Romney fiscal plan awaited
Gov. Mitt Romney took office last week, promising in his inaugural address to restructure state government and cut or eliminate non-essential programs to head off a possible $3 billion budget shortfall.

FleetBoston's Terrence Murray designates $1m for honors college
Commonwealth College last month received a $1 million gift from the FleetBoston Financial Foundation to establish a professorship in the name of Terrence Murray, chairman of FleetBoston Financial Corporation.

4 named to foundation
Four University alumni, including three from the Amherst campus, have joined the 33-member board of the directors of the UMass Foundation, the system-wide fund-raising and endowment management corporation.

IPO staff brace for new US visa monitoring rules
Substantial changes in the legislation governing the issuance of visas to non-U.S. citizens who come to this country to study or to work at universities have the staff at the International Programs Office bracing for an enormous influx in paperwork.

Work limited for F and J visa students
The Division of Human Resources advises all departments that graduate and undergraduate students who possess either F or J visas are limited by their visa status to no more than 20 hours per week of employment unless special permission is given by the International Programs Office (IPO) and Immigration and Naturalization Services.

Reappointment of trustee rescinded
Within minutes of taking office on Jan. 2, Gov. Mitt Romney last week rescinded 27 appointments made by Acting Gov. Jane Swift during her last two weeks in office.

Archbald appointed deputy police chief
Veteran police officer Patrick Archbald, who also serves as chief of the Williamsburg Police, has been appointed deputy chief of the UMass Police Department. The appointment, which was effective Dec. 21, was announced this week by Chief Barbara O'Connor.

Chemical disposal goes smoothly
The post-semester silence across campus was interrupted by two small explosions just before noon on Dec. 22 as campus, local and state public safety personnel successfully detonated two "highly reactive" chemicals removed from a Chemistry Department lab on the 13th floor of the Lederle Graduate Research Center.

Computer exchange opens at IPF
Departments and individuals on campus can acquire used computers or pass along their old ones at the Intermediate Processing Facility in a new Waste Management program that began Jan. 1.