September 10, 2008
The Park Building Gets a Facelift
If you’ve been near Presidents Circle lately, you’ve probably noticed that the Park Building is undergoing a major exterior renovation. FYI News recently spoke with Scott Jefferson (Campus Design & Construction) (hotlink to http://www.facilities.utah.edu), project manager for the $8.2 million renovation project, which should be completed by May 2009.
FYI NEWS: What is the scope of the project and why is it being done?
SCOTT JEFFERSON: We are restoring the exterior of the Park Building and structurally upgrading the roof, attic, and top of wall connections to better resist earthquakes. We’re also introducing or replacing fire-protection systems in much of the interior, especially in the attic and fourth floor. The limestone, brick, and granite walls with terra cotta cornices, parapets, and decoration need to be repaired, replaced and/or cleaned. The exterior and roof need to be reinforced. The terra cotta balustrade located high on the building was removed last year and will be restored and reinstalled.
FYI: When will the project be completed?
SJ: We have three milestones: The fourth floor will be completed Dec. 9, the exterior will be completed Jan. 9, 2009, and the landscaping will be completed May 12, 2009.
FYI: What are you personally finding most enjoyable about this project?
SJ: It’s exciting to see a building with so much campus history restored to its original beauty.
FYI: What stands out in terms of the original design or craftsmanship of the building?
SJ: Natural daylight through original roof-top skylights beautifully illuminated museum spaces on the fourth floor. [The University’s art museum resided on the fourth floor beginning shortly after the building opened in 1914 until 1970.] Elements of this skylight system remain but past revisions to the building layout make restoration of the skylight impractical at this time. The large west windows, replaced circa 1930, originally had decorative metal grilles; examples remain on the north and south elevations. These windows provided light and ventilation to the original library reading room that stretched nearly end to end on the third floor.
FYI: Have you learned any new history about the building as a result of the project?
SJ: The original manufacturer of the terra cotta, Gladding, McBean & Co., (hotlink to http://gladdingmcbean.paccoast.com/default.jsp) located in Lincoln, California, is still in business and had some original shop drawings for the project in their archive. They still manufacture architectural terra cotta and are creating about 450 new and replacement pieces for this restoration.
FYI: What will the general observer notice is different when the project is completed?
SJ: The cleaned and restored limestone will look much less weathered and discolored. At the main entry, the severely-deteriorated column bases will be re-clad in historically-detailed terra cotta. A new roof will be installed, the most visible portions utilizing a copper-clad membrane which will slowly oxidize over time, turning dark brown and perhaps slightly green within several decades.
FYI: What will become of the statue of John R. Park?
SJ: The statue will be restored and reinstalled on a terra cotta-clad plinth replacing the deteriorated limestone block. Originally, over the main entry, the word, “Administration” was engraved in the limestone. After the building was renamed, this stone building plaque was replaced or re-carved to read “John R. Park Memorial.”
Red ALERT: Connect to the U’s New Campus Alert System @ cis.utah.edu
Students, faculty, and staff need to sign up for the Campus Alert System asap! That’s the word from administrators at the U responsible for creating the new emergency notification system.
Designed to communicate time sensitive information during unforeseen events or emergencies using voice, email, and text messaging, the new system will broadcast what to do when disaster (or the next Godzilla snow day) hits.
To get on the system, simply log on to CIS and select the U of U Campus Alert System link. You can store up to six phone numbers, two email addresses, and a mobile phone number for text messaging. Administrators suggest that the best emergency contact number is likely your mobile phone.
Make certain you press the SAVE button when you finish.
“The U is taking a proactive approach to critical situations by implementing the emergency system,” says Les Chatelain, special assistant to Arnold Combe, administrative services, who was instrumental in the implementation of the new system. “We take seriously our responsibility to get the word out.”
Other means to get the word out have included a Godzilla-themed postcard sent to faculty and staff and an in-person appearance of the toothsome reptile at this year’s Plaza Fest. “We hoped the 20-foot inflatable beast would make a big impression on students, says Chatelain.” (Rumor has it that he’ll strike once more at Employee Appreciation Day.) (hotlink to http://web.utah.edu/employeeday)
Details about the system and FAQs are online (hotlink to http://www.campusalert.utah.edu/faq.htm).
12 Questions for Robert Goldberg
Professor of history, director of the Tanner Humanities Center (hotlink to http://www.hum.utah.edu/humcntr), and recipient of the 2008 Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence (hotlink to http://www.rosenblattprize.utah.edu)
1. What book should every person read and why?
Elie Wiesel’s Night is the story of a Jewish teenager sent to Auschwitz in 1944. It is a tale of the evil that exists in the world, survival and the power of the individual spirit, and confronts the question, Where is God in suffering?
2. What building on campus do you think is the most interesting architecturally?
The new Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building (hotlink to http://www.hum.utah.edu/index.php?&pageId=1528) is eye-catching from a distance, artistically decorated on the inside, and filled with the comforts of home for students, staff, and faculty.
3. If you could meet one notable person, who would it be and why?
I have always wanted to have dinner with Thomas Jefferson. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence—our most sacred document, the third American president, a naturalist, a scientist, an inventor, an architect, and a slaveholder. Who would miss a chance to explore this brilliant, fertile, complex, yet flawed mind?
4. Name a favorite local place to eat.
Bombay House (hotlink to http://www.bombayhouse.com/) and East-West Connection (hotlink to http://www.eastwestconnection.net/)
5. How will the next generation of scholars—today’s students—change your field in the decades to come?
Each generation of historians looks through its lens of experiences to understand the past. With the Internet and the digitalization of sources, these men and women will have enhanced power to find, study, and integrate sources to draw more complete portraits of the past.
6. List two of your favorite websites.
http://www.hum.utah.edu/humcntr
http://www.mlb.com
7. Will a liberal arts education remain relevant to students in our increasingly technological society?
In a fast paced, technological world, which trumpets production and consumption, a liberal arts education will be more essential than ever. It allows us to see beyond a material world to that which makes us human: the primacy of the individual, the importance of tradition, the unity of all peoples and the necessity of diversity, and the moral path.
8. What reading material is on your bedside table?
There are three books right now: Isabel Allende’s (hotlink to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Allende) The House of the Spirits, Bill Bishop’s (hotlink to http://www.thebigsort.com/authors.php) The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart, and Peter Fritzsche’s (hotlink to http://www.history.uiuc.edu/people/pfritzsc/) Life and Death in the Third Reich.
9. If politicians had to pass an exam before they were allowed to serve in public office, what question would you add to the test?
Have you ever experienced the life of those less privileged than you?
10. What is one thing you would like to ask people to do to change the world for the better?
Plant a tree. We do this not for ourselves but those who come after.
11. Among the complex moral and political issues that affect humanity, which do you believe will never be resolved and why?
The hatred that is rooted in religion is the most complex issue. Our belief in a single God should have drawn us together, but instead has rent the human fabric and fostered the most horrible atrocities. Reason is clouded when passions will not calm. A stiff-necked and moral self-righteousness has denied us the will to walk humbly.
12. What’s the best advice you ever got?
In a family, group, or organization, avoid having more than one person angry with you at the same time.
Better off Red
Homecoming Week is Sept. 20-27
From a scholarship scramble golf tourney and 5K walk/run for the whole family, to traditional events like Songfest, reunions, a pep rally, and the Homecoming dance—there is truly something for everyone during Homecoming Week. Newer events include the Legacy of Lowell (hotlink to http://www.sa.utah.edu/bennion/pdf/LOL_invitaiton_08_v8.pdf) Service Day from the Bennion Center (hotlink to http://www.sa.utah.edu/Bennion/), and comedian Dennis Miller (hotlink to http://dennismillerradio.com), who will perform at Kingsbury Hall (hotlink to http://www.kingsbury.utah.edu) on Friday, Sept. 26. This year’s marshals are Dick and Jean Raybould, longtime Crimson Club (hotlink to http://www.crimsonclub.utah.edu/) and Alumni Association (hotlink to http://www.alumni.utah.edu) members. After a career in the military, Dick was involved in the renovation of the Fort Douglas Military Museum (hotlink to http://www.fortdouglas.org) and was honored in 2005 at the U’s annual Veterans Day Commemoration Program (hotlink to www.veteransday.utah.edu). Festivities culminate on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m. when Utah plays Weber State in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Complete Homecoming details are available online (hotlink to www.alumni.utah.edu/homecoming). Go Utes!
Employee Appreciation Day is for U!
Have you received your balloon postcard yet? You should have! And you’d better hang on to it because it (or your UCard) is your ticket to get into the 5th annual Employee Appreciation Day. Join your colleagues for some fun on Thursday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Olympic Cauldron Park (Rice-Eccles Stadium).
Have your palm read, or be really brave and try your skill with mechanical calf roping. Have a massage, and check out Hooked on Books; kick a soccer ball and punt a football. Winners of Bingo and other games will receive prizes like hotel stays, ski passes, and tickets to athletics events. The first 100 employees to show up will receive a pair of tickets to a Utah football (hotlink to http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/utah-m-footbl-body.html) game, and additional football tickets will be distributed randomly throughout the day. This event is limited to U of U employees only. Please, no families.
For the shuttle schedule and information on an alternate location in case of bad weather, check online (hotlink to http://web.utah.edu/employeeday) or contact Susie Johnson at 581-8365.
Ribbon-cutting Set for Goodwill Humanitarian Building
My goal is to improve the health, safety, and quality of life for community-dwelling seniors.
~Wilford W. Goodwill
Join President Michael Young, Vice President Dave Pershing, and Dean Jannah Mather to celebrate the opening of the Wilford W. and Dorothy P. Goodwill Humanitarian Building (hotlink to http://www.socwk.utah.edu/goodwillbuilding/index.html) at a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from noon to 2 p.m. The festivities will take place on the south patio of the Social Work Building. Through the generosity and long-time support of Wilford Goodwill (hotlink to http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=082108-1), who died in August, and his wife of 67 years, Dorothy, the College of Social Work (hotlink to http://www.socwk.utah.edu) has made great strides in research on aging, programs for seniors, and student scholarships for those studying issues that affect the elderly. The new wing, which will enhance the programs of the college, will house a state-of-the-art clinical training center and provide space for the Initiatives on Aging (hotlink to http://www.socwk.utah.edu/aging) and the Neighbors Helping Neighbors programs, both of which received early support from the Goodwills. The building will be open for tours from 1-2 p.m. For more information, call 587-8387.
Applause, Please!
ZHU WANG, a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics, has been selected as one of 100 participants in the Dragon 100 Young Chinese Leaders Forum 2008. She joins XIAOYU XU, another U student who was selected for this honor. Nominations were submitted from institutions throughout the world, so the U is well represented in this group. Read more about the Dragon 100 Foundation (hotlink to http://www.dragonfoundation.net) online.
DAVE MEIKLE, graphic artist for University Marketing & Communications (hotlink to www.ucomm.utah.edu), and Utah artist, was commissioned by the state of Utah to develop seven new designs to be featured on 31 “Welcome to Utah” road signs across the state. Nearly 20 million vehicles will pass by the signs each year, earning him a unique distinction as one of the most widely seen Utah artists in history. See his designs online (hotlink to http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=4118129&autostart=y).
Read more about the accomplishments of the U’s faculty, staff, and students
at Recognizing U (hotlink to www.unews.utah.edu/?action=recognizingU).
What’s Going On at the Marriott?
Marriott Library renovation almost complete
Ira Fulton has given $5 million to “close the final chapter” on the library’s renovation campaign (hotlink to http://www.lib.utah.edu/portal/site/marriottlibrary/menuitem.ef20a2517b2174c01a3b9cdbc1e916b9/?vgnextoid=75cf855fcfb62110VgnVCM1000001c9e619bRCRD). The $5 million gift will be used to improve the northwest lobby on the first floor, add a cyber cafe, and include an advanced technology studio in the adjacent multimedia center.
Local cartoonist donates collection
The Pat Bagley Papers (1958-2005) consist mostly of editorial and political cartoons created by Pat Bagley (hotlink to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Bagley), editorial cartoonist for The Salt Lake Tribune. Included are board originals, sketches, photocopies, and prints, along with other intriguing papers. They can be viewed through the manuscripts division of Special Collections currently located on the second floor. Call 585-3076 for more information.
Get help disseminating your research and managing copyrights
Allyson Mower, Marriott Library’s scholarly communications and copyright librarian, is available to consult with faculty and staff about strategies for making their research and writing more accessible, and ways to manage their copyrights. Mower, who has been at the U since 2003, formerly coordinated the institution repository at the Eccles Health Sciences Library. Contact Allyson (hotlink to allyson.mower@utah.edu) or call 585-5458.
Films to See Before You Vote
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. This fall, KUED (hotlink to http://www.kued.org/) joins the SLC Film Center (hotlink to http://www.slcfilmcenter.org/) , the League of Women Voters (hotlink to http://lwvutah.org/), ACLU (hotlink to http://www.acluutah.org), and High Road for Human Rights (hotlink to http://www.highroadforhumanrights.org/) to present a series of free films—several at the Post Theater in Fort Douglas—to see before you cast your vote. Topics cover health care, the Iraq war, global warming, and the candidates. September listings follow.
• Body of War, Sept. 10, 7 p.m., Post Theatre, Fort Douglas
• Critical Condition (in Spanish), Sept. 8, 7 p.m., Sorensen Multicultural Center
• Critical Condition, Sept. 16, 7 p.m., City Library Auditorium
• Pray the Devil, Back to Hell, and Girls Speak Out, with Andrea Johnston, Sept. 17, 7 p.m., Westminster College
• Taxi to the Dark Side, Sept. 23, 7 p.m., City Library Auditorium
• Water in the Southwest, with James Thebaut, Sept. 25, 7 p.m., Post Theater, Fort Douglas
Additional films will be shown in October. Watch FYI News for details. If you haven’t already, register to vote (hotlink to http://elections.utah.gov/voterinformation.html) today!
FYI Mystery Photo Contest
FYI Mystery Photo
Where is this on campus? Send your answer (be specific) to FYI@ucomm.utah.edu by noon on Monday, Sept. 15 for a chance to win a pass for two to Red Butte Garden, courtesy of the Garden.
The winner will be randomly selected from the pool of those submitting the correct answer and will be listed in the Sept. 24 FYI News.
Thanks to Red Butte Garden for providing the prize!
Note: This contest is open to U of U faculty and staff only.
Last Issue’s FYI Mystery Photo Contest Answer
The Aug. 27 FYI Mystery Photo shows the front of the John R. Park Building—now under renovation—located at the top of Presidents Circle. Congratulations to Michelle Addison (School of Music), Jessica Bishop (UEN Channel 9), and MaryAnne Smith (Student Recruitment and High School Services), winners of the Aug. 27, 2008 FYI Mystery Photo Contest! Our three winners, who were randomly selected from a pool of 121 contestants who sent in the correct answer, each received a pair of tickets to the first home football game on Sept. 6 when Utah blasted UNLV. Thank you to Utah Athletics for donating the tickets. And thank you to everyone who participated in the Mystery Photo Contest. We invite to try your luck with each issue this fall. |
UPCOMING ON CAMPUS
• FARMERS MARKET CONTINUES
Thursdays through Oct. 2, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Webster’s Lawn (east of Pioneer Memorial Theater)
The popular campus Farmers Market (hotlink to http://www.hr.utah.edu/wellu/farmers_market) continues with fresh produce, arts and crafts, and food vendors. Last week, there were plenty of tomatoes, peaches, and a very nice basket of Japanese plums. There are lots of places to sit and relax, so why not plan to eat lunch? Try a scramble from Liberty Heights Fresh, or teriyaki beef sticks from Dora’s Kitchen, which features fresh Chinese cuisine. They even have chop sticks.
• CELEBRATION TO HONOR TANNER HUMANITIES CENTER
Saturday, Sept. 20, Reception at 6 p.m.; Awards program at 7:30 p.m.
Rose Wagner Center, 138 W Broadway
The Utah Humanities Council (hotlink to http://www.utahhumanities.org) (UHC) will honor the Tanner Humanities Center (hotlink to http://www.hum.utah.edu/humcntr) with its first Humanities Partnership Award in honor of the Tanner Center’s 20th anniversary and its two decades of promoting the humanities with both campus and community audiences. Dean Robert Newman and Center Director Bob Goldberg will be honored for their current leadership along with former dean Norman Council and history professor Larry Gerlach, for their essential roles in creating the Center in 1988. The festivities are free and open to the public, however an RSVP is requested. Call Nici Maruri at 359-9670 by Sept. 12.
• WOMEN IN MEDICINE LECTURE SERIES
MENTORING AS AN INSTITUTIONAL VALUE
Keynote speaker, Joan M. Lakoski (hotlink to http://www.oacd.health.pitt.edu/bios/lakoski.html) is associate vice chancellor for academic career development at the Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh (hotlink to http://www.health.pitt.edu/), and associate dean for postdoctoral education.
Women in Medicine: Optimizing Your Mentoring Relationship
Monday, Sept. 22, Noon to 1 p.m.
HESB 2938
Open to all
Women in Medicine: Institutional Approaches to Mentoring
Monday, Sept. 22, Social: 5:30 – 6:00 p.m., Lecture: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Primary Children’s Medical Center 3rd Floor Auditorium (PCMC)
Open to all
Mentoring for U Workshop: Addressing the Institutional Approach to Mentoring
Tuesday, Sept. 23, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
HSEB Alumni Room
Registration required - CME accredited
For additional information and registration, contact Angelo Ziakas (hotlink to angelo.ziakas@hsc.utah.edu) or call 587-9105.
• EURIPIDES’ MEDEA
CLASSICAL GREEK THEATRE FESTIVAL
Sept. 20-21 and Sept. 27-28, 9 a.m.
Pre-performance talk, 8:30 a.m.
Outdoors on the lawn west of Pioneer Theatre
Medea (hotlink to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medea)—barbarian, witch, hero—is one of the most complex figures in Greek drama. Bring a blanket to sit on and something hot to drink and enjoy the 38th season of the outdoor Classical Greek Theatre Festival (hotlink to http://www.theatre.utah.edu/greektheatre/current.html). Arrive by 8:30 a.m. to hear an informative talk by Jim Svendsen (hotlink to http://www.hum.utah.edu/languages/?module=facultyDetails&personId=56&orgId=299), languages and literature professor, producer, and dramaturg. For more information, check online (hotlink to http://www.theatre.utah.edu) or call 581-6448.
• SO MANY MASTERWORKS—SO LITTLE TIME
UMFA EXTENDS HOURS FOR MONET TO PICASSO
Now through Sept. 20
Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Due to high attendance, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) is extending its hours during the last two weekends of the Monet to Picasso exhibition (hotlink to http://www.umfa.utah.edu/monettopicasso) and will be open until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from Wednesday, Sept. 10 through Saturday, Sept. 20. For more information, call 581-7332 or visit UMFA (hotlink to http://www.umfa.utah.edu) online.
• THE WORLD WITHOUT US
Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m.
Libby Gardner Concert Hall
Tickets are $10
What would happen to the Earth if humans vanished? Could nature ever obliterate all our traces? Hear author Alan Weisman discuss the answers to these questions when the Wallace Stegner Center brings him to campus. His book, The World Without Us (hotlink to http://www.worldwithoutus.com/index2.html), is a New York Times Bestseller and TIME magazine’s #1 Nonfiction Book of 2007. Tickets are available through Kingsbury Hall (hotlink to www.kingsburyhall.org) or by calling 581-7100. For additional information on the event, contact the Wallace Stegner Center (hotlink to http://www.law.utah.edu/stegner/).
BULLETIN BOARD
• September 11, 2001
In Memoriam
One fall morning seven years ago, shortly after 9/11, Joseph Harman, a manager with campus design and construction, was inspecting the work of a stone mason who was working on the nearly-completed George S. Eccles 2002 Legacy Bridge (hotlink to http://web.utah.edu/news/releases/01/mar/bridge.html). Harman noticed that the mason was placing a couple of sandstone pieces upright, which was not in keeping with the horizontal pattern he had been following. When Harman asked him about it, the mason said he placed the two stones as a memorial to the twin towers of the World Trade Center (hotlink to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center). Moved by the incident, Harman told a number of people about it and the story has trickled down through the years. Look for the stones on the south-facing rock wall at the east end of the bridge.
• Calling all shutterbugs!
New FYI photo page to feature photos by you!
Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, we want your photos for the FYI Photo Gallery! We’re extending our deadline to Monday, Sept. 15. The theme this time is Back to School, so get out there and snap a few, then send them to us (hotlink to fyi@ucomm.utah.edu) as a jpeg or tiff and watch for them in the Sept. 24 Online FYI News.
• Wanted: Study participants
Do you currently live with a spouse/romantic partner? Does one of you suffer from depression or anxiety? Are you both between the ages of 18 and 65? If so, you may be eligible to participate in an IRB-approved research study on how relationships affect and are affected by depression and anxiety. Compensation will be provided. For more information, contact the Couples Psychology Research Lab (hotlink to familylab@psych.utah.edu) or call 581-3245.
• Pioneer Theatre offers discounts
Full-time faculty and staff are eligible for approximately one-third off for a full seven-play Pioneer Theatre Company (hotlink to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/) (PTC) season ticket. The tickets must be purchased before the first play ends on Oct. 4. The 2008-09 season includes My Fair Lady, Noises Off, The Light in the Piazza, The Yellow Leaf (by PTC artistic director Chuck Morey (hotlink to http://www.theatre.utah.edu/faculty/morey.htm), Romeo and Juliet, Dial ‘M’ for Murder, and Miss Saigon. Click here (hotlink to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/box/singletix.html) for ticket information or call 581-6961.
• Winter holiday schedule for main campus
For the U’s 2008 holiday closure schedule, employees will be paid their regular rate for work hours scheduled but not worked on Wednesday, Dec. 24 and Friday, Dec. 26. For more information on the University Closure Day (UCD) process is available online (hotlink to http://www.hr.utah.edu/comp/proc/sect_14.php). This holiday closure schedule does not apply to employees of University Hospitals and Clinics and identified employees in Health Sciences departments, and other departments providing critical services.
• Wednesday, Dec. 24, UCD
• Thursday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day
• Friday, Dec. 26, UCD
• Thursday, Jan.1, 2009, New Year’s Day
U SAVING ENERGY
Since the University’s behavioral energy saving program began in July 2003 the U has saved the CO2 equivalent of 2,105,657 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
Did you know that many electronics will continue to draw electricity even when turned off, such as microwaves, DVD player, cell phone chargers, etc? These “vampires” can be stopped by plugging them into a power strip and turning off the strip when these items are not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
If you have questions, suggestions or comments, contact Bianca Shama (hotlink to Bianca.shama@fm.utah.edu) or call 585-1171.
