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News
Nanotech conference held at RPI EACE elects Tarantelli President United Way campaign kicks off in October Plans made to revitalize the Incubator Program at RPI The 2010 Student Government
Ed/Op
Staff Editorial
Military e-mails bring new unwelcome spam Editorial Notebook
Teachers shape experience Editorial Notebook
Make funding more consistent Derby
Use free time wisely, stay active, healthy Elephants Peanut Gallery
Race issues need discussion Interfraternity Council
IFC, Panhel meet with RPI cabinet My View
True equality remains work in progress Letter to the Editor
RPI parking tickets sting alumni My View
True equality remains work in progress
Features
Comedy show brings evening full of laughs Action scenes compensate for mediocre acting skills Dave Barry
Study proves insects are intelligent
Sports
Women shut out weekend opponents Engineers lose fifth against Hobart College Struggles continue for women’s soccer RPI stumbles in opening week of league play
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Rensselaer in Brief
Scam hits Troy
In this world of e-mail and mass marketing, there are few people who haven’t had to deal with spam in one form or another. The incredibly low cost of bulk advertising has brought this world an untold quantity of male enhancement, stock, and illegal software offers that virtually everyone has learned to ignore. Every once in a while, however, the scammers come up with a novel new scheme that will hook in a few more unwitting victims.
Troy residents have recently been hit with a flurry of letters promising incredible winnings in certain lotteries. The electronic form of this is well-known to the avid computer user, but these are delivered by way of the Postal Service. Beyond simply seeming to be more credible, this gives the would-be swindlers another opportunity to draw in their marks. By enclosing a sizable check to cover “taxes” and other costs, many have been fooled into sending in their own money to secure the winnings. The checks are not cashable, however, as they bounce, leaving the unfortunate prey with less than they started.
Troy police are looking into several of these cases. In one, an 85-year-old man fell victim to one scam in which he was told that he had won $100,000. Enclosed in the letter was a $3,950 check to cover surcharges; a spokesperson said to deposit it, and then to wire $3,675 back to the company. Other cases varied in the amount of “winnings,” the size of the check, and the reason that the money had to be sent back, but each of them proved to be completely fraudulent, costing some people thousands of dollars. MCAT will see changes
Some pre-med students may have a tough road ahead of them when it comes to admissions testing. The MCAT, an exam used by medical schools to predict students’ future performance in the field, is changing its format. The American Association of Medical Colleges, the consortium that administers the test, has decided to move away from the traditional pencil-and-paper format and has instead gone digital.
The new format is supposed to be more accessible to the typical modern college student, who tends to spend more time on a computer anyway. Studies have shown that the new format should not have any significant negative impact on students or the results, in spite of a nearly 50 percent cut in exam time.
Even so, some are still apprehensive about the new system. A survey taken by Kaplan when the changes were first announced indicates that the new format will take more preparation time as students may not be used to the way that electronic exams are administered; test-takers will no longer be able to skip questions or review their answers later. Another concern is that the limited seating of the computerized testing facilities will introduce the possibility that people will be locked out of certain testing blocks.
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