F E A T U R E I N T H I S I S S U E The studio Pitt climbs six places in U.S. News arts faculty & World Report undergraduate rankings............................................3 exhibit their own work at When should a faculty member not be treated as a faculty member?.......7 the Univer- sity Art Gal- U N I V E R S I T Y lery through Oct. 21. See pages 8 & 9. TIMES VOLUME 44 • NUMBER 2 SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Chancellor pleads Pitt’s case to state legislators hancellor Mark A. Norden- more time at each university and berg touted Pitt’s accom- get an understanding of what the Cplishments and spoke out taxpayers’ investment is buying.” against the idea of shifting state Legislators finally settled on funding for higher education from a budget that slashed the four institution-based appropriations schools’ appropriations by about to a student-based system as part 20 percent, significantly less than of a Sept. 12 state Senate appro- the 54 percent cut initially pro- priations committee hearing on posed by Gov. Tom Ridge, who campus. also floated the idea of pinning In the wake of deep cuts in state higher education funding state funding for higher education to individual students rather in Pennsylvania’s fiscal year 2012 than institutions. (See March 17 budget, appropriations committee University Times.) leaders said they are making the Still, state appropriations for rounds of the four state-related the four schools have fallen to universities, not only to get a closer 1995 levels, said minority chair look at how state appropriation Vincent J. Hughes (D-7). “That dollars are spent but also to discuss is significant.” ways of funding higher education The long decline in state sup- in the future. port — most pronounced over The legislators met last week the past decade during which at Penn State and are sched- Pitt’s appropriation was cut 10 uled to hold similar hearings at times, Nordenberg said — has Kimberly K. Barlow Temple and Lincoln universities culminated in the most recent Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, at right, and Board of Trustees chair Stephen Tritch greet Pennsyl- vania Senate appropriations committee members from left, Jim Ferlo (D-34), John Pippy (R-37) and in October. Although university cut of 19 percent to Pitt’s general chair Jake Corman (R-34), back to the camera, before the Sept. 12 hearing on campus. The commit- representatives testify in Harris- appropriation and 50 percent to tee is visiting Pennsylvania’s four state-related institutions to hear testimony on the impact of cuts burg before the committee each academic medical center support. in state support. spring as part of the annual budget The overall 22 percent reduction process, committee chairman Jake left Pitt with a $70 million budget Corman (R-34) said, “These hear- gap — $40 million of which was ings are meant to spend a little CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Employers to collect local wage taxes Jan. 1 itt’s payroll department effort of filing their own local tax is gearing up to begin forms and ultimately streamline Pwithholding local wage collections for employers, payroll taxes from the paychecks of most offices are busy adjusting their employees. systems in time for the deadline. The change comes as the result Pitt Payroll director Daniel of a state law that will require the Jeffreys said logistics still are being University to withhold the taxes worked out, but employees Uni- for employees who live in Penn- versity-wide should be receiving a sylvania. Currently, employers mailing in early- to mid-October withhold local taxes for employees to verify their addresses. who live and work in the same Currently Pitt withholds the municipality but other workers taxes for about 10,500 employ- typically must file their own local ees. Next year, that number is wage tax forms quarterly. expected to rise to about 18,500, Under Act 32 of 2008, effective he said. Kimberly K. Barlow Jan. 1 employers will be required Act 32 also consolidated local A view toward the Medical Arts Building on Fifth Avenue at the site of the razed DeSoto wing of to withhold wage taxes that go to wage tax collections by requir- Children’s Hospital, where UPMC eventually plans to build a 12-story in-patient care facility. local municipalities and school ing taxing jurisdictions within a districts for employees who defined geographic area to select reside in Pennsylvania. Employ- a wage tax collector for their area. UPMC outlines prelim Oakland plans ers initially will need to collect a The legislation provides for a certificate of residency from all single tax collector per county, PMC officials this week Children’s Hospital and build a president of UPMC Presbyterian employees stating the county and although Allegheny County is unveiled a preliminary 12-story facility on the DeSoto Shadyside, at a community infor- municipality in which they live. divided into four collection dis- Uproposal for expanding the Street-Fifth Avenue site. mation meeting held Sept. 12 that Workers will need to file certifi- tricts, according to the Pennsyl- health system’s Oakland campus. “Some of you have seen the drew an audience of about 20. cates of residency when they are vania Department of Community The major component of the end result of the tearing down Before any new construction hired or when they have a name and Economic Development. 10-year plan, which still needs of the DeSoto [Street] wing of can begin, however, several steps or address change. More information on the approvals from the UPMC board, Children’s Hospital and replacing must be taken, he noted. The changes aim to simplify tax legislation can be found at www. various city planning departments the area with grass and keeping “Right now all our clinical collections statewide. While they newpa.com. and City Council, is to raze the that ground fertile for future pathology labs are in the main will save many workers from the —Kimberly K. Barlow n remaining building of the Oakland expansion,” said John Innocenti, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 1 U N I V E R S I T Y TIMES Pitt called pollution scofflaw for not posting diesel signs nonprofit environmen- large vehicles, the University had will include only buildings owned tal watchdog group initiated planning to address the by Pitt. University stakeholders Arecently accused the installation of these signs where will be consulted to determine sign University of being “an air pollu- necessary.” locations in the coming weeks,” tion scofflaw,” citing Pitt’s failure In addition, Frerotte contin- Frerotte said. to post signs alerting drivers to ued, “Signs with identical intent He added, “Pitt has an excel- the 2008 state law banning idling already exist in certain loading lent record for reducing air pollu- by certain diesel vehicles. But the dock areas at the University, but tion in the county, as exemplified director of Environmental Health these signs will be replaced with by several recent environmental and Safety (EH&S) here said Pitt signs that conform to the current stewardship awards and the con- already was on its way to comply- specification,” that is, to read pre- struction of our state-of-the-art ing with the law before the scofflaw cisely “No Idling, Diesel-Powered steam generation plant that uses charges were leveled. Vehicles Over 5 Tons, Act 124 of natural gas as a fuel to fire boilers In a press release issued by 2008” as required by the law. with exceedingly low emission of Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future “Pitt’s plan to provide addi- air pollutants.” (PennFuture), Tiffany Hickman, tional signage where applicable —Peter Hart n western Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for the citizens organization, stated, “We were GSPH: A “breastfeeding friendly” place astonished to find that Pitt is in The Allegheny County Health Department has named the violation of this important law. Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) a winner in its 16th Diesel idling contributes to our annual Breastfeeding Friendly Place Awards. The awards recognize region’s dirty and dangerous air workplaces, public places and other sites away from home that make pollution problem ... yet Pitt an extra effort to accommodate breastfeeding mothers. has no signs that would lead to Instituted as the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Awards in cleaner air.” 1996, the awards were expanded to include all places offering an The Diesel Powered Motor environment that makes it easier to breastfeed away from home. Vehicle Idling Act (Pennsylvania Even though state law expressly allows women to breastfeed Act 124), which went into effect in public, the Association of Women in Public Health says one of in February 2009, requires that the keys to extending breastfeeding times is making places outside property owners post permanent the home more breastfeeding friendly, including workplaces that signs in locations where “diesel go beyond the minimum requirement for an employee to express subject vehicles,” that is, commer- breast milk under the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act. cial vehicles weighing more than Honored in the workplace category for creating a supportive Kimberly K. Barlow 5 tons, load or unload and in any environment, GSPH provides a private office as a lactation room. n location that provides 15 or more Concert series kickoff parking spaces for such vehicles. Musician Brad Yoder kicked off this year’s Emerging Legends UPMC end-of-life program honored music series in the Cup & Chaucer Café at Hillman Library The law prohibits owners and Sept. 9. The free concerts, held at noon on Fridays during the drivers of diesel-powered motor UPMC recently was rec- UPMC was selected by leaders academic year, are sponsored by the University Library System vehicles engaged in commerce (as ognized for its program that in medicine, nursing, social work, in conjunction with Calliope: The Pittsburgh Folk Music Soci- opposed to private use) from idling improves the care of patients ethics and health administra- ety.