Aug. 12, 2008 issue
News Briefs

By Ron Podell

• Heritage Fest scheduled Aug. 15-17
• GOLD alumni event scheduled in Novi
• New FSA debit card coming in mail
• West Circle Drive conversion
• Faculty Development Center workshops offered
• SOTL Fellowship work to be recognized
• Meet and greet scheduled with President Martin, new faculty
• EMU Resource Fair set for Aug. 27-28
• New faculty orientation slated Aug. 27-28
• New faculty photos needed
• EMU staff/faculty eligible for tuition waiver
• Football season tickets now on sale
• Office of Nutrition Services open this summer
• New student orientation scheduled Aug. 30-Sept. 2
• Colleges schedule annual fall meetings
• New e-mail system to be introduced in October

 

The following are news briefs about important activities and events happening at Eastern Michigan University.

CELEBRATE HERITAGE: Ypsilanti's Heritage Festival is scheduled Aug. 15-17 in Riverside Park, Frog Island Park and downtown Ypsilanti. An opening reception for EMU faculty and staff is scheduled Thursday, Aug. 14, 7-10 p.m., University House. Tickets are required. Photo courtesy of www.ypsilantiheritagefestival.com

• Heritage Fest scheduled Aug. 15-17: The annual Ypsilanti Heritage Festival is scheduled Aug. 15-17. This year's festival includes historic tours, a Civil War encampment, arts and crafts, stage entertainment, a Children's Village, the infamous rubber duck race and more. Contests will be played and food will be available. Activities will take place in Riverside Park, Depot Town, Frog Island Park and downtown Ypsilanti. The event is free and open to the public. All EMU faculty and staff are invited to attend an opening reception Thursday, Aug. 14, 7-10 p.m., University House. Tickets are required for the event and may be purchased in advance or at the door. Advance tickets are $40 per person or $70 per couple. Tickets at the door cost $50 per person. Tickets include two complimentary champagne tickets per guest and non-alcoholic beverages and hors d'oeuvres. A cash bar will be available. For tickets, call (734) 483-6071. For more information about the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, go to www.ypsilantiheritagefestival.com.

• GOLD alumni event scheduled in Novi: Join EMU Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) at a pre-concert social Thursday, Aug. 21, 8:30-10 p.m., 5th Avenue Ballroom, 25750 Novi Rd., Novi. The event features a private reception prior to a performance by the Killer Flamingos, who will take the stage at 10 p.m., just feet from the private reception. The Killer Flamingos, a popular southeast Michigan cover band, features a female lead playing covers from the 80s, 90s and current pop/rock hits. Admission to the event is $5 and includes a waived cover charge and admission to the event's private appetizer buffet. Alumni and friends are welcome, but reservations are required. For more information or to place a reservation, please contact the Office for Alumni Relations, 487-0250, or alumni.relations@emich.edu.

• New FSA debit card coming in mail: Eastern Michigan University's Benefits Office has been notified by Ceridian Benefits Services, the University's flexible spending account (FSA) vendor, that services and systems will be upgraded to provide new services to the FSA debit card. As a result, the FSA benefits cards were de-activated Tuesday, July 22. New cards will be issued and mailed to homes between Aug. 18-21. During this four-to-five-week period, access to cards will be denied. Paper claims can be submitted for reimbursement. Access to a priority-processing fax line will be available between July 22-Aug. 31. The fax number is (800) 879-4894. Each healthcare FSA participant will receive a letter from Ceridian Benefits Services explaining the upgrade. The benefits office apologizes in advance for this inconvenience. To access the new information, go to the Web site, http://www.emich.edu/hr/Benefits_FSA/FSA_MedCard_%20Info.pdf . For additional questions, call the benefits office, 487-3195.

TANK WORK: Construction workers excavate a pit at the heating plant tank farm. Four 40,000-gallon tanks will be buried on the site. The retaining wall is designed to stablize that area of Oakwood Drive while work continues through Aug. 22.

• West Circle Drive conversion: The north leg of West Circle Drive will be closed between Oakwood and Rackham Circle through Friday, Aug. 29. Two-way traffic will be permitted from the entry at the Oakwood South Parking Lot all the way around to the Rackham Circle across from Bowen. One-way traffic flow on West Circle Drive will be restored during move-in weekend and continue through Labor Day. On Tuesday, Sept. 3, West Circle Drive will
  again revert back to two-way traffic and remain closed between Oakwood and Rackham Circle through the end of September. Street parking along West Circle Drive will not be permitted during this time period. Handicap and COE permit parking will be permitted in front of Rackham. Additionally, there will be periodic lane reductions on Oakwood. This change is required due to construction at the heating plant tank farm. Six 30,000-gallon, No. 2 fuel-oil tanks are being removed and replaced with four 40,000-gallon tanks. This is necessary to comply with DEQ underground storage tank regulations requiring the use of double-walled tanks with leak monitoring systems. The existing tanks are single-wall and cannot be altered to comply with the rules. For questions, please contact Ray Sowers, 487-2055.

• Faculty Development Center workshops offered: The Faculty Development Center will conduct a two-day series of workshops for faculty, lecturers, adjuncts and graduate students, Monday, Aug. 25; and Tuesday, Aug. 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Halle Library. The workshops will cover a range of topics from teaching strategies to using technology in the classroom to brief snapshots of research software. A light lunch will be provided both days. A complete list of workshop descriptions and the registration form is available at www.emich.edu/facdev. Registration is required. For more information, e-mail the Faculty Deveopment Center at aavp_fdc@emich.edu.

• SOTL Fellowship work to be recognized: Nine EMU faculty members participated in a year-long Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) fellowship program. After reading and discussing information, each member formulated and shared their own SOTL research problems, conducted research and wrote up the results. The work has been formed into a peer-reviewed book, "Making Learning Visible: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at EMU." The authors will briefly summarize the overall theme of their work during a recognition ceremony, Tuesday, Aug. 26, noon to 1 p.m., Carillon Room, Halle Library. For more information, e-mail aavp_fdc@emich.edu.

Martin

• Meet and greet scheduled with President Martin, new faculty: The campus community will have an opportunity to meet EMU President Susan Martin and the 26 new faculty members, Wednesday, Aug. 27, noon to 1:30 p.m., room 300, Student Center. Light refreshments will be available. For more information, e-mail aavp_fdc@emich.edu.

• EMU Resource Fair set for Aug. 27-28: The EMU Resource Fair, scheduled Wednesday, Aug. 27, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Student Center Ballroom, will provide students, faculty and staff information about the Ypsilanti community, and the important organizations, programs and services on campus. More than 70 booths with program and center leaders will be available to answer questions. This event is open to faculty, staff and students. For more information, e-mail aavp_fdc@emich.edu.

• New faculty orientation: New faculty members are required to attend the New Faculty Orientation, Wednesday, Aug. 27, and Thursday, Aug. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., room 300, Halle Library. This meeting will provide information for new faculty to begin teaching in a week; a sense of the mission, culture and spirit of EMU; and an overview of services and resources available. Registration and a continental breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. For more information, contact th Faculty Development Center at aavp_fdc@emich.edu.

• New faculty photos needed: If you are a new faculty member who will be joining Eastern Michigan University this fall, please schedule a photo appointment with University Photographer Randy Mascharka. Photos are needed by Wednesday, Aug. 27, for use in the Sept. 2 back-to-school issue of FOCUS EMU and for University Communications' files. To schedule an appointment, call 487-4403, or e-mail rmaschar@emich.edu

• EMU staff/faculty eligible for tuition waiver: Eastern Michigan University staff and faculty are eligible to use the University tuition waiver benefits for courses at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level. The benefit waives up to six (6) credit hours for a full-time employee and up to three (3) credit hours for a part-time employee each term. The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) requires reporting and withholding of income, state and FICA taxes for the value of tuition waivers whenever an amount exceeds $5,250 annually per employee. The value of tuition waivers exceeding $5,250 in a year (fall, winter, spring and summer) will be considered taxable income. Please keep track of the value of the waivers used in the event this amount is exceeded. Tuition waiver applications for employees and spouse/dependents are available on the Human Resources Web site under HR forms, under benefits, at www.emich.edu/hr/hrforms. Be sure to complete a waiver form each term.  For questions, call the Benefits Office, 487-3195.

CATCH THE NEW SEASON: Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2008 Eastern Michigan University football season. The Eagles will host five home games.

• Football season tickets now on sale: Season tickets for Eastern Michigan University's football team are now on sale. Home games this year include: Indiana State, Aug 28; the University of Toledo, Sept. 13; Northern Illinois, Sept. 27 (Homecoming); Akron, Oct. 18 (Band Day); and Central Michigan University, Nov. 28. For more information or to order tickets, call 487-2282.

• Office of Nutrition Services open this summer: The Office of Nutrition Services, located in 108 Roosevelt Hall, will be open to serve faculty, staff and students during the summer semester. The office is open every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Services include individual nutrition counseling, body composition and nutrient analysis. Student fees are $5 and faculty/staff fees are $10. For more information or to make an appointment, call 487-6572 or e-mail chhs_nutrition@emich.edu.

• New student orientation scheduled Aug. 30-Sept. 2: Fusion, Eastern Michigan University's new student orientation, is scheduled Aug. 30 to Sept. 2. The mandatory four-day program for incoming freshmen is geared toward helping them be prepated and connected for success. The event includes residence hall move-in, a family picnic, seminars about life at EMU, Fajita Fest, Community Plunge, YpsiFest and more. For more information, call Campus Life, 487-1208, or go to http://www.emufusion.org/. For a complete schedule, go to http://www.emufusion.org/schedule.php

• Colleges schedule annual fall meetings: Eastern Michigan University's five colleges have scheduled their fall meetings. The College of Education fall meeting is scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 2, 9 a.m., room 203, Porter Building. The College of Arts and Sciences fall meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2 p.m., Strong Auditorium. The College of Business will have its meeting Friday, Sept. 5, 9 a.m., room 114, Owen Building. The College of Health and Human Services has scheduled its meeting Friday, Sept. 5, 10 a.m., room 108, Marshall Building. The College of Technology has set its meeting for Friday, Sept. 12, 11:30 a.m., witha location to be announced. In addition, Halle Library has scheduled its fall meeting Tuesday, Sept. 2, 11 a.m. For more information, call each of the colleges individually.

• New e-mail system: Eastern Michigan University will introduce a new system for e-mail, calendaring and collaboration beginning in October. The e-mail component will be implemented Oct. 3, with the other components to follow in early 2009. For more information, go to www.emich.edu/email. An EMU name and graphic identity is needed for the new system. Please visit this brief survey to include input about a name: http://webstage.emich.edu/email_survey/.