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DECEMBER
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES ONE WEEK AWAY
For
the first time, UM will hold a December commencement
for the more than 700 students graduating this month.
Ceremonies will be held on Thursday, December 19
on the Coral Gables Campus. In addition, the School
of Medicine will hold its ceremony for the graduate
program in Physical Therapy at 10 a.m. on Saturday,
December 14, and the School of Law will hold its
commencement at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 22,
both at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Miami. For more
information, click
here.
STUDENT
NAMED RHODES SCHOLAR
Biology
student Devi Sridhar has been named a Rhodes Scholar,
one of only thirty two nationwide. At eighteen years
old, Sridhar is the youngest Rhodes Scholar ever to
be named. She is a student in the University’s
Medical Honors Program, which fast tracks students from
undergraduate entrance to medical degree in six years.
An accomplished violinist and ranked tennis player,
she speaks five languages and has written a children’s
book on Indian myths, Puzzle Your Way Through Indian
Mythology. In high school, she tutored autistic
children and started a multi-school organization to
work with autism. Sridhar plans to study international
relations at Oxford. Read the news
release or see the pictures of Sridhar
meeting with President Shalala.
UM
MAKES ANOTHER "TOP" LIST
Your
University of Miami made two more Top 10 lists. The
Princeton Review's Best 345 Colleges Rankings
placed UM fifth in the Schools in Great College Towns
category and sixth in the Students from Different Backgrounds
category. Read
more.
THINK
OUTSIDE THE BOX THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Give
the gift of wellness this holiday season. The Wellness
Center has gift certificates available for massage therapy,
fitness testing, instructional classes, membership (must
meet eligibility requirements), and other services.
Tell someone you really care by giving them a healthy
start to the new year. For information on gift certificates
for wellness and fitness services, call the wellness
suite at 305-284-LIFE (5433). For information
on gift certificates for membership, call the membership
office at 305-284-8540.
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2003
OPEN ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION
2003
Open Enrollment Verification notices are
being mailed via interoffice address this
week. The notice is a verification of the
benefits you have elected for calendar year
2003. Please review the Open Enrollment
Verification notice carefully, and if you
need to make any corrections, fill out the
form, sign it and fax it to Benefits Administration
at 305-284-4568. The deadline to
make any changes to the 2003 Open Enrollment
Verification notice is Friday, December
13. Changes to 2003 benefits will not
be accepted after the deadline.
ASK MR. BILL ABOUT YOUR BENEFITS
Ask
Mr. Bill is the new Benefits Administration
Web page that answers many of your frequently
asked benefit questions. Visit Ask
Mr. Bill this week for questions related
to health care and free-standing facilities.
You may submit questions on this page regarding
UM benefits.
BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS
Benefits
Administration has completed a review of
beneficiary designation forms. Faculty and
staff who do not have a beneficiary form
on file will be sent a letter along with
blank beneficiary designation forms to their
home address. Please compete the beneficiary
form and return to Benefits Administration.
If your martial status has recently changed
or you wish to update your UM beneficiary
forms, visit the Forms
Web page. Print the beneficiary forms,
complete them and mail originals to Benefits
Administration.
NOTIFY BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION IMMEDIATELY
UPON DIVORCE
Federal
courts have held that failure to notify
benefit plan administrators at the time
of divorce is fraud. A recent court case
awarded punitive damages to the employer.
The employee who failed to properly notify
the benefit plan administrator of a divorce
was ordered to pay back health care claims
spent by the employer on behalf of the ex-spouse.
Upon
divorce remember to do the following:
- Contact
Benefits Administration at 305-284-6832.
- Provide
a copy of the final divorce decree from
the court.
- Provide
an updated mailing address, if applicable,
for your ex-spouse.
- You
may wish to consider updating beneficiary
forms for retirement and life insurance
benefits. Beneficiary forms are available
online. Click
here for Forms.
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RICHTER
LIBRARY NEWS
- LIBRARY
AREAS TO CLOSE
The
Archives and Special Collections Department and the
Cuban Heritage Collection will be closed from Tuesday,
December 24, to Wednesday, January 1, 2003.
They will re-open at 9 a.m. on Thursday, January
2, 2003.
- COLLECTIONS
MOVING TO BROCKWAY HALL
The
Richter Library is moving the Periodicals dated 1980-1989
to Brockway Hall to make room for new materials. The
move will begin on Thursday, January 2, 2003
and will be completed by Friday, January 10, 2003.
A new location code, "Brockway Storage Facility,"
will display in IBISWEB. During the move and after
its completion, users who need access to Periodicals
from the 1980's can send an electronic request to
the Circulation Desk via the library Web
page. The collection housed in Brockway Hall will
be closed to the public, and faculty and graduate
students will be able to browse the collection by
appointment only (305-284-3233) between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m.
- FUMIGATION
OF THE RICHTER LIBRARY
The Richter Library and the South Campus Library
Facility will be closed for termite and other insect
fumigation from Thursday, December 26 through
Sunday, December 29. Both facilities will reopen
on Monday, December 30. Access to the buildings,
including the Breezeway, will not be permitted while
this work is in progress. Individuals should return
library materials, especially those with due dates
that occur during the closure, to the Circulation
Desk prior to December 24 as the book drop will not
be accessible during the fumigation closure.
- HOLIDAY
CLOSURES
The Richter Library will be closed on Tuesday,
December 31 and Wednesday, January 1 for
the holiday.
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 Amy
Clement, assistant professor, Rosenstiel
School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
Current research: My research addresses
some fundamental questions about the behavior
of
the climate system -- how sensitive is
the Earth's climate to external forcing
such as changes in greenhouse gases, or
changes in the solar radiation? How quickly
can the climate change? My focus has generally
been on the tropical ocean-atmosphere
system, and in particular on the El Nino/Southern
Oscillation (ENSO).
Favorite
spot on campus? It's a toss up between
the RSMAS bar, the University pool, and
the Gifford Arboretum, depending on my
energy level and thirst.
Most
memorable UM moment? Walking on campus
in early December without having to wear
boots (I spent most of my life living
in New York).
Current
reading: Letters from the Earth
by Mark Twain.
CDs
currently listening to: Right Time
by the Mighty Diamonds
Way
to start your day: Slowly, and looking
forward to caffeine.
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INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY COMPUTER OPERATIONS HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Tuesday,
December 24 - open until 5 p.m.
Wednesday, December 25 - closed
Thursday & Friday, December 26 & 27 -
closed due to asbestos removal. PIDMS, RDS, EASY and
e-mail systems will be available. Roscoe will not be
available.
Saturday, December 28 - open till 1 p.m., pending
contractor authorization to enter building due to asbestos
removal.
Tuesday, December 31 - open until 5 p.m.
Wednesday, January 1 - closed
If
you have any questions on Thursday - Saturday, December
26 - 28, contact the Help Desk at 305-284-6565
until 1 p.m.
CLOTHING
AND TOILETRIES COLLECTED FOR HOMELESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN
The
UM Women's Commission is sponsoring a gift drive for
A Woman's Place, a day shelter for homeless women and
their children operated by the Mental Health Association
of Miami-Dade County, Inc. The commission is collecting
toilet articles (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes,
etc.); clean, used clothing in good condition; and more.
Collection boxes will be placed at the following locations:
Ashe Building lobby; Wellness Center lobby; Max Orovitz
Building lobby; General Counsel Office - Plumer Building;
Institute for Women's Health - Highland Professional
Building, Suite 420, on the medical campus; and the
Rosenstiel School Business Office, Room 110, SLAB. The
boxes will be picked up on Monday, December 23.
For further information, contact Celia Pacheco at 305-284-5194
or Nora Matelis at 305-284-2700.
A
WEEK LEFT TO VOTE FOR SEBASTIAN
Capital One's National Mascot of the Year competition
is almost over, and Sebastian needs your vote. The winner
will be announced during the Capital One Bowl on Wednesday,
January 1, 2003. The winning mascot's university
receives $10,000 to use toward scholarships for his
or her school's mascot program. The only place to vote
is online at http://www.capitalonebowl.com.
Polls close at 11:59 a.m., Friday, December 20.
AND
SPEAKING OF SEBASTIAN...
Need
help getting into the holiday spirit? Then take a quick
trip over to the second floor lobby of the Facilities
Administration office (1535 Levante Ave.). There you'll
find an Ibis-themed holiday display designed by staff
member Marilyn Whitehead that's getting rave reviews.
MATERIALS
NEEDED FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY WINTER SYMPOSIUM
Save
the date for the Miami Nature Biotechnology Winter Symposium,
50 Years On: From the Double Helix to Molecular Medicine,
to be held at the Miami Beach Radisson Deauville Resort,
February 1 - 5, 2003. Register now for UM tuition
remission and workshops. You also can submit posters
for presentation, and abstracts will be published on-line.
Exhibit space also is available. The event will honor
James Watson and Francis Crick, in recognition of the
50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix
structure of DNA. Dr. Watson will give the conferences
opening address, Finding the Double Helix. The School
of Medicine's 50th anniversary will be celebrated at
the conference, as well. For more information and a
complete program, visit http://www.med.miami.edu/mnbws.
REDUCE STRESS WITH ACUPUNCTURE
Do
your New Year's resolutions call for less stress? Relax
with a stress-reducing treatment at the Acupuncture
Clinic of the Division of Complementary Medicine on
the Medical campus. Therapy with acupuncture can increase
your energy and restore your full working potential.
The service is offered in conjunction with University
of Miami Behavioral Health, and a $15 co-payment is
required. To schedule an appointment, call 305-243-4751.
REMINDERS
- When
scientists hold strong beliefs based upon their research,
should they become advocates or even activists, promoting
institutional or social change? Hear a discussion
on this topic by Lee Crandall, Research Professor
and Associate Chair, Department of Epidemiology and
Public Health, and Research Professor of Sociology
and Family and Community Medicine. It's part of the
Dialogues in Research Ethics series of monthly conferences,
at noon Friday, December 13, at the Rosenstiel
Building 6018 (Pharmacology Conference Room) at the
Medical School. Lunch will be provided. For more information,
call 305-243-5723 or e-mail ethics@miami.edu.
- The
Lowe Art Museum Store is offering a 20 percent discount
to all UM employees on store purchases over $5 with
valid UM ID now until Christmas. Museum hours are
10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday;
12 - 7 p.m. on Thursday; and 12 - 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Contact Lorrie Stassun at 305-284-6988 for
more information.
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UM has a Rhodes Scholar
