Aug. 10, 2010 issue
News Briefs

By Ron Podell

• Football season tickets now on sale
• Football vouchers on sale
• Ypsilanti Heritage Festival scheduled Aug. 20-22
• College Place work almost finished
• August baseball camp
• Faculty and staff TR2 workshops
• New faculty photos needed
• EMU staff/faculty eligible for tuition waiver
• New faculty orientation scheduled Sept. 1-2
• New student orientation scheduled Sept. 4-7
• Colleges schedule annual fall meetings
• Jason Mraz concert
• Academic Advising and Career Services merger

 

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

EXCITED FANS: A new season of EMU football is a few weeks away. Season tickets for five home games are now on sale.

• Football season tickets now on sale: Purchase your 2010 Eastern Michigan University football season tickets now. Home games this year include: Army, Sept. 4; Central Michigan, Sept. 18; Ohio, Oct. 2 (homecoming); Toledo, Oct. 30 (Band Day); and Northern Illinois, Nov. 26. For more information or to order tickets, call 487-2282.

• Football vouchers on sale: Buy a pack of 10 EMU football vouchers for $30, normally a $90 value. Redeem vouchers at an EMU ticket office for tickets to any 2010 home football game. To buy a voucher pack or for more information, please contact David Webster or Hanna Downs at 487-2483. Season tickets are $45. To buy tickets or for more information, visit emueagles.com or call 487-2282.

GOOD EATS: The Ypsilanti Heritage Festival offers something for everbody, including a variety of foods to keep the energy levels up all day long. This year's festival is scheduled Aug. 20-22.

• Ypsilanti Heritage Festival scheduled Aug. 20-22: The Ypsilanti Heritage Festival is back! This year's festival is scheduled Aug. 20-22. This year's festivities include stage performances, games and contests, arts and crafts, a Children's Village, museums, tours and much more. "The 1973 Ypsilanti All-Star game that never was" will be played as well. The original game between the Ypsilanti American All-Stars and their rival, the Ypsilanti Nationals, was never played because of 12-year-old Carolyn King’s fight to play in the Little League. Events and activities will take place in Depot Town, downtown Ypsilanti, Riverside Park and Frog Island Park. The entire three-day festival is free and open to all. For more information about the festival, go to http://www.ypsilantiheritagefestival.com/. The opening reception is scheduled Thursday, Aug. 12, 7-10 p.m., at the Polo Fields Washtenaw (formerly Washtenaw Country Club). Tickets are $45 per person or $75 per couple. Tickets also will be sold at the door for $50.

A NEW ROAD: College Place will soon be ready in time for the new school year. During the summer, the road was completely rebuilt with sidewalk replacements and four painted crossing areas.

• College Place work almost finished: The College Place renovation project is close to concluding. College Place, between Forest and West Cross, will be closed until completion of the project. The renovations include: College Place street repairs, sidewalk replacement, upgrading of ADA ramps on the corners of West Cross and College Place, installation of a back-flow preventer by YCUA, and four painted crossing areas along College Place and Forest. Also, the small parking lot next to Pierce Hall will be renovated and the entrance into the Pease lot from Forest will be widened. The project is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 22. For more information, call Dieter Otto at 487-0306.

• August baseball camp: Eastern Michigan University's baseball team will host a Prospect Baseball Camp Aug. 28, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Aug. 29, 9 a.m., at Oestrike Stadium. Prospect Camp is open to all high school players graduating in the years 2011-2014. Registration is required and costs $150 for both days. For more information, call Andrew Maki, EMU assistant baseball coach, at 487-1985.

• Faculty and staff TR2 workshops: The Faculty Development Center is offering technology, teaching and research workshops Aug. 31, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Halle Library. The workshops are open to anyone who teaches at EMU. For more information, call the Faculty Development Center at 487-0020, extension 2112; or e-mail 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 Thursday, Sept. 2, for use in the Sept. 7 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: Are you an Eastern Michigan University staff or faculty member? If so, you are eligible to use the University tuition waiver at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. For full-time employees, the benefit can be used to waive tuition fees for up to six (6) credit hours per semester. Part-time employees get up to three (3) credit hours per semester. This benefit can be used once per term. Should your tuition amount exceed $5,250 annually, the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) requires reporting and withholding of income, state and VICA taxes. Tuition waivers exceeding $5,250 per year (fall, winter, spring and summer) will be considered taxable income. In the event that this waiver is exceeded, please keep track of the value of waivers used. Tuition waiver applications for employees and spouse/dependents are available on the Human Resources website under HR forms, under benefits, at www.emich.edu/hr/hrforms. Please make sure you complete a new waiver for each term. The tuition waiver deadline for the fall term is Sept. 17. For questions, call the Benefits Office at 487-3195.  

• New faculty orientation scheduled Sept. 1-2: Orientation for new Eastern Michigan University faculty is scheduled Sept. 1, 8 a.m., room 300, Halle Library; and Sept. 2, 8 a.m., room 300, Halle Library. The meetings will provide new faculty with the skills and knowledge to begin teaching within one week; a sense of the mission, culture and spirit of EMU; and familiarity with services and resources available. For more information, contact the Faculty Development Center at 487-0020.

FALL FEVER: New students to EMU can get oriented to campus during FUSION Sept. 4-7.

• New student orientation scheduled Sept. 4-7: FUSION, Eastern Michigan's new student orientation program, is scheduled Sep. 4-7. The four-day program for incoming freshmen, transfer students and adult students helps students be prepared and connected for success at EMU. FUSION includes a family picnic, residence hall move-in, campus life seminars, games, EMU productions, Fajita Fest and more. For more information, call Campus Life at 487-3045, or visit http://www.emufusion.org/. For a complete FUSION schedule, go to http://www.emufusion.org/schedule.php.

• Colleges schedule annual fall meetings: Eastern Michigan University’s five colleges have scheduled their annual fall meetings. The schedule is as follows: The College of Health and Human Services fall meeting is scheduled Sept. 7, 8 a.m., room 108, Marshall Building. The College of Education fall meeting is Sept. 7, 9 a.m., room 203, Porter Building. The College of Arts and Sciences fall meeting is scheduled Sept. 7, 2 p.m., room 310 AB, Student Center. The College of Business fall meeting is Sept. 10, 9 a.m., room 114, Owen Building.The College of Technology fall meeting is Sept. 17, 1 p.m., room 143, Sill Hall. In addition, Halle Library’s annual fall retreat is scheduled Sept. 7. For more information, contact each of the colleges individually.

MUSIC FROM MRAZ: Jason Mraz performs in concert Sept. 16 at the Convocation Center.

• Jason Mraz concert: Grammy-nominated artist Jason Mraz performs in concert Sept. 16 in the Convocation Center. Doors open at 7 p.m. Mraz, a pop-rock singer-songwriter, is best known for his songs "Remedy (I Won't Worry)," "You & I Both," "Wordplay," "MR. A-Z" and "Lucky." Tickets are now on sale. For tickets, go to www.emutix.com or call the Convocation Center Box Office at 487-2282.

• Academic Advising and Career Services merger: The merging of Academic Advising and Career Services into the newly named University Advising & Career Development Center (UACDC) has entered Phase II with the majority of academic advising staff being moved to temporary accommodations (joining the Career Center staff) in 200 McKenny Hall.  

Some changes have been made to the leadership structure:  Adam Meyer, current director of the Disabilities Resource Center (DRC), will become the senior director of the UACDC. In this role, he will retain director duties for the DRC, oversee operations of the UACDC and assist with strategic planning and assessment efforts for all of the Student Success areas. Sarah Kersey Otto will become the director of Career Development and Outreach, which provides oversight of student employment, employer outreach and development, and shared oversight of career exploration functions. Her responsibilities also will include marketing, web, media and communications for all Student Success areas.  An additional position, director of academic and career planning (position to be filled), will provide oversight of academic advising initiatives and shared oversight of career exploration functions. Molly Weir, associate director for the UACDC, will take a lead role in the creation of new advising initiatives for transfer students and will oversee the remaining staff members in Pierce Hall. Charles Fulford, assistant director for the UACDC, will continue with academic actions, individualized studies program and general advising responsibilities. The Coordinated Student Advising Team (CSAT) has now relocated back to Pierce Hall, joining Weir and the remaining staff members (graduate assistants) in the 301 suite of Pierce. All phone numbers moved with the staff/operations. For additional information, please contact Lynette Findley at  lfindley@emich.edu  or 487-6694.