Weekly Bulletin

Personal leave time expires Dec. 28

Personal leave time awarded to eligible employees on or after July 6, 2001 will expire on Saturday, Dec. 28, according to Juan A. Jarrett, assistant vice chancellor for Human Resources. Any balance remaining after that date will be forfeited.

Personal leave awards for calendar year 2003 will appear on check statements issued on Friday, Jan. 3. Eligible employees may begin using their new personal leave time starting on Sunday, Dec. 29.

Questions concerning the awarding or use of personal leave time should be directed to Dotty Lesko in the Time & Labor Section of Human Resources, (dlesko@admin.umass.edu) or by phone at 5-6121.

Christmas, New Year's observed as holidays

Christmas and New Year's Day will be observed as state holidays on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, respectively. Most University offices will be closed.

Mileage reimbursement change effective Jan. 1

The mileage reimbursement rate for the use of personal cars on University business will decrease to 36 cents per mile from 36.5 cents per mile, effective Jan. 1, according to controller Andrew P. Mangels.

The change is consistent with the rate set by the Internal Revenue Service.

Final grades due

Final grades for fall semester should be submitted by noon on Thursday, Jan. 2 to the undergraduate, graduate and Continuing Education registrars' offices.

Big Friday

Biweekly paychecks for the period covering Dec. 1-14 will be issued Friday, Dec. 20.

Thesis formatting workshop

The Office of Information Technologies is offering a workshop on "Thesis Formatting with Microsoft Word for Windows - for UMass Graduate Students," on Thursday, Jan. 23, 1:30 -4:30 p.m.

The session covers formatting features used in the writing of a thesis or dissertation at UMass using Microsoft Word for Windows. Template files will be distributed for Word 97, Word 2000 or WordXP - students must tell OIT which version of Word they are using when registering for the class. Topics include general formatting, page numbering, footnotes/endnotes, table of contents, and bibliography.

Pre-registration is required; the charge for the workshop is $10 and must be paid at the time of pre-registration. Pre-registration begins Monday, Dec. 23.

Thesis for Microsoft Word for Macintosh, Word 6 for Windows 3.1, Word 7 for Windows 95, and WordPerfect for Windows are no longer offered as formal workshops. Course materials are available. Contact Elisa Campbell at 5-1853, or download them from the OIT Web site.

Newly acquired regional cookbooks displayed

"Whatcha Got Cookin? Recent Additions to the Regional Community Cookbook Collection," is on exhibit through Jan. 31 on the 25th floor of the Du Bois Library.

Special Collections and Archives began building the Regional Community Cookbook Collection in 1998. Community cookbooks, those produced by church groups, school groups, women's clubs, and other community organizations, tell a great deal about the lives of the people who contribute the recipes. In its effort to document the social history of the region, the Library collects community cookbooks from Western Massachusetts for researchers to use as primary sources.

The collection has grown substantially since 1998, thanks to the enthusiasm of Library staff and community members who scour flea markets, bookstalls, auction showrooms and tag sales and donate their finds. There are now nearly 400 items representing Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Worcester counties. The oldest cookbooks in the collection include "Choice Recipes by the Ladies of Baldwinville" (1886) and "Tried and True" by Turners Falls' Ladies of the Unitarian Society (1888).

More information about the collection is available online (www.library.umass.edu/spcoll/ckbk.html).

Cahoon, Lappas to speak at Jan. 8 Sports Luncheon

The Weekly Sports Luncheons are on a two-week hiatus because of the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The luncheons will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 8 with featured speakers hockey coach Don "Toot" Cahoon and men's basketball coach Steve Lappas.

The buffet luncheon begins at noon in the Top of the Campus. The cost is $6.50. Call 5-4289 for reservations.

Wintersession date listed

The Division of Continuing Education's Wintersession term begins Thursday, Jan. 2 and ends Thursday, Jan. 23.

The last day to add or drop classes with no record is Friday, Jan. 3.

The last day to withdraw from a course with a record of "W" is Monday, Jan. 13.

Campus tours resume Jan. 2

The last campus tour of the fall semester will be on Friday, Dec. 20 at 1:30 p.m., according to Lisa Hargis of the New Students program.

No tours will be offered from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1. Daily tours at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. will resume on Thursday, Jan. 2 and continue through Intersession, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday on Jan. 20.

For information, call 5-4237.

Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology seminar

Kevin Weeks of the University of North Carolina, a candidate for a faculty appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, will present a special seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at noon.

Weeks will speak on "Mechanisms of Ribonucleoprotein Assembly."

The seminar will take place in the eighth floor seminar room of the Lazare Research Building at the Worcester campus.

Note card sets benefit Friends of the Library

Boxed sets of note cards featuring Leslie Schaler's photos of the Library Courtyard Garden are on sale through the Library Office. The 12-card sets are $10 with proceeds going to the Friends of the Library.

Send checks payable to Friends of the Library to Susan McBride in the Library Office.

Mullins Center rink closed Dec. 24-25

The ice skating rink at the Mullins Center will be closed to the public on Dec. 24-25. Call 5-3990 for skate times after Dec. 25.

Holiday mail deliveries

Mail Services will deliver all mail before noon on Tuesday, Dec. 24, and Tuesday, Dec. 31. There will be no afternoon deliveries or pickups on these days. The Mail Services office in Goodell will be open for business until 4 p.m. both days.

Offices that plan to be closed during the holidays should notify Mail Services as soon as possible. Contact Cindy McCluskey, acting manager of Mail Services, 306 Goodell, at 5-2488.