January 19, 2001
A dry fall and forecasts for a cold winter add up to an urgent need to conserve energy, state and campus officials say.
Increased energy consumption, more people and reduced capacity for energy production have only made the need to conserve greater and more serious, they add.
"We need to conserve now so we are prepared if the weather gets colder," said Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber in a recent joint statement with Washington Gov. Gary Locke. "Oregonians and Washingtonians showed their community spirit last month when we were facing a shortage and cut consumption by more than 800 megawatts over a weekend. We need to make that kind of conservation standard operating procedure for the remainder of the winter."
George Hecht, Campus Operations director, gives almost a million other reasons for conserving energy on campus. By June 30, the campus energy bill will be about $925,000 more than we budgeted for this academic year unless we can cut campus energy use drastically, he says.
Statewide, Gov. Kitzhaber has directed all state agencies, including Oregon University System campuses, to implement the state Electricity Conservation Plan, likely for the rest of the winter. He has called upon agencies to reduce energy use by 10 percent now, and the state Department of Administrative Services is attempting to meet this mandate through a series of measures such as:
On the UO campus, Hecht said these strategies are not likely to be as successful as in other state facilities, due to the dynamic and extensive use of the campus after hours and to the campus priority for student, faculty and employee comfort.
"The campus is actually performing relatively well in terms of the efficiency of its buildings," he says. "However, the recent price increases for electricity and natural gas--our basic fuel for heating--have caught everyone by surprise.
"This large deficit will be difficult to overcome," he says. "Nevertheless, there are energy conservation lessons that we learned from the last major crisis (but have since forgotten) that could help us now."
Hecht notes that energy efficiency of the campus has actually improved over the last five years, thanks to an aggressive energy and conservation construction program partially funded by EWEB.
As much as 10 percent of the campus use of energy could be reduced if everyone were to work together to identify and turn off devices that are not actually being used. Measures that could help the campus solve this challenging problem include the following:
Hecht believes that the campus community can make a significant improvement in campus energy use without mandates or regulations, but rather by everyone minimizing waste.
"If successful, this reduction in wasted energy will have many significant environmental and operational benefits and will minimally effect individuals and their work environment," he says.
Hecht plans to meet with the Environmental Issues Committee on Jan. 24 to brief them and develop an action plan to address this problem.
For information, call Amy Lake, campus energy manager, 6-2293, or Hecht, 6-2290.
On Jan. 31, employees will be able for the first time to log onto DuckWeb at http://duckweb.uoregon.edu/ to review, and in some cases update, personal and employee information.
The new Web-enabled service is the result of a joint implementation effort by Business Affairs, the Computing Center and Human Resources.
"For example employees will be able to update their home address and phone number, and e-mail address," explains Joan Walker, Human Resources. "They will be able to view but not change W-4, W-2, benefits, earnings and leave balance information."
Duck Web for Employees was demonstrated during the Dec. 14 and Jan. 17 HRIS Large Group meetings.
Walker says implementation of DuckWeb for Employees begins to lay the groundwork for eventual Web-enabled services. The aim is to increase service to employees while reducing administrative paperwork.
At the end of January, Human Resources will distribute instructions, personal access codes (PACs) and an FAQ document via campus mail envelopes marked confidential .
DuckWeb for Employees references will be added to the Human Resources home page at http://hr.uoregon.edu/ and to the Banner Guide at http://baowww.uoregon.edu/banner/default.htm.
For information, call Mark McCulloch, Business Affairs, 6-6249, or Walker, 2970.
RECOGNITION AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE DUE FEB. 2 at Human Resources, 463 Oregon, for officers of administration and classified employees whose job performance is outstanding. Nominating forms and selection criteria have been mailed to all UO employees. For information, call Mike Powers, 6-2950.
AN INTERNSHIP FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS STUDENTS is available with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development in Salem. The unpaid position offers at least 10 hours a week for one or more terms. To apply, contact John Mills, communications and public affairs coordinator, 635 Capitol St. N.E., Suite 150, Salem 97301-2540; (503) 373-0050, Ext. 268; john.mills@state.or.us.
STANLEY B. GREENFIELD FACULTY GRANT AWARDS are available to purchase research materials outside the scope of regular departmental library acquisitions for the Library collection on behalf of individual faculty members. Submission deadline is March 2; awards will be announced in April. Call 6-3056.
In an ongoing effort to enhance public safety on campus, Public Safety (DPS) announced it will commission up to 11 of its officers by April 1.
In making the change, the UO will join four other Oregon University System institutions whose public safety departments employ commissioned officers--Oregon State, Portland State, Southern Oregon and Western Oregon.
A 1987 Oregon statute, modified in 1995, gives commissioned officers limited enforcement authority, specifically, to make probable-cause arrests and to stop and frisk individuals suspected of illegal activity on campus.
Currently, DPS officers have authority only to enforce university rules and regulations and to make citizen arrests, in accordance with provisions of Oregon law. The Eugene Police Department is contacted when additional enforcement action is required.
"DPS handles 90 percent of the calls for service on campus and those who call us typically are not concerned about our authority. They expect us to be able to do something if a crime is in progress," says Tom Fitzpatrick, DPS director.
"Commissioning officers will help us provide a safer campus environment for students, faculty, staff and campus visitors," he adds. "It also will enhance the safety of our officers, who are often placed in jeopardy due to their inability to take enforcement action, pending the arrival of Eugene police and the potential escalation of the situation being dealt with."
In 1998, the UO commissioned a review of public safety operations on campus by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. IACLEA recommended the commissioning of campus officers. Research indicates that Oregon is the only state nationally that presently does not afford its public institutions of higher education the authority to grant full peace officer status.
Initially, five DPS officers will be commissioned--a DPS associate director, one lieutenant and three sergeants. The statute allots a total of 11 commissioned officers at the UO, and the remainder of those positions will be filled as qualified candidates are identified.
All commissioned officers will receive special training and will undergo ongoing performance reviews. DPS presently is allocated 21 positions--15 public safety officers, three sergeants, one lieutenant, one associate director and a director.
DPS also is forming a Public Safety Advisory Group that will solicit input from the campus community on public safety issues and will hold public forums. The 11-member group will be comprised of students, faculty and staff and is expected to be in place by April.
The number of grievances based on prohibited discrimination filed by UO employees declined to six during the 2000 calendar year, down from nine in 1999, according to data compiled by Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity.
"Grievances have decreased each year since 1997," says Sid Moore, human rights investigator. "Although there is still significant progress to be made, this reduction in grievance numbers again seems to suggest that the efforts of the entire university community to correct inappropriate behavior are having positive effects."
Half of the six grievances filed in 2000 were formal complaints. By comparison, 1999 saw seven formal grievances filed.
Moore suggests the reduction in the number of formal grievances filed seems, in part, to indicate a shift in preferences among those lodging complaints of prohibited discrimination and harassment. For example, he says, reports of requests to trade sexual favors for benefits have decreased such that this type of behavior no longer accounts for a significant portion of sexual harassment grievances.
"Efforts on the part of the university community to take proactive steps to prevent discriminatory or harassing behavior have contributed significantly to the decrease in the numbers of grievances," Moore says. "This includes the efforts of university staff, instructional faculty, students and the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity to educate all employees on ways to recognize and prevent discrimination or harassment."
Furthermore, an effective message regarding the seriousness with which the university takes discrimination, including sexual harassment, also contributes to the reduction in prohibited behavior, Moore says. This is accomplished through careful consideration of each case when potential grievants report incidents to the appropriate authorities.
"To assure the success of this part of grievance prevention, university employees are strongly urged to contact the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity upon learning a student or employee has a complaint of discrimination or harassment," he says. "It is imperative that the entire university send a consistent message that discrimination will not be tolerated, and that it will be dealt with appropriately when documented."
For information, to share comments and to request that someone in Affirmative Action speak at departmental and other meetings on ways to recognize and prevent discrimination or harassment, contact Moore, 6-2985 or send e-mail to sidmoore@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Dan Kimble, Psychology emeritus, has been elected to the Watercolor Society of Oregon, based on judges' approval of three paintings.
A poem by Richard Bear, UO Library, was nominated for the 1999 Push Cart Prize. "Cityscape with a pink rose" appeared in the 1999 New Zoo Poetry Review. In addition, Bear's Renascence Editions website, http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/ren.htm, has been selected by Scout Reports for review and recommendation and has received its 10th Internet Award for Excellence from Links2Go.
James Brau, Physics, has been appointed to a four-year term, beginning Jan. 1, on the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Scientific Policy Committee. The committee advises the Stanford University president on the operation and development of SLAC as a national facility for particle physics and synchrotron research.
Anne Leavitt, Student Affairs, has assumed additional responsibilities following a Jan. 1 reorganization announced by Vice President Dan Williams. Leavitt, dean of students and associate vice president for student affairs since September 1999, has added University Housing, Physical Activity and Recreation Services and the Erb Memorial Union to her portfolio. Williams says the new alignment is a "common-sense step [that] will strengthen our work on behalf of students ... and help us achieve higher levels of coordination and cooperation between important offices."
J.T. Sanders, Religious Studies emeritus, is the author of Charisma, Converts, Competitors. Societal and Sociological Factors in the Success of Early Christianity (SCM Press, London).
Daniel Rosenberg, History, is the author of "Speaking Martian: The Tongues of Helene Smith" which appeared in the Winter 2000 issue of Cabinet, a quarterly journal of art and culture.
Al Stavitsky, Journalism and Communication, published "By the Numbers: The Use of Ratings Data in Academic Research" in the summer 2000 Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.
Susan C. Anderson, Germanic Languages and Literatures, and Bruce H. Tabb, Knight Library, edited the recently published Water, Culture and Politics in Germany and the American West.
Jan Emerson, CSWS, presented "A Poetry of Science: The Life and Works of Hildegard of Bingen" at Pacific University in Forest Grove and at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Eugene as part of the Oregon Council for the Humanities Chautauqua lecture series celebrating Women's History Month.
Albert Leong, Russian and East European Studies Center, was an invited participant in the Liberty Fund colloquium on "Liberty, Responsibility and the Gulag" held in May at South Woodstock, Vt.
Don Dumond, Anthropology emeritus, presented papers on "An Early Blade Site in the Eastern Aleutians" and "Late Prehistoric Houses on the Northern Alaska Peninsula" at the annual meeting of the Alaska Anthropological Association in Anchorage in March. He also served as a discussant for two symposium sessions.
Lisa Freinkel, English, adapted and directed a STRIKE IT! Theater production of "Hamlette" in August. The female-centered adaptation of the original play featured a four-member cast consisting of Emily Werder, English graduate student, and undergraduates Lindy Anderson, English; Brian Henderson, Philosophy; and Will Porter, Comparative Literature.
Aaron Novick, Biology emeritus, died Dec. 21 of pneumonia after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Founder of the world-renowned Institute of Molecular Biology, Novick, 81, he was a graduate of the University of Chicago. He worked on the Manhattan Project, witnessing the first atomic test blast, and was so disturbed by the bombing of Hiroshima three weeks later that he spent the rest of his life campaigning against nuclear arms. Dean of the Graduate School from 1971 to 1980, he headed Biology until he retired in 1984. He received a Distinguished Service Award from the university in 1990. Celebrations of Novick's life are set from 3-4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, at Temple Beth Israel in Eugene and from 4-6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22, at the KL Browsing Room.