February 11, 2009
SPLENDID HERITAGE: PERSPECTIVES ON AMERICAN INDIAN ART
U of U alums and longtime University benefactors John and Marva Warnock used to take their children on family vacations to the Four Corners area to see the American Indian ruins, which had long held a fascination for them. Then 20 years ago, they started collecting baskets and pots from dealers in the Sante Fe area where they live. One day in 2003 they were approached by an art dealer who told them that one of the world’s greatest collections of American Indian art might be for sale. The collection—550 pieces—was said to be impressive for the age and quality of the artifacts. The Warnocks travelled to Michigan to take a look, and in 2004, bought the collection. Now, they have loaned part of it to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts where the artifacts are on display to the public for the first time in 100 years. Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art opens Feb. 10 and runs through Jan. 3, 2010.
Of the Warnock’s complete collection, 144 items representing 30 tribes—mostly from the Plateau, Plains, and Northeast regions of the United States—are included in the exhibit. The curators’ approach is two-fold: to examine these 18th and 19th century works from both an artistic context and a cultural context, bringing to light the fascinating intersection of culture and art. Pieces range from moccasins, war shirts, and ceremonial wear to saddles, bows and quivers, dolls, and cradleboards. The intricate embroidery, quill, and beadwork—including the now-rare, glass “pony beads”—are especially amazing, as is the Dance Stick, one of just 13 that are extant. Many of the items are one-of-a-kind, while others are considered “rare” examples. One unique item is a “Winter Count” where one outstanding annual event is depicted each year—from 1776 to 1879—on a large hide resulting in a 100-year tribal “history” in primitive graphics.
More information about Splendid Heritage is online (hotlink to http://www.umfa.utah.edu/pageview.aspx?id=26502).
UPDATE ON THE BUDGET FROM VICE PRESIDENT PERSHING
(The following article is taken from the Feb. 2, 2009 Academic Senate Summary.)
“The news on the budget is a little bit better than we had expected,” said Sr. Vice President Dave Pershing, reporting to the Academic Senate for the administration on the legislative session. He reminded senators that so far, in this current fiscal year of 2009, a 4 percent base cut was made a few months ago. In addition, the legislature is cutting the higher education budget by an additional base cut of 7.25 percent. That equals an 11.25 percent total cut for fiscal year 2009. The legislative executive appropriations committee has agreed to “backfill” half of the 7.25 percent cut (3.625 percent). That leaves the U with a 7.625 percent cut for fiscal year 2009 (4 percent plus 3.625 percent). Central administration “will soften it a bit” for the academic units (not administrative) but there isn’t a lot of one-time money. On their end, departments can use carry-forward balances, money from open positions, and other alternatives. “Let’s not minimize this—it’s a lot of money,” said Pershing. “We’re talking about nearly $20 million for the total cut this year.”
Looking ahead, what happens in 2010 is an open question. There will most likely be a third cut but it won’t be known until the end of the legislative session in March. The good news is that Governor Huntsman has lobbied heavily for higher education and has worked with legislative leadership to get their support; and cuts will be spread across all of state government—including public education.
In addition to encouraging the senators to send suggestions for dealing with the budget cuts to the FYI News site, Pershing noted that the administration welcomes invitations to speak to groups about the budget situation. “I know that everyone is worrying about this as we all are. Some of us aren’t sleeping much, but that’s kind of where we are right now,” he concluded.
FOUNDERS DAY 2009
A Celebration of Innovation
The Alumni Association will present its annual Founders Day celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the Little America Hotel. The event will honor four alumni and this year two non-alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally, served the local and national communities, and supported the University in its mission. Details of the event area available online (hotlink to http://www.alumni.utah.edu/foundersday).
Receiving awards this year are Richard E. Kendell MEd’70 PhD’73, recently retired commissioner of Higher Education for Utah; William J. Rutter MS’50, a leader in biotechnology research whose work led to early advances in the field; Beverley Taylor Sorenson BS’45, a tireless advocate of arts education for children; and Andrew Valdez JD’77, who has devoted his adult life to helping young people in trouble as a judge in Salt Lake City’s Third District Juvenile Court.
This year’s honorary alumnus/a award recipients are Chase N. Peterson and Grethe Ballif Peterson who have served as exceptional envoys for the U over the years with Chase serving as president of the University of Utah from 1983 to 1991; and Grethe serving as executive director of the Tanner Lectures on Human Values since 1987.
A Distinguished Achievement Award will be given to the U’s head football coach, Kyle Whittingham, who has won 73 percent of his games, gone 4-0 in bowl games, led Utah to its best season in 115 years of football (13-0), and engineered the biggest win in school history: the Allstate Sugar Bowl against fourth-ranked Alabama on Jan. 2, 2009.
A FEW QUESTIONS FOR GLADYS ADJEI-POKU
Recipient of a 2008 Staff Excellence Award, Adjei-Poku has worked at the U since 1995 and is the cardiac telemetry nurse manager.
• What book should every person read and why?
Whatever would relieve their stress, reinforce the growth of their emotional, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and cultural being.
• What’s your favorite building or place on campus and why?
The Hospital building. I get to see and talk to the patients without needing to gather or solicit an audience.
• Name a favorite local place to eat.
I like Tuscany and I wish I ate out more.
• What reading material is on your bedside table?
Devotional books and church hymn books.
• What’s the most important thing today’s students need to know?
How to get trained for hard times ahead rather than how to deal with the present situation because the only constant thing is the change that is going on.
• What do you like best about your job?
Talking to the patients and staff and spending my time doing something for them each day.
• What is one thing you would like to ask people to do to change the world for the better ?
Do their best as much as they can and leave the rest to God and trust that He will do the right thing for us.
• Among the complex moral and political issues that affect humanity, which do you believe will never be resolved and why?
The lack of God in people’s lives.
TANNER HUMANITIES CENTER OFFERS TWO NEW FELLOWSHIPS IN MORMON STUDIES
The Tanner Humanities Center is taking applications for a new fellowship in Mormon Studies for the 2009-2010 academic year. With a $36,000 grant from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, the U is offering two $18,000 stipends to doctoral students for research on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its members, or its culture in the fields of history, anthropology, sociology, education, economics, business, political science, religion, or literature. “It’s a matter of academic justice,” says Bob Goldberg, the center’s director. “There would not be a question if we were in New York City and wanted to establish a course in Jewish studies, or in Chicago, Baltimore or Boston and wanted to start a course in Catholic studies. This is a perfect place to do research on Mormonism. To me, it’s a no-brainer.” The U’s is the first such fellowship in the nation, but joins a growing list of colleges that offer some coursework in Mormon studies, including Claremont College in Southern California, Utah State University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of North Carolina, to name a few.
The fellowship will help increase the scholarly interest in the topic and ensure that graduate students who are studying Mormon history have access to all the best sources. Other schools with Mormon courses have responded to the new program with enthusiasm.
—From an article in The Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 16, 2009.
A formal application for the Eccles Mormon Studies Fellowship is online (hotlink to http://www.thc.utah.edu) The deadline for applications is March 1, 2009 (postmark date). For more information, contact Beth Tracy at beth.tracy@thc.utah.edu or (801) 581-8473. |
JOHN R. PARK TEACHERS’ FELLOWSHIP NAMED
Steven Sternfeld, associate professor of linguistics, has received the John R. Park Teachers’ Fellowship for 2009. The fellowship is awarded to faculty who undertake one semester of activity studying at a site outside the state of Utah with the purpose of enlarging and enriching their teaching role.
Sternfeld is founder and director of Project New Eyes, a service-learning linguistic and cultural exchange program, now in its third year, in the Department of Linguistics. The program sends U students to the Czech Republic where they receive free room and board with Czech families in exchange for providing English-language support in homes, schools, the workplace, and the community. Since Sternfeld does not speak Czech, the fellowship will allow him to spend fall semester 2009 in the Czech Republic developing his Czech language skills. Learn more about Project New Eyes online (hotlink to http://www.projectneweyes.com).
Read more about the accomplishments of your colleagues at Recognizing U (hotlink to http://unews.utah.edu/?action=recognizingU).
SENDING SWEETS TO YOUR VALENTINE
SEND AN E-CARD TO YOUR VALENTINE!
Looking for just the right card for your valentine? Look no further! Check out the new e-cards online (hotlink to http://ecardsfromu.utah.edu/) to find just the right one for your sweetheart!
iPOD KISS OFF
Just in time for Valentines Day, the Campus Store will host an iPod kiss-off on Friday, Feb. 13 starting at 11:45 a.m. The winning teams will receive iPod items and other prizes. If you want to participate, sign up online (hotlink to http://www.bookstore.utah.edu). If you’ve never seen this event, you might want to stroll by the campus store and check it out. Bring your camera.
LOVE AFFAIRS THAT MADE HISTORY
Why do people fall in love? Is it love at first sight? Is it after people have known each other for a period of time? Having just heard of someone? All three possibilities will be explored by the Babcock Performing Readers when they examine the lives of famous couples of history on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Olpin Union Theater. Hear from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Frederic Chopin and George Sand, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Edward VIII and Wallis Warfield Simpson. For more information, contact Gloria Gardner Murdock (hotlink to goya@xmission.com) or call (801) 232-0762.
RECYCLEMANIA COMES TO U
Recyclemania is a nationwide competition between colleges and universities aimed at increasing recycling and reducing total campus waste. The event at the U is headed up by the ASUU Board of Sustainability in partnership with facilities management and the Office of Sustainability. The contest takes place between Feb. 1 and March 28. Participating schools report data on trash and recycling, and the school recycling the most, wins. Do some early spring cleaning and empty out your old file cabinets and drawers to help increase the U’s chance of winning. For more information on the competition, contact Marie Martin (hotlink to mmartin@sustainability.utah.edu) or call (801) 585-9352.
UPCOMING ON CAMPUS
• THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN AGGRESSION: LESSONS FOR TODAY’S CONFLICTS
Wed.-Fri., Feb. 25-27
Mostly at Fort Douglas
Sponsored by the Barbara L. and Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy
As scientists celebrate 2009 as the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth, experts in anthropology, biology, psychology, and other fields will gather to debate how evolution has shaped human aggression and violence, from war to domestic abuse and homicide.
“What evolutionary forces underlie human violence, and how can we use this knowledge to promote a more peaceful society?” asks Elizabeth Cashdan, a conference organizer and professor and chair of anthropology. A Web site with links to the full program and abstracts is online ( hotlink to http://www.humanrights.utah.edu/forum).
• PETER GOSS: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM FIVE DECADES
Now through Feb. 30, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Art & Architecture, Bailey Gallery
Peter Goss has been teaching in the College of Architecture + Planning since 1970. This five-decade retrospective of his photography features his favorite medium—the black and white silver gelatin print—as well as color transparency and color negative film. For more information, call (801) 581-8254.
• MIDDLE EAST FILM SERIES
Times and Winds
(Turkish, with English Subtitles. Turkey 2006, 111 Minutes)
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 6:00 p.m.
UMFA Auditorium, free
Young teen Omer contemplates the unthinkable as he bitterly struggles under the loveless emotional yoke of his scornful Muslim cleric father. Yakup, Omer’s best friend, obsesses over a beautiful school teacher. Yildiz recoils from burgeoning womanhood, and from the sordid carnal realities she has grown too old to ignore. The film contrasts a parochial society’s unending chain of cruelty with the pagan natural world’s eternal and sensual beauty in this film by Reha Erdem.
• IMPOUNDED
ANSEL ADAMS AND DOROTHEA LANGE
PHOTOGRAPHS OF JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT
Thursday, Feb. 19, 4:00 p.m.
Carolyn Tanner Irish Humanities Building Gallery
(The exhibit runs through March 13.)
Gary Okihiro, professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, gives a lecture to mark the 2009 Day of Remembrance. A complete list of 2009 Day of Remembrance events, including the world premier of “Block 8,” Plan B Theatre Company’s new play about Utah’s Topaz Internment Camp, can be found online (hotlink to http://www.planbtheatre.org/dor).
BULLETIN BOARD
• Call for Submissions
In search of Equity Monologues: Considerations of Power and Privilege
The Women's Week Celebration committee is accepting submissions for the March 27 evening performance of Equity Monologues: Considerations of Power and Privilege at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) located at 2 North Medical Drive (north of the University Hospital).
Monologues submitted should be less than five minutes in length and should express experiences and thoughts related to this year's Women's Week theme, “Evolving Equity: Challenging Power and Privilege.” Priority will be given to submissions that explore individual and/or collective challenges to existing power structures within the context of race, ethnicity, social class, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, and religion. Selected monologues will be performed by the writer, or if requested in the submission, by a student performer.
Submit monologues via email to Jo Merrill (hotlink to tmerrill@sa.utah.edu) by Friday, Feb. 20. Submissions may also be mailed to Jo Merrill, Women’s Resource Center, 200 S. Central Campus Drive, Room 411, CAMPUS MAIL. Please include your name, phone number and email contact information with your submission. Also indicate whether you are a U of U student, staff or faculty, or a member of the community.
Selected authors will be notified in early March.
• FYI News to go online only
At the end of spring semester, FYI News will go to an online-only format. To receive the online FYI, you need to have an email address listed on your information page in the U’s online directory (to check your listed information go to http://www.utah.edu, then select “directory” from the upper right corner). If you don’t have an email address listed, you will not receive the online FYI. If you have questions, call (801) 585-3595 or send email to fyi@ucomm.utah.edu.
FYI Mystery Photo Contest
FYI Mystery Photo
Where is this on campus? Send your answer (be specific) to FYI@ucomm.utah.edu by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13 for a chance to win a ski package for two, courtesy of Campus Recreation Services. The winner will be randomly selected from the pool of those submitting the correct answer and will be listed in the Feb. 25 FYI News.
Thanks to Campus Recreation Services 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 Jan. 28 FYI Mystery Photo shows the LeRoy Cowles (math) Building on Presidents Circle. We had no idea this photo would be so tricky but, for the first time, we had more incorrect answers than correct! Many of you had the correct general location—Presidents Circle—but not the correct building. We’ll try not to be so tough in the future. Congratulations to Anne Franckum, winner of the Jan. 28, 2009 FYI Mystery Photo Contest! Anne was randomly selected from the pool of contestants who sent in the correct answer. She is an outreach teacher for the Utah Museum of Natural History and works with fourth grade students throughout Utah exploring natural history using specimens like rocks and fossils. Anne received tickets for two to Gladys Knight, courtesy of Kingsbury Hall. A big thanks to Kingsbury Hall for providing the tickets! And thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. We invite you to try your luck again with the Feb. 25 FYI News. |
DEALING WITH THE BUDGET CUTS
SUGGESTIONS FROM
FACULTY AND STAFF
Attention faculty and staff:
FYI News invites you to send in your suggestions for dealing with the campus budget cuts. Your ideas will be forwarded to Vice President David Pershing for his review. Although he is not able to respond personally, he will read them all. We will continue to post a sampling of the responses on this site.
Send your suggestions to FYI News.
From the week of Feb. 2, 2009
CUT PAY AND TAKE THE FURLOUGH
If senior administration took a salary cut, it would demonstrate real leadership and produce enormous amounts of good will throughout campus. Then have all employees take furlough days—no exceptions—so we all feel similar pain. That should do it. The people I’ve talked to like the idea of a furlough because, although it’s a bit painful, it’s democratic, fair, and uncomplicated—and sends the message that we’re all in this together.
—Agatha
RESPONSE FROM DAVE PERSHING |
RECUDE SPACE-HEATER USE
In our office, 13 of our 58 employees (roughly 22 percent) use space heaters on a regular (daily, for hours) basis to keep warm. I believe there are many offices like this across campus and a campus-wide ban of personal heaters would make a difference in budget dollars, since nearly all of them are purchased from the operating budget. No one wants to tell the employee they should layer their clothes or dress warmer—but we need a culture shift to common sense. In the summer, keep buildings warmer, but adjust the professional dress code so everyone is comfortable and able to work efficiently.
DESIGNATE SOMEONE
The suggestions about turning off lights and machines are great, but it doesn’t work unless someone is designated to turn them off each night. Energy is wasted and budget dollars burn.
WORK FROM HOME
Where feasible, allow employees to work from home.
—Bruce
REUSE, RECYCLE, REWARD
• Ask staff to reuse plastic utensils rather than using new ones at each meal—or institute a BYO utensils policy.
• Designate someone to collect items in operating rooms that can be donated to third world countries instead of throwing them away.
• Here at the hospital, we need more recycling containers.
• Reward departments that reduce their budgets in creative ways agreed to by the staff.
• Turn off lights during the middle of the night.
• Just curious, where does the U of U spend most of its income? Looking at this might give us clues to where to look for places to save—in particular, what about pay freezes for people making more than $250,000 per year?
—Laura
DUMP YOUR OWN TRASH
Ask everyone to dump their trash into one big trash can (placed in a central location in each office) at the end of the day. That way, the housekeepers can spend more time cleaning—vacuuming, cleaning windows, etc. I worked for a home health company in New York that did this and it worked very well.
—Donna
CLOSE DOWN AT NIGHT
I suggest we close campus at night. I see a lot of waste going to heat and light buildings that are being occupied by one or two grad students pulling an all-nighter. If the library has extended hours, then those students needing just a computer to work on would be able to work there instead of having each building open. Sometimes I come to work at four in the morning and see many buildings completely lit up with all their lights on for no reason. It's really discouraging to know that I could lose my job, yet the cuts that are the easiest to make don’t happen, just to keep a few people happy. We are all expected to make sacrifices in times like these. Thank you for expressing interest in our opinion on the matter!
—Lisa
SAVE MONEY ON SUPPLIES BY BUYING IN BULK
In my 19 years in research, I have found that sharing supply orders with other labs allows us to buy in bulk, saving a significant percentage off the U’s pricing. Since we use the same manufacturer of various products, we split the products among three groups. We have contracts in place with these companies that give us an extra 10-25 percent off the U of U’s pricing each year because we buy in bulk, talk with sales reps to get better pricing, use special quotes, and inform other labs on how they can do the same. A friend told me to look into the University of Georgia. I think they have SOPs in place for ordering consumables for all their labs.
—Christopher
ELIMINATE SOFTWARE LICENSE FEES
Eliminating license fees for proprietary software like Microsoft Office, in favor of perfectly good open-source alternatives like Open Office can save an awful lot. Turning off lights is nice, but this is serious money. The question is whether we have the courage to cut ourselves loose from the big vendors and the (ultimately illusory) “comfort zone” that we feel when buying their products. I don’t have a great deal of hope for this—but I have some. Where’s our campus Open Source Initiative?
—Dave
From the week of Jan. 26, 2009
STOP PAPER WASTE AND REDUCE ENERGY USE
I am co-chair of my college’s new “Green Committee.” As we look at ways to “save the environment” we have discovered that our own college spends quite a few dollars on such things as: printing and copying documents, flyers, etc… (instead of using electronic copies); mailing out what we print; using other paper products instead of more environmentally-friendly materials; leaving machines and lights on that should be turned off; and using excessive heat or cooling in some building areas. These are only examples of a long list of wasteful activities that we believe could easily be reduced. Everyone would win; we can reduce spending and become regional leaders in good environmentally-sound activities. Colleges that make significant changes could be recognized (with an announcement, not with money) as a way to reward effort.
—David
REDUCE FAX COPIES
I have been working in Clinic 2 for three years now and just discovered a wonderful way to save us not only a lot of money but the environment as well. There is something about our fax machine I did not know and wonder how many other people who use the fax constantly like we do, don’t know this. We recently had our fax serviced and discovered that our machine was set up to print a confirmation page on each and every fax we sent. I found out the setting could be changed to send a confirmation ONLY when the fax does not go through. On average, I figure we are saving two to three reams of paper a week! Imagine if all of us who are getting confirmations on every fax sent had our machines programmed to do it the other way.
—Carolyn
LIGHTS OFF
On Friday afternoons when I leave to go home, most of the classroom lights are on. I’m sure that they’re on all weekend too. Please send a message to all employees to turn off the lights in their offices and classrooms as they leave the room. If someone else will be using them later, they can turn them back on, but get in the habit of turning the lights off as you leave.
—Nancy
MORE EFFICIENT BILLING
I am an employee but also a patient. I have had numerous treatments this year due to a new cancer diagnosis. I receive many bills with sometimes only one invoice on a page per envelope. It is not uncommon to get four or five different envelopes in one day. This seems like a huge waste of paper, envelopes, and postage on behalf of the University. Is there a way to include all this billing in one envelope?
—Melissa
STOP THE COLOR MAILINGS
I am constantly amazed when my campus mail includes colorful, slickly-printed solicitations and other printed materials of high color print quality, which I promptly put into the recycle bin. Even before the credit crisis I would stare at these publications in wonder and ask myself how much its printing cost. It seems to me that an awful lot of money is being wasted on printing solicitations and other notices. With our extensive computer network on campus, the same thing could be accomplished with websites and email notices pointing to those sites. Making use of our existing infrastructure for these notices could eliminate a lot of the waste and expense incurred in handling it all.
—Thom
TURN IT OFF
Turn off your computer and monitor each night, especially on Friday.
—Ann
MANDATORY DIRECT DEPOSIT
Many employees still receive a paper check or advice. The University spends thousands of dollars purchasing paper stock, preparing, and distributing this information when there is clearly a better, more efficient option (view information online and direct deposit to employee’s bank of choice). Direct deposit is “mandatory,” but we still print thousands of checks and advices every two weeks. A firm ruling from the University would allow direct savings in this area.
—Aimee
