And it's greatly to your benefit to know what you're doing. You owe it, not only to yourself, but to everyone on your network, to have at least a bare-bones knowledge of system administration, as well as the habit of keeping your systems and programs patched and up to date. Then, of course, there is that percentage of the population, inside and outside the university, whose sense of ethics is neither complete nor mature. If only these users were more annoying than criminal, we would be able to chalk up their behavior to immaturity. It's hard, however, to make the distinction between high jinks and hijacks when it's your hard work that has been compromised.
Social engineering is the human component of a hack or a scam.
Good social engineers can be very persuasive. Like everything else, social engineering has gone through a maturation process. The in-person scam started in industry, but has spread, at least in a limited fashion, to colleges and universities. These people depend on your affability and desire to help others. Whether it's someone calling you for your password or a person who shows up at your door to case your place for vulnerabilities, it's in your personal interest to be tough.