Weekly Bulletin

Retirement fête for Paul Appleby

A retirement reception and dinner will be held for Paul Appleby, the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance officer in the Equal Opportunity and Diversity office, on Wednesday, June 11, at the Olde Hadleigh Grille, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Appleby has served on campus for 32 years.

The cost is $30, which includes a contribution for a gift. Dinner choices are raspberry chicken, prime rib or salmon. RSVP by May 28 with menu selection and payment to Jamie Cimino, 5-3465. Checks payable to Ann Carr should be sent to EO&D, 243 Lederle Graduate Research Center lowrise.

Looking for a ride home

Gail Gunn, a blind staff member at University Advancement Information Services, and her guide dog Jingo, are looking for a daily ride home to Sunderland.

Gunn has carpooled to UMass for the past six years with the same person, but the driver can no longer give her a ride in the evening. "I am hoping to find someone who can help," says Gunn. "I need to try to make arrangements for a new ride before May 27.

Gunn lives on route 47 in Sunderland, 2 miles north of the center.

For information, contact Gunn at 5-5476 or by e-mail (gail@admin.umass.edu).

SITEC workshop

Allan Alter, an executive editor of CIO Insight Magazine, will examine "Technology Leadership Today" at a Strategic Information Technology Center (SITEC) workshop on Tuesday, May 27, 3:30-5 p.m. in 112 Isenberg School of Management.

Alter will share his magazine's findings from its annual survey of 388 chief information officers (CIOs) in the wake of the Y2K and dot-com eras. He will discuss the priorities, reporting relationships, longevity, strengths and weaknesses, and personality types of today's most senior information technology executives. Alter also will provide insights into how the recession has affected CIOs' priorities.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Pre-register by e-mail (akelly@som. umass.edu).

Final grades due

Final grades for spring semester should be submitted to the undergraduate, graduate and Continuing Education registrars' offices by noon on Wednesday, May 28.

Parking Services summer office hours

Effective Tuesday, May 27, Parking Services will be open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.-3:45 p.m. The summer hours are in effect through Aug. 29.

For customers' convenience, an after-hours drop box is available at the main entrance of Parking Services. Visit Parking Services' website (www-parking.admin.umass.edu) for additional parking information.

Fire protection and emergency power systems to be tested

From May 27 through June 6, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) and
Physical Plant will conduct annual testing of all fire sprinkler systems, standpipes and fire pumps. Buildings equipped with these systems will require flushing and flow tests. Testing is required under building code and fire prevention regulations and should pose no concerns for building occupants.

Under a separate testing program, all fire alarm and emergency/standby power systems within academic and administrative buildings will be tested. This program, which is being coordinated through a joint effort of Physical Plant and EH&S, will be conducted from June 9-27. State regulations require that all components of a fire alarm system be tested annually.

The program also includes a fire evacuation drill for each building. The purpose of the drill is to ensure that occupants are familiar with the sound of the fire alarm system and are knowledgeable of all evacuation routes. The fire drill portion of the program usually takes 5-10 minutes to complete depending on building size. At the conclusion of the drill, all occupants will be allowed to re-occupy the building. Following an established schedule, building emergency power and lighting will be evaluated. All fire alarm horns and pull-stations will be tested individually. Buildings with emergency generators also will be tested and may result in some power disruption. Building coordinators will be sent service interruption notices along with the testing schedule. They can provide additional information on how each building will be affected.

Mobility-impaired persons are not required to evacuate buildings per the University's policy. All department heads and disabled persons should be aware of this policy. Copies are available by contacting EH&S or Disability Services. Any questions regarding fire protection, life safety or testing programs may be directed to Ed Mientka at Environmental Health and Safety, 5-5114.

Summer tours and information sessions

Starting Tuesday, May 27, campus tours will leave from the Robsham Visitors Center at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Information sessions also will be held weekdays at 12:30 p.m. during June, July and August. The sessions are usually held in the Lincoln Campus Center, but guests should call the Visitors Center (5-0306) for the daily room location.
During the summer months, the Visitors Center will be open weekdays from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. In August, the Visitors Center also will be open Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

The center will be closed on Saturday, May 31 and Friday, July 4. No tours or information sessions will be offered those days.

Faculty Writing Retreat planned

The annual Faculty Writing Retreat, sponsored by the Center For Teaching and the Writing Program, will be held Thursday, June 5 from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Lord Jeffery Inn in Amherst.

The event will allow faculty members to spend a quiet, contemplative day focused on their individual writing projects, and to participate in a range of self-paced activities designed to help jumpstart new projects and revisit existing ones productively. Peter Elbow, professor emeritus of English, will speak briefly about the process of writing and provide suggestions for sharing and responding to colleagues' drafts. Morning coffee and lunch will be provided, as will space for quiet work and discussion with colleagues.

Space is limited, so register before May 28 by contacting the Center For Teaching at 5-1225 or by e-mail (cfteach@acad. umass.edu). Online registration and additional information also are available (www. umass.edu/cft/events/htm).

Tenure Preparation Seminar

Faculty who are currently preparing or thinking about preparing their files for tenure can learn more about planning ahead, documenting work, and going through the process at a Tenure Preparation Seminar on Wednesday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to noon in 174 Lincoln Campus Center.

Sponsored by the Provost's Office, the Center For Teaching, and the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, the event is open to all interested tenure-track faculty who wish to learn more about the tenure decision year. Speakers will include Charlena M. Seymour, interim senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and provost; Cleve Willis, dean of the College of Natural Resources and the Environment; and Anne Herrington, chair of the English Department. The speakers will discuss, in detail, their roles and considerations during the tenure decision year. In addition, Elsbeth Walker of the Biology Department will discuss her experiences as a recently tenured faculty member in developing a tenure file.
Pre-registration for the seminar is required. Contact the Center For Teaching at 5-1225 or by e-mail (cfteach@acad.umass.edu). Online registration and additional information are available (www.umass.edu/cft/events/htm).

Retirement reception for Marion Lapham

A retirement reception will be held for Marion Lapham of the Athletic Department Business Office on Tuesday, June 10 from 5-7 p.m. in the Massachusetts Room of the Mullins Center.

The $12 cost includes appetizers and a contribution for a gift. Checks payable to Joyce Hahn should be sent to Athletic Department, 206 Boyden. RSVP by June 2 to Hahn at 206 Boyden or via e-mail (jhahn @admin.umass.edu).

Big Friday

Paychecks for the period of May 4-17 will be issued on Friday, May 23.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day will be observed as a state holiday on Monday, May 26. Most University offices will be closed.

OIT computer classroom reservations policies

The Office of Information Technologies (OIT) provides computer classrooms for faculty using computer technology in their coursework.

Classroom reservations: Faculty may reserve a computer classroom when students are required to use a computer during a class session. These areas may not be reserved for lectures or student study time. A faculty member or a teaching assistant must be present during the reserved time. Students, faculty and staff may use the computer facilities for homework (or other University-related work) when a class is not scheduled. All students taking courses, which use OIT computer classrooms, must have OIT computer accounts, available in 107 Lederle Graduate Research Center. Faculty requests for fall semester are currently being accepted. Classroom request for reservations can be made online (www-pcco.oit.umass.edu/utilities/classreq.asp).

Classroom size: Both PC and Mac computer classrooms are available. Currently, the largest PC classroom has 23 seats. There is also a 16-computer/32-seat PC classroom available for collaborative work. Most labs have 20 seats. Students are not allowed to "double up" at a single machine. For courses with enrollments greater than the number of seats in a computer classroom, arrangements for multiple sessions may be made.

Software: While OIT maintains and supports a number of common software applications, it also is aware that faculty may need additional applications to meet specific course needs and will do its best to accommodate special requests. Software installation may be tailored to meet specific needs, including making software available only to students enrolled in a given course.

To provide OIT with adequate time to image computers and test applications, deadlines for software requests are July 4 for the fall semester and the day before the Thanksgiving break for spring semester. By the target date, the software, licenses, and all necessary documentation for installation must be submitted to Mary Elkins (melkins@oit.umass.edu, 5-4362). Preliminary consulting and testing with Michael Friedman (mfriedman@oit.umass.edu, 5-3055), before the deadline, is mandatory. (Note: OIT will only install software equal to the number of legal licenses purchased. OIT is not responsible for purchase of the software.) Courses taught during Winter-session and summer use the software image of the previous semester.

A current list of software in PCCO labs is available (www-pcco.oit.umass.edu/utilities). This list will be revised later in the summer to reflect any updates and/or changes. To submit an online request for software (www-cco.oit.umass.edu/utilities/softrequest.asp).