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Return to: University Relations : U of M Home One Stop | Directories | Search U of M Search past issues of Brief: Or view a complete list of SUBMIT past issues of Brief Vol. XXVII No. 1Jan. 8, 1997 http://www.umn.edu/urelate/brief/1997-01-08.html Other issues Editor: Maureen Smith (612) 624-2801 Affiliation of the Academic Health Center and Fairview and the merger of University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic (UMHC) and Fairview Health System became effective Jan. 1. UMHC and Fairview Riverside Medical Center are now one: Fairview- University Medical Center. Merger and affiliation were official Jan. 1 with the signing of necessary documents; final documents were signed at a ceremony Jan. 6. UMHC employees officially became Fairview employees Jan. 1. No major changes in staffing or program locations will occur immediately. To patients and visitors at the facilities, the change is visible on large banners outside the hospital buildings saying Welcome to Fairview-University Medical Center. Bureau of Mediation Services issued a maintenance of status quo order Dec. 20 affecting about 2,200 professional civil service staff at the U. Order was issued after AFSCME Council 6 petitioned for a representation election. One issue that may take some time to resolve before an election is sorting out the employees who are supervisors (and not eligible to vote) from those who are not. Order applies to accountants, auditors, writers, public relations representatives, data processing people, soft-ware programmers, executive assistants, scientists, and other professional civil service employees. Order states that "wages, hours, and all existing conditions of the employees shall not be changed as of the date of this order...negotiations shall not be carried on...(and) threats or promises as to changes in wages, hours, and conditions of employment are prohibited." For more information, contact your Human Resources representative. U.S. Justice Department filed suit against the U Dec. 19, as expected, on charges of misuse of federal research grants and illegal sales of the transplant drug ALG. Negotiations to avert a lawsuit broke down that day. The government reportedly threatened to seek $100 million or more, and the U offered to pay about $13 million in cash, $7 million in offsets to future federal grants, and $5 million to set up a "model grant integrity" program to oversee the handling of federal funds. Negotiations broke down not over money but over the government's refusal to lift sanctions on the U's research programs. No new negotiations have been held since then. To help promote a mutually constructive and cooperative relationship, the U has a Labor Management Committee (ULMC) made up of representatives from the U and AFSCME locals 3800 and 3937. Gail Skinner-West, associate dean of the Minnesota Extension Service, and union representative Elsie Martin are cochairs this year. The group believes that many concerns at the U can be resolved through joint problem solving. Major goal this year is to foster positive, participative work environments throughout the U. If you have comments, suggestions, or good ideas about creating positive work environments, send them by e-mail to Margaret Beegle ([email protected]) or Linda Debeau-Melting ([email protected]). Changes in mileage and meal reimbursement allowances for staff and faculty traveling on U business went into effect Jan. 1. Mileage rate was increased to 31¢ per mile (rate includes gas, vehicle maintenance, and other vehicle-related costs). For meals, an "expensive cities rate" of $50 has been added. This rate applies only to New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Miami. For more information, see the Travel Services Web site at either http://purchserv.finop. umn.edu or http://purchserv.finop.umn.edu/travelstuff/travelmap.html or call (612) 624- 1696. Thirty-six faculty from the TC, Duluth, and Morris campuses will showcase their art at an exhibition through Jan. 31 at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery on the west bank of the TC campus. Reception will be Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. Gallery is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m; Wednesday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Artists from the TC campus faculty are Guy Baldwin, Karl Bethke, Thomas Cowette, David Feinberg, Lynn Gray, Gary Hallman, James Henkel, Curtis Hoard, Diane Katsiaficas, Jerald Krepps, Thomas Lane, Susan Lucey, Joyce Lyon, Clarence Morgan, Mark Pharis, Wayne Potratz, William Roode, and Thomas Rose. Artists from Duluth are Janice Anderson, Leif Brush, James Brutger, Alyce Coker, Gloria DeFillipps Brush, Thomas Kerrigan, James Klueg, Dean Lettenstrom, Robert Repinski, Gunnar Swanson, and Harry Watts. Artists from Morris are Alan Fierro, Kevin Flicker, John Ingle, Jess Larson, Jenny Nellis, and Fred Peterson. CROOKSTON--Glenice Johnson, sociology, has been nominated for the Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service Learning. The award encourages the integration of service learning into academic programs. Johnson was nominated based on her integration of the Adopt-a-Grandparent program into her gerontology class. Comedian Pablo Francisco will perform Jan. 13, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., in Morsels, the commuter dining room. DULUTH--Department of Theatre's production of Passage Through the Heart was selected for the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) regional competition Jan. 21-26 in Iowa. The play is one of only 6 selected from the 8-state Midwest region. This is the 4th time in the last 10 years a UMD performance has been selected for the ACTF regionals. All 3 previous times UMD won the regionals and went on to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., in the national ACTF showcase. The "Worlds of Interest" Student Leadership Conference will be Saturday, Jan. 18, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in Kirby Student Center. Conference is open to all UMD students and provides a full day of leadership skill development. It is sponsored by Kirby Student Center. Cost is $5. MORRIS--UMM head wrestling coach Doug Reese will coach the U.S. Women's National Freestyle Wrestling Team during a January tour to Tourcoing, France, and Kristy Jeffrey and Lisa Berube of the UMM women's wrestling team have been selected to compete based on their performance at the Sunkist/ASU Women's International Open. TWIN CITIES--Dr. C. Walton Lillehei and Earl Bakken, the 2 pioneers who created the first cardiac pacemaker at the U, were honored on the 40th anniversary of their breakthrough by President Hasselmo Dec. 16, at Eastcliff. Eleven new coke machines equipped with U-Card readers have been installed on campus: 7 in Coffman Union and 4 in Bailey Hall. Machines will automatically deduct the beverage cost from cards that have credit on the value stripe. During winter quarter, a total of 176 such machines will be installed across campus. W. Dixon Ward, professor emeritus of communication disorders and otolaryngology, died of heart failure Dec. 19 at his home in St. Paul. He was 72. He joined the U faculty in 1962. Although he had officially retired, he never stopped teaching and was grading exams the week he died. Memorial celebration will be Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Campus Club in Coffman Union. Memorials to the St. Anthony Park Block Nurse Program are suggested. Group of researchers from Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics and Army High Performance Computing Research Center received the 1996 Commander's Educational Award for Excellence from the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Command for their work designing computerized parachute models that simulate real-life airdrop systems. U team members: Vinay Kairo, Andrew Johnson, Tayfun Tezduyar, William Garrard, Shahrouz Aliabadi. Raptor Center will hold its 13th annual Brunch with Bald Eagles trip Feb. 15, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Outing will begin at the Raptor Center on the St. Paul campus, and buses will head for Wabasha and Read's Landing, 2 hot spots for winter eagle watching along the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Cost is $45 for Raptor Center members, $55 for nonmembers, and $20 for children under 16 and U students with current fee statements. Price includes brunch, lecture, and bus. To register (by Feb. 11) or for more information call MaryBeth Garrigan at (612) 624-3031. Events: McKnight summer fellows presentation will be Jan. 16, 3:30-5 p.m., 140 Nolte Center. Talks will be given by Matthew Senior, humanities, Morris; Catherine Liu, French and Italian; and Kim Munholland, history."Race and Class in America" by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard U, Jan. 22, 12:15 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall. Announcements: Employee Career Enrichment Program's winter schedule is out and openings are available for upcoming workshops. To check out new workshops (Career Coaching and Plateauing) and regular offerings, call (612) 627-4033 or visit the Web site at http://www.umn.edu/ohr/ecep.Education and Human Development Alumni Society is seeking nominations for its 1997 awards: the Robert H. Beck Outstanding Faculty Award, the Gordon M.A. Mork Outstanding Educator Award (for a graduate in a school-based educational setting), and the Larry Wilson Award (for a graduate in a non-school-based setting). For information or nomination forms, call Elizabeth Wilson at 626-1601. Nomination deadline is Jan. 31.Employer Education Service, an outreach unit of the Industrial Relations Center in the Carlson School of Management, is offering U employees a special rate of $150 a day on a space-available basis for all programs over $150. Topics include management, supervision, performance, communication, and interpersonal skills.

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