As faculty members prepare for the spring semester, now is a great time to schedule library instruction for the best choice of dates and times. Librarians will work with professors to tailor sessions to students’ research needs. Classes will meet in the classroom on the second floor of the library. The library can provide laptops, or students can use their own wireless-enabled devices for hands-on experience. To schedule instruction, contact Stephanie Michel at 7418 or michel@up.edu.
Campus Services
Fire Alarm Testing Schedule
As a part of ongoing efforts in fire safety and alarm monitoring, the public safety office will have a vendor on campus over the next 4 weeks conducting annual fire alarm testing. Below is the schedule for the buildings to be tested:
- Jan. 6: Bauccio Commons and Pilot House
- Jan. 7: Mehling Hall and Orrico Hall
- Jan. 8: Fields and Schoenfeldt Hall.
During this time there will be work crews testing each device in the assigned building, and there will be short audible tests conducted on the system. Staff are not required to leave during this time, but if for some reason the alarm is prolonged during this time period, please leave the building and organize outside the building until given the “all clear” to re-enter. For more information contact public safety at 7161 or publicsafety@up.edu.
Holiday Mass Schedule
The Chapel of Christ the Teacher will be closed during the University’s holiday break, according to Theresa McCreary, campus ministry. There will be no Masses in the Chapel from December 24 through January 1. The 12:05 daily Mass will resume on January 2. Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass will resume on January 5, and the Sunday 9 p.m. Mass will resume on January 12. For more information contact campus ministry at 7131 or ministry@up.edu.
Clark Library Sets New Records
The Clark Library set new records for numbers of people in the building every month during fall semester, according to Diane Sotak, library. On average, building use was higher than previous years by 73 percent. The 19 group study rooms were in high demand as well, with an average of 3,000 people using them per week. All of this activity has put the building through its paces and library staff continue to make adjustments as issues come to light. There is now a Clark Library FAQ that links to a Comments & Suggestions form, which is an easy way to provide them with direct feedback on how things are going, or to ask a question not addressed by the FAQ. For more information contact the library at 7111 or library@up.edu.
New Hires, New Positions
Physical plant director André Hutchinson (pictured) has announced some recent staff changes:
Rachel Partin was recently hired as the new office manager for the physical plant. Prior to joining the physical plant team, Rachel worked as a writer, editor, and manager of correspondence in the Office of the President at Harvard. In addition to managing a busy office supporting the largest non- faculty department on campus, Rachel will also provide administrative support to the physical plant director.
Sandy Galati has been appointed to the newly created position of operations administrator. Sandy’s attention will be focused almost exclusively on maintenance work-order performance management as the physical plant continues to strive to make good on its promise to deliver quality and service. In conjunction with Sandy’s new role, Physical Plant will soon begin implementing and monitoring performance metrics with the goal of making sure that maintenance work-orders are completed in a timely manner while at the same time upholding high standards in terms of the quality of the work performed. Sandy is an almost 8-year member of the UP community and was the recipient of the 2012 Margaret Henzi Outstanding Office/Clerical Employee Award.
Dirk Theisen has been appointed foreman of the newly formed Boiler/Steam/HVAC shop. As part of the physical plant’s efforts toward continual performance improvement, this new trade-specific shop was formed to provide better service and support for the management and maintenance of all heating and air- conditioning systems across campus. An almost 10-year member of the Physical Plant staff, Dirk was the 2008 recipient of the Ted Deiss Outstanding Physical Plant Employee Award and received his bachelor of business administration degree in operations and technology management from UP in 2013. Dirk also honorably served in the United States Navy from 2002-2010, including a tour in Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006-2007.
Danielle Marcial has recently been appointed lead of night shift custodians. Danielle came to UP with extensive custodial/floor care experience, having previously worked in a supervisory role for the custodial department of a large public-school system in New York. In her new role, she leads a team of dedicated staff who work Sunday through Thursday, from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., providing general custodial services to all non-residential buildings across campus. As someone who displays committment to self-improvement in her work, Danielle is also a voluntary participant in Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s Pathways to Success Program, a 7-week, pre-apprenticeship training program that helps women prepare for a high-skill, high-wage career in the construction industry.
For more information contact Hutchinson at 7306 or hutchina@up.edu.
Personal Mail Window Hours
Mailing services in Buckley Center is a service for University departments and students and it is a very busy operation throughout the year. It is not a commercial mailing center or a post office, and it does not receive extra staffing for the holiday season. In order to keep University-related mail operations running smoothly during the holidays, mailing services will be open for employees’ personal mail needs from 12 noon to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday from now through Monday, December 23, according to Mary Scroggins, mailing services. The window will be open for letters, packages, and stamp purchases. All packages must be boxed, taped, and addressed, and envelopes must be addressed and sealed. The mail center is unable to provide boxes or shipping supplies.
Personal packages for faculty and staff should also not be mailed to the University. Processing personal packages places a great deal of strain on mailing services staff, to the detriment of providing service for University offices and students. If you will not be home and are worried about theft, please send items to a friend or family member that will be home to accept the package in your absence. For more information contact Scroggins at 7179 or scroggin@up.edu.
Holiday Offer From Zipcar
Zipcar would like to put a little Zip in holiday travel plans for University of Portland community members by extending $25 worth of free driving credit to all faculty and staff who open new personal Zipcar accounts during December 2013. To join, get more information, or check Zipcar locations, go to www.zipcar.com/uportland. If you are already a member, Zipcar has a holiday gift of free driving for you too. Just e-mail Josh Force at jforce@zipcar.com.
2013 Holiday Payday Information
Due to the Christmas holiday there are some changes to the regular payroll schedule that employees and student workers need to know, according to Debbie Schwartzkopf, payroll. Monthly (exempt) employees must submit their time records by Tuesday, December 17 for the entire month of December, and will be paid on Monday, December 23. Note that monthly employees are being paid early and will not receive another check until January 31, 2014.
Semi-monthly employees must submit time cards by Monday, December 16 for the December 1-15 pay period and will be paid on December 20 due to the holiday closure on December 24 and 25.
Semi-monthly employees must submit time cards by Thursday, December 19 for the December 16-31 pay period and will be paid according to the usual schedule on Friday, January 3, 2014. Note that most semi-monthly employees will have holiday time from December 24 through the end of the month as well as New Year’s day.
Student employee timecards for December 1-15 are due by December 17 so students can be paid on December 23. The following student payroll for hours worked from December 16-31 is due January 3, 2014, and will follow the usual schedule in January for payment on January 10, 2014.
Please be sure to have all timecards submitted by your employees so you have time to approve them prior to the 9 a.m. deadline the morning after timecards are due.
For more information, contact payroll at 8338 or payroll@up.edu.
Double Check W-2 Information
The payroll office would like to be sure that all employee information is correct for their year-end W-2 processing. Please check the spelling of your name, address, and withholding allowances so payroll personnel can make the changes before the end of the year. Employees can review their direct deposit advice or look in self-serve and verify their information. If they need to make changes they can e-mail the payroll office with the address change or fill out a new W-4 for withholding allowance changes. For more information contact Debbie at 8338 or Karen at 7338 or e-mail payroll@up.edu.
Holiday Bookstore Hours
The UP Bookstore will operate on reduced hours during the week after final exams, according manager Erin Bright, manager. The bookstore will be open Monday, December 16 to Friday, December 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on Saturday, December 21. They will also be open on Monday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bookstore will be closed Wednesday, December 25, and will reopen on Thursday, January 2, at 9 a.m. For more information contact Bright at bright@up.edu.