4/8/03, Bulletins - Almanac, Vol. 49, No. 28

Bulletins

Alumni Weekend Volunteers | Energy Conservation | Housing Fairs
New in Purchasing | Public Safety Services

Alumni Weekend Volunteers

Development and Alumni Relations is seeking volunteers to join in the fun at Alumni Weekend events May 16-17, 2003. Help welcome back Penn alumni for their reunions.

Benefits include: Having fun; networking with University staff, alumni, and students; and the opportunity to enjoy historical Philadelphia landmarks in a new and exciting way; free food.

Responsibilities may include: Greeting, assisting, and providing information to guests; registration at various events; and crowd control.

Interested volunteers should contact Joanne Gorman at gorman@ben.dev.upenn.edu.

--Development and Alumni Relations

Energy Conservation: Cooling Season Curtailment Steps

conserve resources As part of the University's on-going efforts to save energy and natural resources, the Department of Facilities and Real Estate Services plans to institute the same curtailments used last summer.

Across campus, for the next several weeks, Facilities Services staff will be fine-tuning systems and adjusting temperatures from the heating season set point of 68 degrees to the cooling season set point of 78 degrees. In many of the newer buildings this may be done remotely, however in the older buildings adjustments are typically made at thermostats throughout the building. Therefore in older buildings occupants are asked to please maintain the 78 degrees.

In the event of extreme heat--typically when outdoor conditions reach 94 degrees with 50 percent humidity--Facility Services staff will institute an action plan calling for the following:

E-mail alerts asking the Penn community to turn off all lighting in areas with any natural daylight. In areas with out natural day lighting, but with task lighting, only over head lighting should be turned off.
Shut down select equipment (i.e. air handling units, general exhaust fans, etc.) in specific buildings and in consultation with appropriate school officials.
Institute rolling 30-minute shutdowns of some air-handling units with as much prior notification to the appropriate school officials as possible.
Early Dismissal, requesting that faculty and staff leave after noon, or be directed to work from home as peak demand usually occurs between 1 and 4 p.m. This step requires the approval of the Provost and the Executive Vice President. Announcements will be made through e-mail, voice mail and the MELT line, which is typically used for snow emergencies.

Thank you for your attention in reviewing these steps in preparation for the challenges of this cooling season. With your support and cooperation, we will again be successful in helping the University in this critical effort.

There are additional efforts that ISC is developing and coordinating with the IT Roundtable Committee and the IT Super Users Group. We will provide you additional updates on these initiatives when they are more fully developed.

--Omar Blaik, Vice President, Facilities & Real Estate Services

Annual Homebuyers Fair

The Office of Community Housing cordially invites you to attend our Annual Homebuyers Housing Fair. The fair will be held on Thursday, April 10 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Bodek Lounge in Houston Hall. Come out and speak with lenders, realtors, insurance agents, credit counselors, and others connected to the home buying process. Receive all the information you need about buying a home no matter where you intend to purchase. Sign up to have your credit report run for only $5. You can also talk with representatives from the Office of Community Housing about the Penn Guaranteed Mortgage Program. There is no admission charge for this event. Take your first steps towards owning your own home on April 10 at the Homebuyers Housing Fair. For more information contact the Office of Community Housing (215) 898-7422.

--Stefany Jones, Program Director

Virtual Housing Fair: April 9 & 12

Anyone in need of housing should check out our housing fair. You can search for apartments on-line and in our office. You can receive personal guidance in our office. You can check out our list of Open Houses, so you can tour them at your leisure. This is a must event if you are looking to rent an apartment, house or room-in-house.

For more information check out our web site at www.business-services.upenn.edu/offcampusliving.

--Miki Farcas, Director, Off Campus Living

What's New in Purchasing for April?

The new purchasing related announcements for April are listed below. For a full description see www.purchasing.upenn.edu.

New MasterCard Purchasing Card Cardholder Guide
SciQuest Selected for New Supplier Showcase
Sarstedt Joins the Penn Marketplace
New Brunswick Scientific Joins the Penn Marketplace
Update: New Federal Express Air Freight Procedures

Public Safety Services

We would like to remind the community of the public safety services offered jointly by the University City District and the University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety.

University City walking escorts

University City vehicle lock-out and jump start assistance

These services are available 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week and are free! Just call (215) 898-WALK (9255).

--University City District