Archived Suggestions :: November 2005

Suggestion — 883

Subject — Utility Bills

Forwarded to — Director of Facilities

Suggestion / Comment

Since the utility bill is quite high.....why don't we start a program of telling everybody how high the utility bill is and then let's turn out the lights when not in use.

Response

I appreciate your input. I will send something out again.

Suggestion — 884

Subject — UHV Maps

Forwarded to — Coordinator of Student Relations

Suggestion / Comment

Why isn't there something to tell students where things are located. I am taking an on-line course and the exam is supposed to be in the Alcorn Auditorium at UHV. When I get a campus map all that is listed is an overview and UHV "University West" and UHV "University Center". That doesn't give me any hint on where the Alcorn Auditorium is (or Starbucks, if I was looking for it). Can't you post something a little more comprehensive? Thanks

Response

Thank you for your suggestion. Floor plans of rooms are available on the UHV Web site at http://www.uhv.edu/Facilities/FloorPlans/. I will take your suggestion to the Web Advisory Committee to see if we can make this information easier to find.

Suggestion — 885

Subject — Recruitment

Forwarded to — Provost

Suggestion / Comment

Why are recruiting events focused in the Houston area? It seems that we should be doing more to recruit from here in Victoria - at VC, the Texas Workforce Commission (for workers that have been laid off from other jobs), at businesses in our community. We are going to recruit ourselves right out of a job if they don't start pulling in more students from this area. Plus that should be our main focus - to help this community and the surrounding counties.
Thank you

Response

I don't think events for UHV are focused in the Houston area. The Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch centers do have events that include all four of the participating UH System institutions, and so UHV is simply part of those. Recruitment has largely been shifted to the Academic Schools, particularly given the fact that more than half our students are graduate ones; and the methods of recruitment have changed somewhat, relying less on set events. But we still try our best to reach out to potential students in the Victoria area to inform them of our programs, financial aid support, etc.

Suggestion — 886

Subject — Sending Invitations to "All UHV"

Forwarded to — Director of Communications and Marketing

Suggestion / Comment

Quite some time ago, I recall that faculty and staff were asked not to send party invitations and other large files to “all UHV,” I believe in part to prevent bogging down the mail server and in part as a courtesy to recipients who might not wish to receive such large files by email. In the last few weeks, several very large emailed press releases have been distributed by email from the Office of Marketing and Communications. Could these files possibly be placed on either the P: drive or the web, with an email listing only the title of the release and a link?

Response

Thank for your feedback. The Communications and Marketing press releases are forwarded to "All UHV" to keep UHV faculty and staff informed of what is taking place at the university. This process was established by the president to increase internal communications and share campus news with UHV employees before they are submitted to external media sources. The format in which they are distributed to "All UHV" is in compliance with university policy.

Shoud you not want to receive the press releases in your inbox, you may have them redirected to a folder within MS Outlook. The IT Help Desk can assist in setting up this process up for you.

Suggestion — 887

Subject — Mailing of Invitations to Events

Forwarded to — Director of Community Relations

Suggestion / Comment

Recently invitations were sent out regarding the Hudson's Holiday open house. A number of people were mailed two invitations. I think we could save money if duplicates were reduced. We could also save money if these invitations during the year were simply put in out on campus mail boxes.

Response

Thank you for your concern and bringing this matter to our attention. You are correct in that duplications should be avoided. We recently converted to a new database system that extracts duplicates; however, we learned that it does not "catch" all. We will be searching these records manually to avoid any potential future occurrences. Thank you for your keen eye.

Let me apologize in advance for my long response to your other point. Sending invitations is a process where we try to be as fiscally prudent as possible. Events where only the employee is invited are forwarded through interoffice mail. Events where invitations are mailed to the employees' home addresses occur when a spouse, guest, or an employees' family is invited. Although it may appear that the latter process could save postage if invitations were sent internally, it actually enables our office to save money on catering costs. We have learned that this process produces a more true and accurate count of RSVPs. The count ultimately allows us to secure an appropriate quantity from the caterer, and risk offending our guests by ordering too little, or breaking our budget by ordering too much.

Again, thank you for your concern. Your suggestions are always welcome.

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