 percent in 2014. MacManus said this was likely due to increased environmental activism in Florida. When asked the best path to economic expansion, 61 percent of respondents said the state offering incentives for businesses to move to Florida was a job creation tool rather
than corporate welfare. Regarding the potential impact raising the minimum wage would have on the economy, Floridians were evenly divided on whether it would hurt businesses. “The question wasn’t whether people were in favor of raising it or not,” MacManus said. “It was more whether it would impact the economy. Would it improve the economy or would it keep small businesses from hiring more?” Opposition for raising the minimum wage was strongest in central Florida. MacManus said this was likely because of a higher concentration of small businesses that may not be able to afford full-time employees. On a personal level, 10 percent of those who responded said unemployment was the greatest stress on personal finances, while 9 percent said it was an increase in the cost of basic necessities, such as food. In the initial release of the 2014 Sunshine State Survey, which gave an overall view of the issues, the economy was
n See ECONOMY on PAGE 2
USF employee arrested after threat against Ohio school USF University Police (UP) arrested a member of the custodial staff Saturday evening on a charge of making terroristic threats to a public school. The suspect, Kyle Parramore of Wesley Chapel, allegedly wrote an online post Sept. 12 threatening to shoot up Ironton Elementary and Middle Schools in Ohio. “The FBI contacted us and we quickly picked up Parramore at the Social Sciences building, where he was working at the time, without any problems,” UP Assistant Chief Chris Daniel said. According to an article on WTSP.com, the threat caused all schools in Lawrence County, Ohio to be placed on lockdown. It is currently unknown whether Parramore is connected to the middle school. He will be extradited to Ohio from Hillsborough County Jail to face felony charges of terroristic threats and inducing panic. — Staff report
Students warned not to sign up for GetStudyRoom.com By Roberto Roldan M A N A G I N G
E D I T O R
Students who recently used their NetIDs and passwords on the website GetStudyRoom.com may have had their Canvas and student email account information compromised, according to Information Technology Director Alex Campoe. The IT Department was made aware of the security breach around 3 p.m. Thursday. GetStudyRoom.com advertises itself as a way for USF
students to communicate with their classmates about courses, get help on homework and share information such as where someone can find a cheaper version of a textbook. Campoe said the website stored students’ NetIDs and passwords when students entered them. The website used the information to access students’ Canvas accounts to view who was in the students’ classes. They then used the information to send out fake emails to students’ classmates to get them to create an account on the site.
The IT Department has already identified approximately 600 affected students and forced them to change their passwords, Campoe said. According to GetStudyRoom.com, over 3,200 USF students have signed up for the website. “There’s really no difference between (the website) and a phishing scheme where people send you an email asking you to send them your credentials,” he said. “The only difference is that this was a website.” Campoe said students
should not, under any circumstances, give out their NetID information to a third party. Students who have already set up an account on GetStudyRoom.com and have yet to be contacted by the IT Department are advised to change their NetID passwords. “There are certain things you just don’t share, and you can’t just assume, ‘Well, it’s just my USF password,’” Campoe said. “They could have just as easily gone and dropped everyone from their classes. … Don’t share your passwords; that’s all it boils down to.”