Units to test Y2K plans
Research VP cites survey results
Maintenance workers to see changes
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AU REPORT |
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| Headlines Units to test Y2K plans Research VP cites survey results Maintenance workers to see changes |
Up, up and away
A workman toils inside the Ross Hall cupola on July 17,
preparing the lightning damaged fixture for removal by crane.
The cupola was lifted away for repairs in AU's carpentry shop.
Ross is expected to be cupola-less for a few weeks.
Units asked: If Y2K bug bites, what then?
Campus units will soon return briefly to the 1970s B.C. (before computers)
as AU begins testing contingency plans for response to potential bites
from the Y2K bug.
Syd Spain, co-director of AU's Y2K preparedness
team, says the university expects to submit its contingency plan to Gov.
Don Siegelman's office by July 30, as requested of all state operations.
The university's contingency plan -- based on plans submitted by major
divisions -- outlines how AU will respond in case of computer
malfunctions or shutdowns on Jan. 1, 2000, the day the feared Y2K bug
will bite.
In a worst-case scenario, the calendar problem, or "bug" in computer
parlance, will lead to massive computer problems worldwide as two-digit
internal computer clocks read the "00" as 1900 instead of 2000.
The Y2K preparedness team also conducted a planning workshop to help
units develop their plans.
"The next step," Spain said, "is testing the contingency plans. If the
fallback is a manual process, they will be asked to demonstrate that they
can implement it and that they have the necessary resources on hand to do
so."
Most contingency plans would return operations to the prehistoric (in
computer terms) days of the 1970s, before desktop computing became
widespread, or 1960s in the case of mainframe computers. In extreme
cases, such as registration, offices would resort to paper forms and
manual processing, with the resultant long lines of the earlier era.
The contingency testing is a state requirement, Spain noted. Although
offices will not have to go through a lengthy practice run, Spain said they
will be expected to demonstrate that they can maintain operations
manually in the event of a computer shutdown due to Y2K.
In one of several approaches to reducing the danger, Spain said, the
university will purchase Norton 2000 software to check some
spreadsheets and database information on computers and report on
potential Y2K issues.
Spain said the Y2K detection software will enable administrators and
researchers to identify potential problems which can then be averted.
The Division of University Computing will not run the Norton 2000
software for Macintosh computers but will make the software available
for units to test those computers.
To request the software or to request DUC's Y2K teams to run the
software on research computers, complete the research computer form at
the designated
site. Spain reminds users of that web page form to check the type
of computer and denote in the text box at the end of the page whether they
need the software or need DUC to run it.
Facilities Division officials are developing measures requested by AU
President William Muse to address the concerns of Facilities Division and
other maintenance workers who have asked for changes in working hours
and conditions.
Stanley Drake, assistant vice president for Facilities, says he expects the
division to meet the deadlines requested by Muse. Most changes would
take effect by the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, with one more
complex measure, a voluntary employee development program that would
help workers improve their chances of promotion, to be effective by Oct.
1, 2000.
Drake said administrators are working with
Human Resources representatives, other university officials and
consultants from Atlanta in developing the measures. They are also
seeking input from within the division, he added.
In a July 14 memorandum to all AU Facilities Division and other concerned
employees, Muse said his investigation of the concerns raised in a meeting
with approximately 300 workers on June 30 revealed areas for
improvement of working conditions and relationships. But, he noted, his
investigation did not show a pattern of racial or gender discrimination.
"While in any organization the size of Auburn University, there may be
incidents that raise legitimate claims of racial or gender harassment or
discrimination, the general concerns raised by Facilities Division
employees do not appear to be of that character," the AU president stated.
"It is my observation that the issues and concerns expressed generally
relate to problems of communication and management/supervisory
interaction with employees," Muse added. He said intensive training is
needed to address those concerns.
Agreeing with the request for more flexible work hours for custodial
employees and several other concerns raised by Facilities workers, Muse
also promised to improve internal communications and provide more
career development opportunities for workers who maintain the
university's facilities.
Muse said he is committed to the development of an environment which
gives opportunities for employees to develop the knowledge, skills and
abilities to compete for management and supervisory positions. In pursuit
of that goal, Muse said, he has asked Facilities Division administrators to
develop a comprehensive management/supervisory training program and to
develop a plan to provide more career and professional development
programs for employees.
The first of those two steps would address complaints related to
supervisory skills and communication and the second would enable
employees to enhance skills necessary for promotion to supervisory or
management positions.
Muse said he has been informed that most of the specific concerns raised
by Facilities and other maintenance workers in recent months have been
addressed. Discussing two of the remaining concerns, Muse outlined plans
for the development of flexible work shifts for custodial workers and a
plan that recognizes long-term employees for their years of service. He
said he expects both plans to be in place by Oct. 1.
Muse said he has instructed Facilities to develop a more flexible work
schedule with multiple shifts, with some custodial shifts starting work
at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. The plan would replace the current single shift, which
begins at 5 a.m.
Addressing requests for added compensation based on years of
employment, Muse noted that progress has been made in the past year as a
result of recent personnel plan revisions. Approximately 550 Facilities
and maintenance employees -- virtually all in that category -- received
raises to reflect local market conditions.
"I do agree with the concerns expressed for the need to address
recognition of creditable university service," he said, adding that he has
directed implementation of a plan to address the need.
Muse said he also examined requests to eliminate the unpaid meal period
for custodians, who sought to shorten their workday by 30 minutes.
However, he said, the meal break is consistent with the schedule for most
other staff employees and is a necessary part of the work schedule. When
combined with two 15-minute breaks in the work shift, the meal period
provides breaks every two hours for the employees.
Addressing a fourth major point raised by the workers, Muse said a
request contained in a proposed settlement petition from the employees
does not provide sufficient information or justification for him to
evaluate the request.
"As I indicated to you in our meeting, I am committed to fair and equal
treatment for all our employees," Muse stated. The university will
investigate and correct any situation found to violate AU's equal
employment opportunity policy, he pledged.
"It is encouraging that so many talk positively about Auburn research, but
the responses also indicate that there is a significant segment of our
citizenry still unaware of the breadth of not only Auburn's research
programs, but of university research overall," said Associate Provost and
Vice President for Research Michael Moriarty.
Conducted by the Center for
Governmental Services for AU Outreach and the
Office of University
Relations, the survey included the areas of research, instruction
and outreach in an effort to obtain a picture of the public's perception of
The numbers indicate a need for more promotion of the benefits of
research, Moriarty said. "I totally agree with the 80 percent who say that
our research is valuable, but too many others apparently cannot identify
that value."
Moriarty said he believes that the survey may also indicate a void in the
"When used with other indicators, surveys like this one can help us
measure our effectiveness and see where adjustments might be needed to
ensure success," Moriarty said. "This survey indicates to me that we not
only need to press on with our research program, but also, that as an
institution, we must become even more focused on strategically telling
our story."
Alabama's governor delivered the message to a receptive crowd of nearly
200 teachers and 100 guests who had gathered to kick off an
Alabama Reading Initiative training program at the City of
Auburn's Yarbrough Elementary School.
The local program is a partnership of state government, Auburn University
and school systems in East Alabama as part of a statewide effort to raise
the level of reading skills among Alabama's schoolchildren.
The governor spoke to teachers from five area school systems who are
participating in the two-week program designed to provide professional
development aimed at achieving a 100 percent literacy rate among the
state's students.
College of Education Dean Richard C. Kunkel said one of the strengths of
the initiative has been its ability to pull together various forces on behalf
of improved education in Alabama.
The In
Service Training Program in the
College of Education worked with Auburn City Schools
and other participants to develop the program at Yarbrough School ‹ one
of 10 training workshops around the state. With cooperation from higher
education and their local school systems, teachers in the program will use
knowledge and skills developed at the workshop to teach reading skills to
the state's schoolchildren, said Vikki Miller, head of the In-Service
Training Program.
"Bulloch County has this program in place and they have already seen some
positive gains in students' ability to read," said Miller.
Participants said Alabama is the only state with a Reading Initiative
Program that trains teachers on ways to identify students with reading
disabilities.
"I would like to see us get the lines of communication open so well that
you barely see the formal barriers between departments," said Ballew,
who began in the post on July 7. "Our customers are the faculty, staff and
students, and the best way to serve them is to work hand-in-hand with
them in meeting their purchasing needs. To do that, we have to listen to
and understand what those needs are and make sure we meet those needs
in the most cost-effective manner."
The new purchasing director, a native of Sheffield, spent eight years in
the Navy, most as a supply corps specialist, before entering Auburn in
1989 and earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Business in 2 1/2
years.
Since graduating, he has worked for MacMillan Bloedel Packaging Inc. and
Ballew succeeds Ted Brown, who retired last fall.
Budding architects tested by challenge
Auburn architecture students are learning about the basics of design as
well as the plight of refugees by building emergency shelters with little
more than a tarp.
The 70-plus students worked in teams of two designing the emergency
shelters and were given only a 12-by-24 tarp as their main building
material. In addition, they could use only cardboard, duct tape, tent stakes
and rope, said David Hinson, an associate professor in AU's School of Architecture, who is one of several faculty
members teaching the class.
The students completed their work last Tuesday at the university's Bibb
Graves Amphitheater near Dudley Commons, home to AU's School of
Architecture.
"Just as refugees are forced to scavenge for materials, we want these
students to do the same and use their creativity to build their shelter,"
Hinson said.
The ultimate test of the project was last Saturday, when the students
traveled to the school's two design studios -- the Urban Design Studio in
Birmingham and then to the Rural Design Studio in Newbern, Ala., where
they reassembled their shelters and spent the night inside them.
The students, who will be sophomores this fall, are taking the required
one-quarter intensive design class this quarter, taught by several
architecture faculty, including Hinson, Michael Robinson, John Pittari,
Alan Cook, Doug Burleson and Behzad Nakhjavan.
Pittari says the students were challenged with this project. "We wanted
them to think about many things, the design and the site," he said."We wanted them to think about refugees and wanted them to incorporate
the fact that because refugees are moving quite often, the shelter had to
be moveable."
Todd Roy and Bert Mitchum said they looked at a number of issues before
they started on their shelter. "We wanted to be able to stand up and move
around, yet provide a shelter for sleeping," says Roy, who is from
Montgomery. The two used only three items -- cardboard, rope and the tarp
-- to create their tent.
As a child-care worker, Satcher has responsibility not only for
supervising the children at the home but also helping them develop basic
skills, especially social skills. After attending an Extension 4-H youth-instruction
workshop at AU several years ago, it occurred to her that 4-H projects
could jump-start these skills among her children.
Satcher contacted Calhoun County Extension Agents David West and Ruth
Sarro, who later were joined by AU-based Extension specialists Ken Tilt
and Larry Curtis.
Over time, what began as a modest 4-H project involving one volunteer
eventually was combined with Master Gardener, another popular Extension
program already offered at the facility. Master Gardener, as the name
implies, teaches all facets of gardening, from planting to harvesting.
Realizing the potential of Master Gardeners as an effective teaching tool,
West already had obtained several grants to build a four-acre teaching
facility replete with a greenhouse, a storage shed, tree nursery, a part
time educator and several adult volunteers.
Tilt, an Extension horticulturist at Auburn, helped with the layout of the
nursery, and Curtis, an AU-based agricultural engineer, designed the
irrigation system.
Hayes Jackson, an Extension agent-assistant, provides youngsters with
both hands-on and classroom experience in gardening. "Basically, I take a
day each week with the kids," Jackson said. "I start out with classroom
instruction in the morning, covering everything from trees to small fruits,
then I follow up with greenhouse work in the afternoons."
This hands-on instruction also has been further enhanced through tours of
forestry research projects at Auburn and at AU's Alabama Agricultural
Experiment Station research site at Camp Hill.
Jackson says some former Attention Home children have been so inspired
by their work with plants that they've decided to pursue full-time
horticulture-related careers. "I had a phone call from one of the students
just yesterday who needed a reference call for a job application," Jackson
said. "Not only had he gained experience working in a greenhouse, but he
was even pursuing a job in the landscape field. I've seen this happen
several times."
Caroline Wellesley, an adult volunteer who works with Jackson, believes
many of the mental seeds that are planted in the kids will benefit them
for the rest of their lives. "I think we're building a work ethic without
realizing it," Wellesley says. "I think some of the benefits may not show
up for years, but eventually, some of these children will start gardens of
their own."
Auburn will officially dedicate the John H. Watson indoor football practice
facility at a ceremony set for Sept. 4 at 10 a.m.
Watson, a Dothan native and 1960 AU graduate, has actively supported Auburn athletics
since his graduation. He has served on the Athletic Advisory Committee
and donated funds to help further Auburn athletics.
The construction of the facility was made possible by a gift from Watson
to the Auburn University Foundation. Watson, who holds a degree in
mechanical engineering from Auburn, has built several corporations,
including the Aladan Corporation, into multi-million dollar enterprises.
Today, he has more than 100 business partners.
The state-of-the-art indoor practice facility will replace the facility
destroyed in 1993 by a snow storm.
Basketball dad
Youths get taste of college through camps
Approximately 10,000 elementary and high school students from around
the nation are descending on Auburn this summer for summer camps
ranging from basketball to yearbooks.
The students, whose visits are spaced throughout the summer, are part of
the annual influx of young people for up to 90 sessions in almost as many
different types of activities.
The youths participate in either coach-sponsored athletic camps or one of
dozens of privately sponsored camps with academic ties that under the
direction of AU's Outreach Programs
Office. While hosting camps for younger students, Auburn also
introduces approximately 350 new freshmen and their parents to campus
per week each summer as part of the Student Affairs Office's Camp War Eagle.
Sam Burney, director of Outreach Programs, says many of the younger
students get their first taste of college life as they live in Auburn dorms,
eat at campus food courts and explore the campus between their camp
sessions. "These young people benefit from participating in the camps,
and get to see the campus and be a part of it while they are here," said
Burney. "It is good for recruiting and good for the students, too."
The largest enrollments are posted by cheerleader and dance camps, which
together account for approximately 4,000 participants in 15 sessions.
Bonnie Stauffer, program developer for Outreach Programs, noted that
entire teams of cheerleaders and their instructors take part each summer
in three-day sessions to learn new routines and refine their members'
skills.
The camps are reporting record enrollments this summer, Burney said.
Fewer camps will be scheduled next summer when the conversion to
semesters will lead to a shorter season. However, Burney said, the
following summers could lead to a large jump in the already sizeable
numbers attending summer camps at Auburn.
"Once we switch to semesters, we will be on a schedule closer to what
the schools have," he noted. "We will be able to schedule camps in May
and early June, when many young people are out of school and want to
attend a camp."
The architects, connected with the DesignAlabama program through AU's
Center for Architecture and Urban Studies in
Birmingham, presented their findings recently in a published report to
Valley city officials.
The team's efforts included a workshop or design charrette -- an intense
team study of a problem that requires a design solution -- in Valley in
April. Team leader Cheryl Morgan, an AU professor of architecture, worked
with the city for six months before the workshop, identifying issues,
opportunities and obstacles.
The city, incorporated in 1980, is comprised of the textile communities of
Shawmut, Langdale, Fairfax and Riverview and is located along the
Chattahoochee River, 30 miles northeast of Auburn. The river supplied
hydro-electric power for the first two cotton mills, Langdale and
Riverview, which were built in the 1860s.
"Valley is a special place created by bringing together four historic mill
villages," Morgan wrote in the DesignValley publication presented to the
city, adding that Valley has "... A great legacy of making things happen."
Some of the suggestions to the city from the DesignAlabama team include:
Other suggestions by the team include capitalizing on the distinct sense
of each village; creating a visitors center in each village; improving US 29
(the city's main traffic corridor) with better signage, landscaping,
lighting and eventually buried utilities; creating opportunities for new
housing; and identifying potential opportunities for new industrial
development.
Architecture Professor Franklin Setzer, director of the Urban Center, also
serves as the executive director of DesignAlabama. He conducted a slide
presentation before city officials and community members when the
published report was delivered.
"Valley is absolutely unique," said Setzer. "It's the only city I know with
no downtown.
"The river is the reason Valley is here in the first place," said Setzer.
"Over time, the community has withdrawn from the river."
"There is not a
clear presence of the river. That's an extraordinarily
important thing," added Setzer. "People in Birmingham lament the fact
that they don't have a river."
A University Senate proposal that could have
led to criminal background checks for new faculty has gone back to the
drawing board.
The proposal, tabled by the faculty representative body on July 13, would
have asked the administration to either include faculty in background
checks now under way for new and transferred staff and administrative
personnel or abandon the practice for everyone. The proposal originated in
the Staff Council and mirrored requests from members
of the Administrative and Professional
Council. Members of both representative bodies have sought to
have the requirement extended to faculty or withdrawn from application
to their employee groups.
Members of the Staff Council and the Administrative and Professional
Assembly have objected to the recently implemented policy of requiring
background checks of new hires and transfers among those employee
groups to determine if individuals have police records or have lied about
education credentials or requirements on their applications.
Several faculty senators, echoing earlier remarks by Staff Council and
Administrative and Professional representatives, objected to background
checks of transfers, as well as new hires. Members also called the
proposed background checks too broad in coverage and application.
Jim Ferguson, vice president for Administrative Services, told the University
Senate that the Staff Council's request to that group came while the
administration was still developing a proposal for the faculty. Ferguson
said he thinks the administration can work with senate officers to
develop a plan that is more acceptable to the faculty senators.
The policy was extended to all non-faculty employees after
administrators noted that its previous use in only a few job categories,
such as custodians, could who enter offices after hours, presented
problems because the majority of those affected by the old policy were
black. The new policy provides more racial balance and enables the
university to identify persons who have fail to disclose criminal
backgrounds or other important information on their applications,
Ferguson said.
In other action, the University Senate voted to nominate Harold Franklin,
AU's first black student, for an honorary degree. Franklin entered the
university in 1964 to pursue a master's degree but left after a few
months. He later earned a master's degree at the University of Denver and
is now retired from a career as a faculty member Tuskegee University and
Talladega College.
University Senate leaders said the nomination was the first in memory to
be submitted by the Senate. The nomination will be forwarded to the
nominations committee of the Board of Trustees. Under board rules,
nominations must wait at least one year before they can be considered.
An annual workshop for children to instill in them a love of art has been
set for early August at AU.
The sixth annual Children's Art Workshop! is scheduled for Aug. 2-5 and 9
12 and about 75 children ages 4 through 15 are expected to attend. The
workshop is a way to introduce students to art where they may not
otherwise learn to appreciate it, says Chi Chi Lovett, an assistant
professor in AU's Department
of Art and coordinator of the program.
The cost of the workshop if $25 per child for each week, but no child is
turned away because of finances. Spaces are still available in each
session and to register for either workshop, contact the AU Department of
Art at 844-4373.
The University Continuing Education Association report says that from
1998 to 2002, the number of college students enrolled in distance
learning courses is expected to rise from by 5 percent to 15 percent, for
an increase of 710,000 to 2.2 million, and the proportion of four-year
institutions offering distance learning is expected to go from 62 to 84
percent.
At AU, the academic units with the highest distance education
productivity in 1997-98 were Business (3,775 quarter hours), Education
(566 quarter hours), Engineering (692 quarter hours) and Liberal Arts (376
quarter hours), says Rick Alekna, director of Distance Learning and
Outreach Technology.
This rapid growth, he says, is a result of at least three major factors: the
complexity of daily life has made it increasingly difficult to attend
campus-based programs; the development of new electronic delivery
systems has enhanced the viability of distance education programs and
made them more accessible to the general population; and the critical
nature of the need for professionals to continually enhance their
educational level and maintain currency in their professional fields.
Campus Roundup
AP Assembly to meet Aug. 4
University Senate to meet Aug. 10
Staff Council to meet Aug. 11
Child Study Center has openings
BC/BS representative visit scheduled
While teams of computer experts from AU's Division of University
Computing have been testing mission-sensitive computers and providing
information to
help other users avoid the problem, Spain has been collecting and
organizing the contingency plans in case some bugs slip through the
cracks.
Changes in promotions, hours set for maintenance workers
Research VP says survey identifies strengths, challenges in AU
image
More than 80 percent of the respondents in a recent AU image survey
indicate a belief that its research program is valuable to the state, but
the results show the need for more effort to enhance the climate for
university research and to promote its impact, says AU's Vice
President for Research.
AU's competitiveness. Although research received good marks, Moriarty
noted that only slightly more than 50 percent of the respondents indicated
a direct and identifiable benefit received from AU research. Of 400
respondents, 217 expressed having received a tangible benefit through AU
research. One hundred thirty-six said they could not identify a direct
tangible benefit, while 47 were undecided.
public's perception of AU research that could affect the funding climate
for university research as a whole.
Governor backs Reading Iniative Program
Program participants were optimistic at Tuesday's session. "The reason
we are here is to learn how to target struggling readers," said one of the
participants, Glen Jones, a teacher from Huguley Elementary School in
Chambers County. "The training is for schoolwide programs and the goal
is to make every student a good reader."
New purchasing chief takes reins
the Lozier Corporation. Ballew also earned an MBA through AU's College of
Business Outreach program.
'Refugee' architecture
Architecture students Stephanie Ward, left, and Robyn Foster
begin construction on their emergency shelter as part of a class
assignment in the School of Architecture. More than 70 first
year architecture students were given the task of building a
shelter with few materials.
Extension project teaches responsibility through gardening
Dedication set for athletic facility
Ten-year-old Joseph Siegelman, right, receives his first
instruction from Shannon Weaver, left, assistant men's
basketball coach at Auburn University on the first day of the
Cliff Ellis Basketball Camp. Joseph's dad, Alabama Gov. Don
Siegelman, center, looks on. About 1,000 youth attend various
athletic camps at AU each summer.
Faculty, student architects assist city of Valley
* Capitalize on Valley's exceptional location as a "gateway" city to the
state.
* Capitalize on the opportunities of the river -- capture recreational,
tourism and historic opportunities which exist and recognize the river as
a major component for broader regional engagement.
* Capitalize on the rich history of the mills and villages -- consider
interpretive opportunities which link the mills, villages and other historic
sites within Valley and consider a museum which focuses on the history
of the cotton/weaving industry, the mills, the mill villages and the
Chattahoochee River valley.
* Build on the linkages and opportunities created by Valley's new Rails
To-Trails -- capture opportunities for interpretation at historic sites and
create a strong sense of the trail segments as it weaves its way through
each community.
AU Senate tables criminal background check proposal
Art workshop set for August
AU distance learning programs grow 17 percent in four years
The Administrative and Professional
Assembly, representative body for all employees in those
classifications, will meet at 2 p.m. Aug. 4 in Foy 213 to conduct assembly
business and elect a chair-elect and secretary elect for 1999-2000. The
meeting is open to all.
The University Senate, representative body for
AU faculty, will meet at 3:10 p.m. Aug. 10 in Broun Hall auditorium for
its monthly session. The meeting is open to all.
The AU Staff Council, representative body for all staff
employees, will hold its quarterly meeting at a new time and location: 10
a.m. on Aug. 11 at 10 a.m. in Broun Hall auditorium. Johnny Green, interim
director of the Minority Advancement Office, will be the speaker. The
meeting is open to all.
The Child Study
Center, the only nationally accredited child care center in the
area, has openings in the 4-year-old and 5-K classes. For more
information e-mail lsilvern@humsci.auburn.edu or call 844-4696 .
AU's Blue Cross/Blue Shield representative will be on campus on Aug. 10
from 10 a.m.-noon in the Payroll and Benefits Office at
Ingram 212 to answer questions from AU faculty and staff about health insurance coverage and
other Blue Cross/Blue Shield benefits. No appointment is necessary.
Unsung Hero
Willie Reese, Facilities
What do you do in your current job? "Water, gas, steam, sewer and
similar jobs."
What is the most rewarding part of your job? "When I have made
someone happy."
What is the most challenging part of your job? "Not knowing what
to do."
If you were not doing this job, what would you most like to do?
"I have no idea."
What makes Auburn special? "The people I work with and the ones I
serve."
What was your first impression of Auburn University? "The
football spirit."
How has that impression changed? "It got better."
What words best describe Auburn as a work environment,
learning environment or just a place to be? "Just the place to be."
What do you like to do when not at work? "Fish, lift weights and
ride bikes."
What person or persons do you most admire? "Jesus."
What is your favorite line from the Auburn Creed and why? "I
believe in a sound mind in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and
in clean sports to develop these qualities."