Emory Report

July 10, 2000

Volume 52, No. 37

Employee Council Members discuss UA, council anniversary The Employee Council's June 21 meeting in the business school opened with a presentation on the construction at University Apartments by Todd Schill, assistant dean and director of residential services. Schill took Council members for a tour around an artist's rendering of the UA campus, gave deadlines for completion and answered questions. UA's living quarters, which will house more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students as well as several faculty, will not be open to staff, Schill said, save for an on-site manager. Staff members will not be shut out of the complex, however. Many staff will park in one of the three parking garages on the campus (and ride a shuttle into the main campus), and the UA activity center will be open to staff for a fee similar to that of the P.E. Center. UA will have one point of entry, and when asked about how that setup would affect traffic (particularly during morning and evening rush hours), Schill said the entrance will be widened and the lights timed to accommodate employee comings and goings. Turning to council news, the special issues committee gave an update on several subjects it began exploring in May. A subcommittee was formed to investigate the creation of smoking areas outside several buildings-the first being Emory Hospital. A discussion then ensued on the subject of exchanging saved sick days for earlier retirement. The Council will look deeper into this issue and report at the September meeting. The membership committee passed out a new council brochure with an updated member list, and it reiterated the importance of recruiting the maximum number of members in each University area. Council members who sit on the parking and transportation committee of the University Senate reported that discussion centered around rerouting traffic at Uppergate. Don Newsome, the Council's representative on the Lullwater Task Force, gave an update on its work. He said the committee toured the entire 132 acre area in early June. The task force will meet monthly, Newsome said, and will offer opinions and suggestions to President Bill Chace about the best way to take care of the green space. After Newsome's presentation, President Susan Cook retook the podium and announced that the council's contribution to the University's Year of Reconciliation will be hosting four brown-bag luncheons on diversity in the workplace. Cook also noted the original text of Chancellor Billy Frye's letter to the Emory community regarding the Year of Reconciliation stated that Emory wants to "highlight the work of Emory faculty and students." When it was pointed out that "staff" had been left off, it was added. The full text of the letter can be found at the Provost Office's website at www.emory.edu/PROVOST. The next subject was the Council's anniversary week. Planning is moving along smoothly. As part of the activities, the Council is hoping to put together a blood drive. Volunteers are also needed to facilitate brown bag discussions, and Cook hopes that Bob Ethridge, associate vice president for Equal Opportunity Programs, will speak at the anniversary banquet that will cap the celebration. Cook also asked for the formation of a banner committee to create one for anniversary week as well as a permanent council banner. Cook encouraged committee chairs to contact Julia Leon in ITD with updates so they can be posted on the council's website. Cook also wants to post the minutes on the website and change the format to give it a new, more interesting look. The next Employee Council meeting will be held Sept.16. -Eric Rangus Return to July 10, 2000 contents page