Archived Suggestions :: February 2006

Date:               02-2-06
Subject:           Walking Trail
Forwarded to:  Director of Facilities
Since facilities has worked so hard to make our campus more attractive, I think it would be a good idea to provide a walking trail through the UHV/VC campus for the public. It would be a good way to bring people to the campus on a regular basis and might make them more aware of the accessibility of our classes. We could mark off paths with distances and provide maps. The expense would be minimal and the more people who walked here, the safer it would be.

Response: 
I understand that the walking trail is in the Victoria College master plan.    When I spoke with VC Facilities staff they did not have a date scheduled for this activity. 

Date:        02-06-06
Subject:    Web Page
Forwarded to:  Web Services Manager
Please post a number for the bookstore on your home page
Response: 
Thank you for your suggestion. I’ll take it to the Web Advisory Committee.

Why was an Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences allowed to purchase leather furniture when they already had furniture that was just fine, especially now with all the talks about not making enrollments, lean budgets?

Response:
When I took over the Interim Dean responsibilities for the 2005-2006 academic year in August of 2005, I polled my staff and faculty about ways to improve colleagiality and morale in Arts and Sciences.  Many of the faculty noted that when the Arts and Sciences changed locations last year, we lost a space to mingle with each other, and that this was sorely missed.  The staff expressed concern about the office configuration in Arts and Sciences.  Putting 2+2 together, I decided to reorganize our office space, and to create a lounge in Arts and Sciences where students, faculty and staff could comfortably mingle and talk. To this end, I asked three of my staff (Alma, Harry, and Iris) to rearrange their office locations in order to improve productivity and morale as well as to open up an area for all to share.  I noted to them that there was no place in Arts and Sciences for faculty, students, and staff to just relax and talk with each other, and that Iris's "office" was not a productive work environment. Thus, what was previously Iris Tam's office has become the Arts and Sciences main lobby.  The result was a very large room with only an old love seat that was purchased in 1993 and was very outdated.  The university has funds aIlocated for office furnishings and I requested and received permission for payment to be made from the allocated funds.  I asked my staff to explore options for additional furnishings for the room: furnishings that would be durable, inviting, easy to maintain, and cost-effective.  After exploring a number of different furnishing options, we decided to go with a very affordable low-end leather set and some accompanying tables.  They should last us a long time.

This investment has made Arts & Sciences reception area inviting to students, faculty, staff and the general public.  During peak times of student traffic, the space has provided a comfortable area for students while waiting to speak to a degree plan counselor or other personnel. 

Date:            02-16-06
Subject:        Lotion Dispensers
Forward to:  Director of Facilities

It would be a nice idea to have a lotion container on the walls in the bathrooms.

Response:
To my knowledge it is not a practice to provide lotion dispensers at a public institution. 

Date:                02-22-06
Subject:            Room Reservations
Forwarded to:  Director of Facilities
As an employee of UHV I find it extremely frustrating trying to reserve rooms. The duties shift from person to person so often that knowing who to contact becomes quite challenging. I would like to suggest having ONE person responsible for ALL room reservations (with the exceptions of the ITV rooms and the President's conference room). I would also go further and suggest a link entitled "Room Reservations) be placed on the faculty and staff home page. This would certainly simplify the process! Perhaps the receptionist could be the contact person? Anyway, the current system of email-and-phone-six-different-people-before-you-find-the-right-one really stinks!

Response:
It is not practical to have one person responsible for all reservations.  Please refer to policy H-1 for updates and any changes that may come about as to who is responsible for the reserving of rooms.

Date:      02-22-06
Subject:  Copy Machine
Sent to:   Coordinator of Student Relations

There should be a working copy machine in the University Center building for use by students. The one in the media library has been out of commission for quite some time and apparently there is no money in the budget to have it repaird.

Response:
Thank you for your suggestion.  I will look into either purchasing a new copier or repairing the one we have now. 

Date:      02-27-06
Subject:  Benefits/Retirement Workshop
Sent to:  Director of Human Resources and Affirmative Action
There are so many questions about Teacher Retirement, Insurance Benefits, etc that staff have and are afraid to ask. I know other campuses have workshops for staff and faculty regarding this topic. Why can't UHV have a workshop?

Response:
We are currently in the process of coordinating a benefits/retirement workshop to take place in the very near future with both Teacher Retirement System (TRS) and ERS.  Great suggestion!

Click here to return to the Archived Suggestions Page