Check out the Professional and Organizational Development Digest online for more information on February's programs.

Benefits Office Has Moved
By: Lou Szucs

Please be advised that the Benefits Staff has relocated from the Human Resources Office to the Payroll and Benefits office, Room 130 College Hall.

Diane Kaiser, Debbie Zayas, Ramzi Chabayta and Lou Szucs are available Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to assist with all your benefits needs.

How To Read Your Year-End Form W-2 for 2003
By: Lou Szucs

Here are some tips for deciphering your W-2 forms this tax season.

Box 1 - Wages, Tips, Other Compensation (Federal Taxable Earnings) = Gross wages plus imputed income (taxable portion of your group life insurance coverage over $50,000) plus taxable tuition waivers minus pre-tax section 125 contributions (health, dental, Unreimbursed medical or dependent care plans) minus your mandatory section 414H pension contributions minus section 403(b) (additional tax shelter plan) contributions minus section 457 deferred compensation contributions. If you received any federal taxable benefits from NJ disability, it has also been added into this box.

Box 2 - Federal Income Tax Withheld = The total amount of Federal Withholding Tax withheld from your 2003 wages.

Box 3 - Social Security Wages = Gross wages plus imputed income (taxable portion of your group life insurance coverage over $50,000) plus taxable tuition waivers minus pre-tax section 125 contributions. The maximum Social Security wages that were subject to taxation for 2003 are $87,000. If you received any Social Security taxable benefits from NJ disability, it has also been added into this box.

Box 4 - Social Security Tax Withheld = The total amount of Social Security Tax Withheld from your 2003 wages.

Box 5- Medicare Wages and Tips = Gross wages plus imputed income (taxable portion of your group life insurance coverage over $50,000) plus taxable tuition waiver minus pre-tax section 125 contributions. If you received any Medicare taxable benefits from NJ disability, it has been added into this box.

Box 6 - Medicare Tax Withheld = The total amount of Medicare Tax withheld from your 2003 wages.

Box C. Employer's Name, Address and Zip Code

Box 7 and Box 8 - Social Security and Allocated Tips = Not Applicable to William Paterson University Employees.

Box 9 - Advance EIC Payment = This is the amount of Earned Income Credit that was applied to your paycheck in 2003 (if applicable).

Box 10 - Dependent Care Benefits = This is the amount that you contributed to the State of New Jersey's Dependent Care Expense Plan in 2003.

Box 11 - Non Qualified Plans = Not Applicable

Box 12a - Code C = Amount of imputed income from group life Insurance in excess of $50,000.

Box 12b - Code G = Contributions you made to the section 457 deferred compensation plans.

Box 12c - Code E = Contributions you made to the section 403B tax shelter plans.

Box B = William Paterson University's federal Identification number.

Box D = Employee's Social Security number.

Box 13 = "Y" under Retirement Plan - Denotes that you are a member of one of the State pension plans (ABP, TPAF, PFRS or PERS).

Box 14 = other - 414H = contributions that you made to your pension plan. SECT-125 = pre-tax contributions you made to health, dental, Unreimbursed medical or dependent care plan.

Box E = Employee's Name Address and Zip Code.

Box 15 = State and Employer's State ID Number - The tax identification number and the state abbreviation of the State to which you're taxable earnings have been reported. If you had earnings in PA and NJ during 2003, you will receive 2 separate Form W-2's.

Box 16 = State Wages and Tips - NJ Employees Not Residing in PA = Gross wages plus imputed income (taxable portion of group life insurance coverage over $50,000) plus taxable tuition waivers.

Box 16 = State Wages and Tips - PA Residents = Gross wages plus taxable tuition waivers minus pre-tax section 125 deductions.

Box 17 = State Income Tax Withheld - The total amount of Federal Withholding Tax withheld from your 2003 wages.

Box 18 = DI - NJ State disability tax withheld.

Box 19 = UIHCWD - NJ unemployment, health care subsidy and workforce development fund taxes withheld.

The Office of Employment Equity and Diversity has relocated to Room 120 in College Hall

Thank You for Being Partners in Giving
By: Ramzi Chabayta

Thank you for joining your fellow New Jersey State employees in helping those in need through the New Jersey Employee Charitable Campaign of 2003-04. With your generous support, William Paterson University Employees raised over $8,200 this year for charities.

Thanks again to all the thoughtful employees who contributed towards this year's campaign.

Perfect Attendance 2003
By: Guinera Curry

Last month in the Resources Review, we honored those employees who used no sick time for 2002. Now it's time to congratulate the 51 employees who attained perfect attendance for 2003. These employees didn't use a sick day for the year:

Congratulations! An event to recognize this achievement will take place later in the year.

COMPUTER VIRUSES

Did you receive the "MyDoom" virus?
By Paula Nailor

Two versions of the "MyDoom' virus seized upon corporate networks worldwide late last month. Anti-virus companies referred to it as a worm, Novarg, or MyMail-R. The first version was set to attack the Web server of the SCO Group between Feb. 1st and 12th. The second version is set to strike Microsoft main Website between Feb. 3rd and March 1st.

Many of us received "MyDoom" here at WPU as well as on our home computers. Email messages were sent with the subjects "HELLO" "HI", "TEST" or "ERROR MESSAGE"-most probably from an unidentified source. Other reported messages may have came from known sources with various ZIP and TXT attachments, such as "body.zip" or doc.txt. One other common email included in its' contents "Message represented in 7-bit ASCII and has been sent as a binary attachment." Opening the attachment unleashed the virus with potentially harmful results also referred to as a worm, Novarg, or MyMail-R by anti virus companies, William Paterson has anti-virus software to detect these harmful viruses, and responded by deleting these messages with the aforementioned attachments. If you do not have an anti-virus software program at home, you are taking a huge risk. These viruses can cause severe damage to your hard-drive and can be passed on unknowingly to your friends and business associates. Clearly not a good way to make friends and influence people!

Emails laced with viruses have an attachment that, when opened, installs a program on the recipient's computer allowing the assailant to bypass the PC's security and may launch a network-based attack. Responding to unknown email, forwarding hoaxes, including chain letters and hoax viruses, are very costly to an organization. They waste our time and take us away from focusing on important deadlines and projects. Don't fall prey and try to open or forward the message. Delete the message immediately. Two of the most well known hoax viruses were the "Life is Beautiful" and "It takes guts to say Jesus" virus warning. The sender is betting that the benevolent side of you will want to help someone by forwarding the message on. That's the hoax part. You fall for it by investing not only your time, but the time of potentially thousands of others who follow your lead.

One common theme with hoax viruses is that it will tell you to send it to EVERYONE in your address book. This should raise a red flag that the warning is probably a hoax. No real warning message from a credible source will tell you to send this to everyone you know.

Once again, the best solution is to ignore and DELETE strange unfamiliar sources of messages. Report suspected viruses to the HELP DESK or go to a reputable web-site, such as www.mcafee.com, www.microsoft.com, www.hoaxbusters.com or www.vmyths.com. For SPAM , most email packages have a free SPAM control feature that is very helpful. You can also try "unsubscribing" or "opting out" at the end of the message so you are removed from receiving future mail, but unfortunately, this does not always work.

Another great idea - attend the upcoming Email and Voicemail etiquette class on March 11th, given by the Professional Development Department. In addition to showing you how to compose clear, professional, effective messages adapted for electronic media, it will also touch on email risks including viruses and responses that will protect you and WPU from costly lawsuits. To register, go to the Professional Development Digest web-site, or call Jackie Carney on ext. 3555.

Editor: Jeanie Robertson, Director
Professional & Organizational
Development
Program Assistant: : Jackie Carney