Weekly Bulletin

Subjects needed for marketing study

Campus employees and students are needed to participate in an academic research study on product choices being conducted by Vanitha Swaminathan, assistant professor of Marketing.

The study involves the role of technology in influencing how people buy. The study requires a maximum commitment of 20-30 minutes during July and scheduling is flexible. Data collected from the study will be used only for academic research purposes.

As an incentive, participants' names will be entered in a prize drawing. Ten $100 prizes will be awarded.

Sign up by e-mail (research2001@som.umass.edu).

Printing Services advises customers of possible delays

Printing Services will be upgrading equipment and conducting staff training sessions from July 23 through Aug. 3. The department will remain open but there may be delays in the production of some jobs as the digital printing capabilities at Printing Services are improved for customers.

Customers with upcoming print jobs that are time sensitive should contact Leo St. Denis at 5-2718 for assistance in scheduling the work.

Annual fire hydrant flushing underway

Physical Plant personnel this week began flushing campus fire hydrants as part of an annual maintenance program.

The flushing, which will continue through July 27, is being conducted weekdays between 8 a.m. and midnight.

As a result of the flushing, there may be some discoloration in water, according to Jeffrey Price, mechanical utility manager. Faucets should be run until the water clears, he said.

Dates for second summer session listed

Registration day for the second summer session is Monday, July 16 and classes begin the following day.

The last day for students to add or drop courses without record is Monday, July 23 and the last day to drop classes with a record of "W" is Friday, Aug. 3.

The second summer session ends Aug. 23.

Retirement reception for Wayne Cournoyer

Wayne Cournoyer, director of Publications, is retiring on Aug. 3 after 14 years of campus service.

A reception in his honor will be held Thursday, Aug. 2 from 3-5 p.m. in Memorial Hall. Friends and colleagues are invited to attend.

RSVP to Elaine or Rita at 5-0123.

Accelerated personal leave awarded to employees

To assist the conversion to a new human resources computing system, all employees eligible for personal leave received an amount 1.5 times their usual annual award in their July 6 paychecks.

According to a June 29 memo from Juan A. Jarrett, assistant vice chancellor for Human Resources, the advance of personal leave is expected to help smooth the scheduled January change-over to the new e*mpac human resources system. Under the new system, the first awards for personal leave will be made in January 2003, so the accelerated leave awards will cover the period through December 2002.

Questions may be directed to Payroll Services at 5-0315.

Faculty featured in local music series

Two members of the Department of Music and Dance are performing in a music series sponsored by Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst. The program, "Thursdays at Grace - A Series of Noontime Concerts," presents free, 40-minute concerts on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. at the church by the town common.

On July 19, professor Lynn Klock directs Saxophones Unlimited, a graduate quartet, in the performance of the works by Vivaldi, Ibert and others.

Professor Jeff Holmes and pianist Paul Aslanian present a chamber jazz concert on July 26.

Holiday compensatory time for professional staff

Following an audit of time and attendance records, the Division of Human Resources has notified unionized and non-unit professional staff that they must use excess holiday compensatory time by Dec. 1 or the time will be forfeited.

According to University policy, when a holiday occurs on a day that is not a full-time employee's regular workday, if the employee's usual workweek is five or more days, the employee receives a compensatory day off with pay in lieu of the holiday. Such days off must be taken within 120 days of the holiday.

Full-time employees required to work on a holiday are also entitled to a compensatory day off with pay within 120 days of the holiday.

According to a June 28 memo from Personnel administrator James H. Coopee, the records audit revealed some employees have holiday compensatory time balances that "clearly exceed those possible if the 120 days provision ... had been followed."

Coopee's memo states, "It is necessary to address the situation revealed by the audit, particularly as we prepare to implement the new administrative computing system ... ."

Professional staff who fail to bring their holiday compensatory time balances within the prescribed limits by Dec. 1 will lose the time that exceeds the allowed amounts.

Summer session grades due

Final grades for first summer session courses should be submitted to the Summer Session Registrar's Office by noon on Wednesday, July 18.