Charles McKinney, dunk garner attention Monday, Nov 28 2011

Published in The DePaulia: Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Grant Myatt/Charles McKinney

 

Standing at 6 feet, 3 inches, 19-year-old Charles McKinney is not just a fan of concerts and movies-he’s also a freshman basketball player at DePaul who is already getting a lot of attention.

DePaul’s game against Lewis at McGrath Phillips Arena on Saturday, Nov. 5 was one to remember. The 70-63 exhibition game victory was memorialized by McKinney’s first time on the court that produced a dunk that made ESPN’s “Top 10 Plays of the Week.”

The ball goes up in the air, bounces off the rim and as DePaul and Lewis players look up in anticipation McKinney leaps over them in a single-bound making the crowd go crazy. DePaul has its very own “Superman” on the court.

Tony Wood, a sophomore studying PR, was able to catch the footage on ESPN and said that he was immediately at a standstill. “That kid is [freaking] awesome. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing so I ended up showing it to all my friends,” Wood said.

“It felt good,” McKinney said. “I’m just trying to make a name for myself, and it helped put our team on the map by getting more exposure.”

From FlipCam to YouTube to Twitter to SportsCenter. One of the people taping caught the dunk on camera and at halftime the video was uploaded to YouTube. One tweet to @SportsCenter and McKinney made the top ten plays of the day.

With a wingspan of 82.5 inches, McKinney is also ranked No. 52 among shooting guards on ESPN. These are accomplishments that a freshman rarely gets to experience, but all this attention is only pushing McKinney to work harder.

 

“I didn’t even know about ESPN at first,” McKinney said. “I was at Buffalo Wild Wings when it came on and everybody gave me a round of applause. I’m guessing they all liked it.”

Playing basketball is second-nature for McKinney. Coming from North Carolina’s Quality Education Academy he has always been a fan and a player, but his first time playing with DePaul was one he’ll never forget.

“I was a little nervous before going on the court because you never know what you’re going to get, but once I was in the game it all went away,” McKinney said. “I think I’m gaining a lot of respect from the upper-classmen just by continuing to play my hardest.”

 

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Columbus, who? Monday, Nov 28 2011

Published in The DePaulia: Monday, October 17, 2011

 

Monday, Oct. 10 was Columbus Day, and if it weren’t for my bank being closed, I would not have known.

As I walked past an empty school that was filled the week before with students furthering their education, I questioned the school’s productivity. What might have been taught that day? Columbus Day has been a statutory holiday since 1907. That’s 104 days of education that have been compromised.

With the day off for many people, you would think you’d hear people discussing the tradition of the celebration or at least doing something to show they understand what the holiday means. Instead, I found people overcrowding the retail stores. The only value I could find in Columbus Day, if any at all, was not in unity but in economic stimulus. Perhaps that is why the government has preserved this holiday for so long.

Some would argue that the Columbus Day parade keeps the tradition alive and the city aware. But how many people actually attend the parade? Kenneth Sanders, a junior at DePaul, says that he always misses the parade.

“I missed the parade because I went out the night before knowing I didn’t have work the next day,” Sanders said.

Landon McCarrol, a native of Columbus, Ohio, said Columbus Day was always a big deal in grade school but never at home.

“I spent most of the day in my pajamas watching cartoons,” McCarrol said. “My dad would cook and my mom would clean, but [there's] nothing unusual about that.”

Enrolled at a school that takes pride in its diversity, I was determined to find something or someone that was actually celebrating the day. I checked out DePaul’s events page, and the only events listed were an ePortfolio Teacher Workshop and a silent auction to benefit Sister Marie Therese Diang. So I hit the streets. Instead of a celebration, I found a protest that shut down Jackson Street, filled with people of all shapes and sizes looking for a better job market and demanding a change in the economy.

Other cities may have something different to say about Columbus Day, but it’s clear what Chicago had to say–we want our jobs back and we want to work. Marching through the streets, Occupy Chicago protesters are proud Americans but concerned citizens. As evidenced by the large number of protestors, it is clear we’re not interested in celebrating the birth of our nation, but rather we are troubled by its current state.

 

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The LGBTQ Divide Monday, Nov 28 2011

Racism still exists today and the person who fails to acknowledge it is blissfully ignorant, and when crime is involved we’ll see our friends become our enemies and our enemies become leaders in the community.

The Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago has been under the microscope since the summer after an unusual amount of crime was reported.  Its residents have experienced mob muggings and have witnessed brutal attacks.  Boystown, a gay-friendly area of Lakeview, has been a hot spot for these crimes.

These attacks have birthed a Facebook group called “Take Back Boystown.”  The group has gone under a lot of criticism on the name with questions of who exactly is the group targeting along with comments that patrons have left on the page.  Adrian McGuire said that Boystown was built by gay whites and that it should have stayed that way.  He later apologized for the number of statements that he left on the group’s page.

“Boystown was meant to be a happy place with open arms full of hugs and love for all of us gays who wanted a place to feel safe and have fun without the bullshit and crime,” McGuire said.  “It’s sad that Boystown has been taken advantage by these fucking savage monkeys.”

Crime is no stranger to the streets of Chicago, but this neighborhood seems to be receiving a lot of media spotlight and attention.  There are people in other parts of Chicago that experience these attacks daily, but Joe Nevill, a resident of Lakeview, has found comfort in the amount of police that have been placed on duty in the area.

“Great job but don’t let up a bit until we eradicate this crime wave we are experiencing,” Nevill said.  “The streets are still not safe enough to walk at night-I see thugs hanging out and walking everywhere, with no police in sight.  Please keep an eye on them officers.”

It appears as though the best thing to do now is to define what a thug look like.  We can assume that a thug does not look like Joe Nevill, a white male wearing a t-shirt, jeans and gym shoes; almost everyone is wearing those items while in Lakeview.  Then what exactly should residents be looking for?

The term thug can be defined as a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber or murderer.  It is safe to say that many of these perceived thugs, if they are as such, would be in possession of a weapon of some sort.

A study published in the “Journal of Experimental Social Psychology” shows that when white and Asian Americans were given a picture of a man that quickly followed by a picture of a tool or a gun, participants were more likely to misidentify a tool for a gun when the preceding picture was that of an African American.  The results show an unconscious bias against blacks that can be closely related to the defining perception of a thug.

Brandon Bailey, a patron of Boystown, said that on any given night there are dozens of groups of black kids hanging out on Halsted looking exactly like these groups, and that calling the police every time you see a group of blacks on Halsted would be extremely racist.

Darrell Jones, an out of town patron of Scarlet Bar from Texas, said that racism and crime should have a zero-tolerance policy on Halsted Street.  He also notes that racism and crime in the community have nothing in common.

For McGuire that is not the case.  “I’m trying to spread the word about the truth.  It’s our neighborhood that is being taken advantage of by these ghetto fuckers who could care less about us,” McGuire said. “We need to stop being friendly to these animals who are destroying our neighborhood.”

There is an abundance of voices looking to “fix” Boystown, but who are we letting go in order to do so? The cultural diversity that explodes on Halsted will be lost forever if we “Take Back Boystown.”

-End-

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Discharged ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ veteran, student speaks Monday, Nov 28 2011

Published in The DePaulia: Monday, October 3, 2011

The entire country celebrated Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’s repeal Tuesday, Sept. 20.

In Chicago, the celebration at Downtown Bar & Lounge at 440 N. State St., featured the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) with special guest Jim Messina, President Obama’s campaign manager for 2012, and a DePaul student by his side.

Marquell Smith, a DePaul student studying Business and Human Resources was a co-host/discharged veteran due to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, and has been at the forefront of getting the policy repealed. He pats himself on the back for the night and also credits those supporters who not only supported him, but those who have had to serve in silence.

“Don’t just thank them for how they served or why they served, but for also serving in silence,” Smith said. “I showed up to a lot of town hall meetings and a lot of protests in the city, but what happened at that time was that there were people who were brave enough to stand up as well, which made this possible.”

Smith was given the privilege of introducing Messina to the crowd.

“What’s special about Jim Messina is that not only is he Obama’s campaign manager, but he’s also the person that when a lot of people were silent about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, he spoke up about repealing it,” Smith said.

At the event, Smith presented Messina with a military coin. Smith said that he knew it would mean a lot, but also joked that it’s all he could afford because he’s still a broke college student.

Messina, most recently the Deputy Chief of Staff to President Obama and graduate of the University of Montana, walked on stage to a silent room.

“This is a big F-ing deal,” Messina said. The crowd laughed.

“So many of you in the room worked very hard for this for a very long time, and it’s a reminder that we can still do big things,” Messina said. “We can dream whatever we want, and we can go get it done.”

Messina said that he has the pen that President Obama used to sign the repeal hanging on his wall. “I heard the President say that we’re going to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and we’re going to do it in a way that works,” Messina said.

“In the end, when the President signed that bill and slammed his hand down on the desk and said this law is gone forever, it showed all of us that we can do great thing,” Messina said. “We aren’t a country that says ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ We are a country that says ‘out of many we are one.’”

The repeal is not only important to today’s military, it affects several generations of servicemen and women. Veronica Hernandez, another co-host/discharged veteran due to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, said that her nephew is graduating from basic military training. “I am a very proud aunt and very proud veteran knowing that he has the ability to serve freely among those serving with him.”

Filled with civilian and veteran supporters, some regular attendees of the Downtown Bar & Lounge were surprised at how many people came out to celebrate. Christopher Schoop, a patron of Downtown Bar & Lounge, said that he visits the bar at least once a week and he rarely sees it so packed. Celebrations in Chicago and across the country made Sept. 20 a day to remember.

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Front and Jump Page Samples Monday, Nov 15 2010

Below is my first front page that jumps to the second page of a pseudo newspaper entitled “Chicago City Scoop.” I do not own the rights to the information used within the newspaper.  The purpose is to solely build my portfolio, and provide a sample of the work that I am capable of doing.   The teasers, nameplate, headlines, cutlines and layout are all my original work.  Click here to download the PDF file and tell me what you think.

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Chicago’s Smaller Museums: Preserving the Passion Monday, Nov 15 2010

Journals and newspaper collections from the Lansing Historical Society. (Photo by Nathan Ottens)

Audio Slideshow: Small-time Chicago museums

By Jim Crago and Nathan Ottens-Sanders

Giuseppe Gaglione of Stampland on Chicago Avenue has a passion for collecting rare rubber stamps – some used from the early 20th century. He also schedules as much time as possible for making rubber stamps to put on display for all to see.

“We don’t receive any monetary donations,” Gaglione said. “But donations of rubber stamps and stamp pads are always welcome.”

When visiting Stampland, it was obvious that Gaglione took his craft very seriously. When asked about his idea for Stampland, he lit up like a child finding presents under a Christmas tree.

How does Gaglione sustain without the aid of thousands of advertising dollars?

“We go to conventions, mostly on the east coast, and we promote via our website. My wife Darlene also teaches classes for scrapbooking.”

Giuseppe Gaglione of Stampland demonstrates his early 20th century stamp maker. (Photo by Jim Crago)

The John G. Shedd Museum and Field Museum, to name a few, have been mainstays throughout the years and have always sustained through even the toughest economic times. They display life from 20,000 leagues under the sea and pay homage to The Ancient America’s and Chocolate to thousands of patrons each year.

Father Krasic, Director of the Croatian Ethnic Institute and Museum, says that educational services, by way of his exhibit, help spread the legacy of Croatians in Chicago -past and present.

“We want to educate even those who do not speak Croatian on the journey of Croatians to America,” Father Krasic said. “There are many famous Croatians that have come through Chicago like Toni Kukoc of the Bulls and there’s something to say about that.”

Most of the smaller museums rely on loyal volunteer workers and generous monetary donations to sustain their collections. Money from big businesses is almost non-existent.

“We receive very few corporate donations,” said Karin Abercrombie of the Swedish American Museum. “We rely a lot on smaller grants and memberships.”

Abercrombie also says that they rely on artifact donations for display that may have been discovered from an abandoned house or even museum.

There have, however, been situations when big brother has helped little brother in times of need. Nicholle Dumbrowski of the DANK Haus German-American Cultural Center says that the Field Museum helped teach a workshop on how to preserve their collections; they have also helped in other situations.

“The Chinese Museum burned down a few years ago,” Dumbrowski said. “The Field Museum jumped in and helped preserve what was left.”

But what about museums that do not have the privilege of national funding or unlimited dollar amounts for advertising? Most of the “smaller” museums rely on public donations from visitors.

“There is no charge to visit the museum,” said Tony DeLaurentis of the Lansing Historical Society. “We do have a donation box for anyone who cares to make a donation.”

While the larger museums witness hundreds, if not thousands of visitors per day, DeLaurentis says that they receive five to 10 visitors per day when they are open.

“We do several fundraisers, some annually and some ‘special projects,’” said DeLaurentis. “Our annual Bakeless Sale usually nets us approximately $1,000.”

Collette Renfro of The Blackberry Harvest Dollhouse Museum says that she started her museum when she was a child.

“I have had a dollhouse since I was eight years old,” Renfro said. “One thing led to another – another house, another house, another house.”

Renfro says that her museum is also a Shoppe and that it is her personal business. While she receives donations on occasion for help, she says that there has been a slight decline in attendance.

“There’s definitely a decline, mostly because of the internet. Mothers are able to outbid someone online [for a dollhouse] instead of coming in.”

Renfro, like many of the other curators, started their museums based on “passion” and have carried it on for years.

“One day my landlady came to the house and mentioned, ‘Oh, this is like a museum,’” Renfro said. “And I replied, ‘One day I’d like to open a museum; I might be just a housewife but I’m going to do it!’”

View Larger Map

• Swedish American Museum
ADDRESS – 5211 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60640
773-728-8111
MAIN MESSAGE – Spread the Swedish immigration message from 1870 to 1920.

• DANK Haus German-American Cultural Center and Museum
ADDRESS – 4740 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60625
773-561-9181
MAIN MESSAGE – Promote German culture in the city.

• Stampland
ADDRESS – 2708 W. Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL 60622
773-366-8934
MAIN MESSAGE – Nostalgia for all things stamps.

• Lansing Historical Museum
ADDRESS – 2750 Indiana Ave. Lansing, IL 60438
708-474-2447
MAIN MESSAGE – Collections of historical items and stories of the towns past.

• Croatian Ethnic Institute and Museum
ADDRESS – 4851 S. Drexel Blvd. Chicago, IL 60615
773-373-4670
MAIN MESSAGE – To educate those interested in Croatian history and language.

• Blackberry Harvest Dollhouse Museum and Shoppe
ADDRESS – 18120 Dixie Highway Homewood, IL 60430
708-957-4332
MAIN MESSAGE – Appreciation for dollhouses for young and old.

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Students ‘Make it Work” with Summer Clothes in Autumn Friday, Oct 29 2010

Published in The DePaulia on September 20, 2010

"I like sporty sexy stuff," said Morkris. Here she pairs a black jumper with a light blue cardigan and brings interest with a strappy heel. Photo Credit: Nathaniel Andrew

The leaves are falling and the temperature is dropping, but DePaul students won’t let that stop them from looking their best.

As the weather changes it can be difficult to transition from season to season, but in a city like Chicago it’s important to remember to recycle. Just because fall is approaching doesn’t mean that you have to buy a whole new wardrobe, instead, students say to build on what you already have, reinventing your old clothes for the new season.

“I wore this jumper onesie all spring and would definitely wear it during the fall, especially if [I] layer it,” says DePaul senior Amy Morkris. She also says that incorporating jean jackets over certain pieces is a great way to stay current.

Senior Annette Lesniak is looking forward to adding

"I am a bargain hunter," said Lesniak. Here she accessorizes with a flower pendant and a brown messenger bag. Photo Credit: Nathaniel Andrew

lace to her wardrobe this season, but the staple piece in her wardrobe is her cowboy boots. Lesniak says that she wears her cowboy boots no matter what kind of weather the changing seasons bring about.

Although learning to combine wardrobes from other seasons into the current time may bring about its own sense of excitement, students are still anxiously anticipating the fresh fashions that the upcoming fall season has to offer.

“I just moved here from California, so I’m really excited about fall clothing,” junior Kara Anton said. “I can’t wait to get more scarves and I’ll always be a cashmere girl.”

"I practically live on State Street," said Silva. Here she highlights her shape with pencil skirt and sets her look with simple accessories. Photo Credit: Nathaniel Andrew

Some DePaul students venture a guess at what is going to be considered a hit this fall, like sophomore Lilibeth Silva, who anticipates sweater dresses flying off the racks of Chicago’s stores. “I’m excited about the sweater look,” she said. “I look forward to seeing boots and colorful scarves as well.”Other trends that are sure to be a hit this season are the ageless essentials like leather, blazers, and layering, all of which Morkris says that she is looking forward to.

Fresh off of Fashion Week, the resounding agreement for fall is to keep it simple. We’ve discovered that the basics in the back of the closet can be made just as impressive as a new piece by simply adding a standout piece to accentuate and pull together the entire look.

“My motto [for myself] is to keep it simple, stupid,” Anton said.

"I try to find things that other people won't have," said Burke. Here he combines a white belt and a watch with a hoodie for a casual, yet pulled together look. Photo Credit: Nathaniel Andrew

“I like to just add a splash of color to my outfits.”It’s important to keep in mind that fall clothing often has a darker hue, but that certainly doesn’t mean that your wardrobe has to be drab. By adding a special signature piece to your attire, you can quickly take the outfit from dull to inspiring.

For example, Silva says that she prefers to go for a simple look and over accessorize with items like oversized rings and earrings.

“I will not go without jackets or blazers [when paired with] skinny pants,” Morkris said. “I like the contrast between skinny bottoms and loose tops.”

Senior Tim Burke agrees with having a distinctive piece to stand out above the crowd. He says that he is all about different watches and considers them his top accessory.

The DePaul community’s diverse student body expresses their fashion sense in many various ways; there certainly isn’t just one way to be fashionable. Students say that inspiration for their wardrobes can be found anywhere and everywhere throughout their daily lives.

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Timeout with…Joe Strawder Friday, Oct 29 2010

Media Credit: Sports Information

Published in The DePaulia on May 31, 2010.

Q: How does it feel to be a senior?

A: It’s surreal; I can’t believe it’s almost over. Only a couple of more weeks are left.

Q: How did you get started in track and field?
A: I started my junior/senior year of high school. I played basketball and I could jump really high. The coach saw what I could do and told me I should try long jump, he said there’d be a lot of scholarships for that.

Q: What do you do to prepare before you compete?
A: Lots of sleep and lots of water. Sleep and hydration are key.

Q: Do you ever get nervous?
A: I tend to get really nervous because of the adrenaline.

Q: What do you think you can improve on the most?
A: I wish I were more calm. Especially because this is the last meet. The adrenaline is really high because, I mean, you’re going up against the best in the nation.

Q: What have you learned from Head Coach Pat Savage?
A: Besides old Irish Proverbs (laughing)? He always says that no matter what just go out there and do your best.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I’d probably go to Europe because I haven’t been there before.

Q: What’s your favorite movie?
A: “Life.”

Q: What’s your favorite TV show?
A: The Office.

Q: Do you play video games?
A: There’s always time for Call of Duty.

Q: Describe your worst date.
A: Probably in high school. I was taking this girl to the movies and we went to the gas station first. I ended up leaving my wallet at the pump and so when we got to the movies the girl had to pay, but she was cool about it. It was still embarrassing.

Joe Strawder is a communications major and senior track and field athlete from Houston, Texas. He earned All-Conference honors after placing 2nd in the long jump at the Big East Championship in February. He also holds the DePaul record for the triple jump at 15.34 meters. The team competed in the NCAA preliminaries from May 27-29 before the championship starts June 9.

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Stuck: Elevators on Campus Experience Malfunctions Friday, Oct 29 2010

Media Credit: Hanna Pageau One student found herself trapped in one of DePaul’s 14 E. Jackson elevators. Above: DePaul Center’s elevators in the Loop.

Media Credit: Hanna Pageau There are a total of 51 elevators in the Loop, according to Jim Kohl, the director of Facility Operations.

Published in The DePaulia on May 24, 2010.

The sun is shining and everything is going just right. Then, you enter an elevator and spend the next ten minutes trying to escape.

Sounds like a plot to a horror movie, but for one student this was her reality. Junior Kathryn Carlisle found herself late for class because she was trapped in one of DePaul’s 14 E. Jackson elevators.

“Today [May 3, 2010] we were on the first floor when it happened and an elderly woman started banging on the elevator doors with her cane trying to get out,” Carlisle said. “Public Safety came and said something I couldn’t hear and the floor indicator blinked that we were on the eighth floor as the doors opened.”

Director of Public Safety Randy Shire said that there are specific procedures in place to respond to entrapments that are working very efficiently.

“The emergency response time of the elevators’ service company has significantly improved over the past several years,” Shire said. “I am not aware of any complaints in regard to our staff’s response to elevator malfunctions or the timeliness of the service.”

“We were in the elevator for less than ten minutes, but it felt longer that,” Carlisle said.

Many students at DePaul feel as though the elevators run slow. Freshman Meagan Floore stated that there are times when she has to press the up button just to assure that she is able to get to the lower level of the building when the elevator comes down.

Sophomore Kristen Paulish agreed with Floore, adding her own experience with the elevators at DePaul’s Loop Campus.

“A month ago, a girl got stuck in one of the elevators and Public Safety came within five minutes, but five minutes in such a small elevator could seem like hours,” Paulish said.

With a total of 51 elevators in the Loop, Jim Kohl, the director of Facility Operations for nine years, feels as though service is excellent.

“The elevators here have a 99 percent up time with a remaining one percent down time,” Kohl said. “That [one] one percent might seem like the elevators are down all the time to the average person, but we care about students’ safety.”

Kohl stated that if an entrapment occurs, Public Safety assures the people trapped in the elevator that everything will be fine and that help is on the way. Once this is done, Public Safety notifies Facility Operations and then Otis, the on-site service company, is called for assistance. If Facility Operations is closed for the day, then Public Safety immediately calls Otis.

According to Kohl, this is the service company Facility Operations heavily depends on when it comes to malfunctions.

“Entrapments don’t happen often, they are very random and seldom,” Kohl said. “Even so, Otis responds immediately and takes care of the problem within five to ten minutes.”

Reassuring that safety is the number one priority, Kohl said that when receiving calls about malfunctions with the elevators, the Facility Operations team goes out to check the problem themselves before notifying Otis.

Standing in an elevator at the Loop location, a certificate of inspection is visible to all who ride. With the updated inspection dates ranging from 1999-2007, Kohl placed fault on the city of Chicago.

“There are a number of buildings that go without inspection because the city feels as though that with a contracted service company that we [DePaul] can go without an inspection,” Kohl said. “We’ve made several attempts to complain to the city about inspection and the response is that they’ll be out within the year but three years later…still nothing.”

Kohl also said that Chicago has fallen behind on its inspections. A new law legislated that the city is no longer responsible for the inspections but rather the building owners are handed the task of finding third party contractors to do the inspection. DePaul is left with elevators that haven’t been inspected for years while still having to pay the city for permits for any work done within the elevators.

“Starting this month DePaul’s certificates of inspection will be updated with new inspections,” Kohl said. “I personally feel like if students see Otis workers walking around they should definitely give them a pat on the back. They work hard to keep you safe.”

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Con-Artists Target Students Online Friday, Oct 29 2010

Published in The DePaulia on May 24, 2010.

College students and recent graduates have become prime targets for unrealistic job listings and DePaul students are no exception.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), open job boards have been infested with scam artists looking for new victims. Offenders consider college students and recent graduates as ideal candidates for the job and money making scams because of the desire for quick cash.

“It allows for anyone to post any new opportunity,” junior Zachary Stafford said. “I think it keeps up with our society’s new ideals around information instant gratification.”

Job boards such as Craigslist, Monster, Bing and Career Builder have all been sources for con artists to target the youth of a jobless America. However, each board claims that they are not involved in any transactions done and therefore cannot be held accountable.

“I’ve seen listings for easy money,” Steven Young said. “I’m always so tempted, but something inside of me says ‘don’t bother.’”

A recent victim of a scam (that did not want to be identified) stated that the criminals who post these listings usually live in a completely different state and are asking for an immediate hire. They use jobs such as personal assistant, mystery shopper and office clerk to get individuals intrigued.

Junior Brandon Bailey agreed that along with the promise of a quick hiring process comes the enticing allure of easy money that can be directly deposited into your bank account. Professional con artists make the process seem authentic and demanding in time so that an individual rushes in making a possible life changing decision.

“I sent them my resume and within the hour I received a response,” freshman Katie Sneed said (alias per request). “I thought it was weird, but I really needed a job and thought that this was the answer to my prayers.”

Sneed said that an immediate response entails the notification of hire and the description of what is to be expected from your newly found position without an interview.

Craigslist offers scam recognition in which they describe ways to spot a con artist. The job board concludes that the criminals’ demands generally consist of requesting your personal information such as: name, phone number, address and possibly your bank account number while promising cashier’s checks and money grams.

“We have to realize that these things do occur and if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is,” Bailey said. “Someone sent a friend of mine a message saying that they liked his resume for a personal assistant position and they sent him a check to cover expenses, half his payment, and half the payment for outside sourcing. He was sent a certified check for just over $3,500 that ended up bouncing.”

There are actions taking place to change the access these scam artists have to open job boards. The FTC recently announced at a conference on Feb. 17 a new method in cracking down on these criminals.

Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, David C. Vladeck, stated that scam artists are tricking job seekers into parting with their last dollars.

“Operation Bottom Dollar” has brought to close 11 cases of scams that deal with open job boards. However, this ruling only temporarily bars the con artists’ illegal tactics in money making. The FTC is also in the process of negotiating terms that would allow reimbursement to the victims of such criminal activity.

“Federal and state law enforcement officials will not tolerate those who take advantage of consumers in times of economic misfortune,” Vladeck said.

Sneed stated that open job boards were just sites that helped people find jobs.

“When I found out it was a scam it was too late,” she said. “I cut off all communication possible [with the con artist] because there wasn’t much else I could do I guess, except cry.”

Filing a complaint at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/ or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP provides the Federal Trade Commission with the tools to continue to crack down on criminals and keep job searches safe.

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