Personnel Relations Newsletter January 23, 1979 Volume 1, Number 2

Provost Gregorian Speaks atFirst "Brown Bag Seminar"

Introduced by Bob Ferrell, A-i

Assembly leader, as an "educationalastronautwho has done a great deal

flying around," the University's new

provost, Vartan Gregorian, launchedthe brown bag seminars on Monday,January 15. Studding his talk to a

standing-room-only crowd with wittyphrases, the provost disproved hismodest disclaimer that he had beensomewhat wrongly characterized as"flamboyant." He combined a seriousdiscussion of his goals for the Univer-

sity's organization with a number of

aphorisms much appreciated by hisaudience.

Stating his belief that there is onlyone management group, Provost

Gregorian urged a unity of purpose, a

transcending of parochial interests inindividual schools and departments andasked, quoting John Gardner, that weall be "loving critics or critical lovers" ofthe University. In his more specificcomments on organization, the provostsaid he expected a smooth transition of

personnel between now and July 1 andoutlined the redistribution of responsi-bility. In the new structure, the Univer-

sity will be served by two vice provosts,onefor research and another forUniversity life (combining both gradu-ate and undergraduate interests).

Provost Gregorian also made briefremarks about the University's affirma-tive action program, admissions policy,and role in the community. He notedthat ouraffirmative action goals have tobe updated to continue the commitmentof eliminating inequalities. Commentingon the need to offset the declining birthrate, the provost said more attentionwould be paid to recruiting on anational and even an international level.Mr. Gregorian hopes to expand theUniversity's role in the community andis looking into ways to accomplish this

goal. After he concluded his address, heanswered questions from the audience.

Secretary of the Corporation JanisSomerville spoke on the role of thetrustees and University governance atthe January 22 seminar. Her remarkswill be summarized in next month's

of Newsletter.

At the first brown bag seminar, Provost

Gregorian. remarking that while "victory has

many parents, failure is an orphan,' asks the

participants for their understanding duringhis first months in office.

We urge you to come to the

Benjamin Franklin Room, Houston Hall,each Monday at noon for the brown bagseminars. Vice President for Adminis-tration D. Bruce Johnstone will discuss,on January 29, the role of executiveofficers. Donald C. Carroll, dean of theWharton School, will talk about aca-demic organization on February 5. OnFebruary 12, Vice President for Budgetand Management Jon Strauss will speakon the topic of financial planning andthe budget process, and TreasurerHarold Manley will provide us withinformation on cash flow and invest-ments on February 19. We hope to seeyou there.

Before You Hire Anyone,Know the Policy

Before you make an offer of em-ployment or salary, you must haveproper authorization from the Person-nel Relations Department. If you do not

comply with University policy, youcould find yourself in the embarrassingposition of having to withdraw an offeryou've made or worse. If order to ensurethat the correct procedure is followed,you should be familiar with thesepolicies (numbers refer to the Personnel

Policy Manual):109. Employment Offer. The Uni-

versity is committed to affirmativeaction and to full compliance withfederal, state, and local regulationsregarding employment. It is the respon-sibility of the Personnel RelationsDepartment to assure that employmentoffers, including offers of transfer andpromotion, are made with careful re-gard to these regulations and to estab-lished position titles, salary ranges, andbenefits structure. Offers of employ-ment, transfer, or promotion madewithout prior approval of the ExecutiveDirector of Personnel Relations or adesignee of the Executive Director areunauthorized and will not be honored.

Any individual who makes anunauthorized offer of employment,transfer, or promotion assumes respon-sibility for any penalties, liabilities, andexpenses which may arise out of thataction.

201. Authorization for Salary or

Wage Commitments. Before any salaryor wage offer is made (other than oneestablished under a collective bargain-ing agreement), approval by a memberof the Personnel Relations Departmentis required. A salary or wage offer orpromotion increase made without thisadvance approval is not authorized andwill not be honored.

Any individual who makes anunauthorized wage or salary arrange-ment assumes responsibility for anypenalties, liabilities, and expenseswhich may arise out of that action.

Personnel Relations Newsletter, a Supplement to Almanac/i

"Heartsaver"-the Programthat Saves Lives

The next time you're at a largegathering consider this-on theaverage, each year one of every twohundred people has a heart attack.Heart disease, as we all know, is theleading cause of death in this country.Of the 650,000 who die annually, overhalf die without ever entering a hospital,nearly all of them within one or twohours after the first symptoms occur.Heart attacks are most commonlycaused by disease of the coronaryarteries that supply blood to the heartmuscle. When the arteries are narrowedor blocked by the build-up of fattydeposits (composed mainly of choles-terol), then the heart is deprived of theoxygen and blood supply it needs.

Nearly all of us know someone whohas had, maybe even died from, a heartattack. We are also aware that we maycontribute to the risks of this disease byliving as we do. There is a well estab-lished association between heart dis-ease and cigarette smoking, elevatedblood pressure, and elevated bloodcholesterol. Other risk factors include alack of regular exercise, stress, dia-betes, and obesity. If we liveprudently-and we all know what thatmeans-we may reduce the incidenceof heart disease.

Perhaps your attention was caughtby the fact that over half the victims ofheart attacks die before they ever reachthe hospital even though an hour ormore passes after the first symptoms.Some of these deaths could be prevent-ed if treatment were given within twominutes of the attack's onset.

Is there anything you can do? Yes,first everyone should know the signalsof a heart attack. They are, mostcommonly, an uncomfortable pressure,squeezing, fullness, or pain, not neces-sarily severe, located in the center of thechest behind the breastbone; this sen-sation may spread to the shoulders,neck, and arms. The pressure or painmay last two minutes or longer or it maycome and go. It may be accompaniedby sweating, nausea, shortness ofbreath, feelings of weakness. Sharp,stabbing pains or twinges usually arenot signals of a heart attack.

If you have these symptoms, imme-diately stop whatever you are doing andsit or lie down. If the pain persists fortwo or more minutes go to the nearesthospital emergency room. You shouldhave an emergency action plan at homeand at work: know emergency rescuetelephone numbers, know the locationof the nearest hospital emergency roomthat provides 24-hour emergencycardiac care, discuss with your doctor

2/Personnel Relations Newsletter, a Supplement to Almanac

Denise Koval, M.S.N., and Shirley Hill, M.S.N., members of the School of Nursing faculty,demonstrate the CPR techniques on the specially equipped training manikin.

the emergency facilities of hospitals towhich you might go and the distance tobe travelled.

Is there anything you can do ifsomeone else has a heart attack? Notlong ago a man did die of heart diseaseon a New York subway because medicalaid failed to reach him in time after hisattack. The subway train raced throughstation after station attempting to reachemergency care; by the time helparrived the man was dead. None of thepassengers was able to help. Would youknow what to do in a similar circum-stance? You would if you were a "Heart-saver."

Heartsaver, a program developedby the American Heart Association,teaches us how to do cardiopulmonaryresuscitation, CPA. These techniquescan literally mean the difference be-tween life and death. Aware of theimportance of teaching us how to savelives, the faculty of the University'sSchool of Nursing offers training inbasic CPR.

Since heart attacks and chokingfrequently occur in places where peoplegather to eat and drink, last Novemberthe School of Nursing taught theemployees of the University's FacultyClub the Heartsaver techniques andHeimlich maneuvers. (The Heimlichmaneuver, or abdominal thrust, is usedon people who are choking on foodlodged in the air passages, obstructingbreathing.) Denise Koval, M.S.N., anassociate at the School of Nursing,arranged with Kay Barnes, assistantmanager of the Club, to conductä two-

day training session. Along with threeadditional CPR instructors andmembers of the Nursing faculty, ShirleyHill, Meredith Johnson, and Ann MarieWalsh, Ms. Koval taught thirty-sixemployees the signs of heart attacksand the methods to use to save the livesof those having attacks or choking.

The procedures are not simple.After the discussion of methods, thosetaking the course must practice thetechniques on special manikins, thecourse takes time (generally about fourhours) and attention. "At first some ofthe personnel felt self-conscious," re-ports Ms. Koval about the Faculty Clubworkers. "Then they started applying itto their own lives." Many of us havefamily members, friends, or colleagueswho have suffered from heart attacks.We know the feeling of despair thatcomes from our helplessness. We havehad to stand by hoping that a chokingperson will be "all right" as we futilelyoffer water or napkins or slaps on theback. By taking the Heartsaver courseand learning the Heimlich maneuver wecan learn to deal effectively with theselife-threatening situations. Someday wemay be thankful that we did.

For additional information aboutthe Heartsaver program, call 662-4CPR.

Pennsylvania Is the First IvyLeague School to Provide Van

PoolingIf you've ever considered camping

out in your office just to avoid the choreof commuting, there may be an easierway to escape from traffic jams, theexperience of seeing the train pull out ofthe station just as you reach theplatform, and the other headaches ofgetting to work. You could ride to thecampus in comfort by joining a vanpool.

Planner Tony Smith, Department ofFacilities Development, initiated the vanpool program in September 1977.Supported in part by federal fundingadministered through the DelawareValley Regional Planning Commission,van pooling is designed to improveaccess to and from the University, toreduce traffic and parking congestioncreated by the single-passenger auto-mobile, and to offer the employees ofthe University, University Hospital,Children's Hospital, the Wistar Institute,and the University City Science Centeran alternative to driving or taking publictransportation.

In setting up a van pool, FacilitiesDevelopment selects an area with alarge number of employees who holdnine-to-five jobs. After the boundariesof the area are defined, a volunteerdriver is chosen who then notifiesemployees in the targeted area and asksthem if they wish to join the pool on amonth-to-month basis. Each luxury vanholds eleven passengers and the driver.The vehicles are leased and this cost,along with operating expenses, isshared by the participants. The vanscost the University nothing, for each istotally supported by the fares paid bythe riders. After four years the Universi-ty owns the van and may sell it to thedriver, if he or she is interested, or toanother participant at less than marketvalue.

The benefits are many for bothdriver and riders. For about $35 amonth, tle passenger is picked up anddropped off at home each day and neednot bother with public transportation,driving, or parking. Nine out of tenriders continue with van pooling be-cause of its obvious advantages. For thedriver the benefits are numerous andthe responsibilities relatively few. He orshe must be screened for a clean drivingrecord, reliability, and absence of jobconflict. Getting the passengers to andfrom campus on schedule, coordinatingvan maintenance, submitting monthlyreports, and doing the bookkeeping arethe driver's duties. In exchange, he orshe gets free transportation, the fare ofthe eleventh rider, the use of the van

Something on Your Mind?

If you have questions, comments, notices, or suggestions, send them to"Something on Your Mind?" All inquiries and remarks sent to 737 FranklinBuilding will be kept confidential. Comments or questions of sufficientlybroad interest will appear in this column.

Question: What is the Blood Donor Club? How do I join?

Answer: The University's Blood Donor Club is a "protective exchange"-yougive a pint of blood and in return you and your family will be provided with allthe blood you need whenever you need it. Your blood donor credits will behonored at almost every hospital in the United States. In exchange for ayearly donation, you, your spouse, unmarried children under eighteen, yourparents, and the parents of your spouse are all eligible.

If you are not a member of the Blood Donor Club and face an emergencysituation requiring blood, you have to find replacement donors for the bloodused to treat you or your family.

Tojoin the club, you may make your donation in the Hospital Donor Station,located on the ground floor of the Gates Building, or at any of the mobileunits scheduled on campus throughout the year. Additional information canbe had by calling 227-3455.

Question: My supervisor and I don't get along all that well, and I'm not surethat my performance review is going to be fair. What should I do if I disagreewith the evaluation? What does the Personnel Department do with thereviews?

Answer: There is space on the A-i performance reviews for comments fromyou as well as from your supervisor. We hope that any disagreements aboutjob responsibilities or performance will be discussed in the review processand an understanding reached. But you may indicate your disagreement withthe review you're given in as much detail as you wish.

The Personnel Department files the performance review in your centralpersonnel file; the form itself will not be released to anyone. If you were beingconsidered for promotion within the University, your future supervisor couldcall Personnel and ask about your review. The review would then besummarized. In the case of a disagreement between you and a supervisor,your comments would be discussed along with the rating you were given. Inmany cases the personnel staff know the people involved and are alreadyaware of problems and conflicts. The performance review could also be usedto document reasons for termination. In either case-promotion ortermination-the Department of Personnel Relations does not initiate anyaction.

weekends and evenings at a fixed rateof ten cents a mile, and the firstopportunity to buy the van after fouryears.

The University has three pools inoperation-the Drexel Hill area, driverTom Cooper; Southern New Jersey,driver Tom Leary; and Media, driverOctavio Salati-and three others whichare in the final stages of planning. If youlive on the Main Line and are interestedin joining a pool, call Dave Balinski atUniversity extension 5831. DarleneCostin, who can be reached at HUPextension 2641, is signing up riders wholive along Route 611 between Doyles-town and the Jenkintown/Cheltenhamarea. Those of you who live in the UpperDarby area can join a pool by calling

Tina Foster at HUP extension 2054.In addition to the eleven full-time

passengers, each van pool includes"back-up" riders who use the van on anoccasional basis. For more informationabout the van pools, contact the driverin your area. If there is no pool in yourneighborhood and you would like toorganize one, get in touch with TonySmith at extension 5831. As he pointsout, you can get to work more comforta-bly and economically and have theadded satisfaction of knowing thatyou're acting in the national interest byconserving energy.

Personnel Relations Newsletter, a Supplement to Almanac ,/3

Personnel Policy Manual WillBe Discussed in February 8th

MeetingMore than three hundred copies of

the Personnel Policy Manual have nowbeen distributed, and each departmentshould have its copies. Employees mayconsult the manual in their departmentsor may use one of the several copiesavailable at the reference desk in theVan Pelt Library. The manual is acompilation of (1) policies which havebeen distributed over the years as"Personnel Bulletins" and (2) policies,such as the confidentiality of personnelrecords, which have been traditionallyobserved but which are only nowrecorded in written form. The policystatements in the manual supersedeearlier "Personnel Bulletins." For exam-ple, "Personnel Bulletin 169," whichdeals with terminatons, is no longer ineffect. The present policies on termina-tion are found in sections 701-708 in themanual.

The Personnel Relations staff ishappy to meet with administrators whowish to discuss the policies and theirimplementation. Such meetings havealready been held, and arrangementscan be made for others by callingDirector of Personnel Planning DouglasDickson at extension 6093. A generalmeeting will be held on Thursday,February 8 at 3:00 p.m. in Room 200,College Hall. If you have questionsabout the policies contained in themanual, this would be a good time tohave them answered.

Policies relating to personnelbenefits are not yet included in themanual. Individual benefits statementsare sent to each staff member in theUniversity in the form of a personalwallet; for the time being, the personalstatement continues to be the bestsource of general information aboutbenefits. For counseling, you canarrange an appointment with the Per-sonnel Office in 116 Franklin Building.Additional policy statements coveringbenefits will be sent once the effect, ifany, of recent federal legislation hasbeen determined.

The Personnel Relations Newslet-ter appears ten times a year, onthe third Tuesday of the month,except in June, July, and Augustfor which there is one combinedsummer issue.Edited by Debra J. ThomasDesigned by Howard S. KlinePhotography credits: page 1, TomKuhn; pages 2 and 4, MarilynAckerman

4/Personnel Relations Newsletter, a Supplement to Almanac

Executive Director of Personnel Relations Gerald Robinson and Associate Director of

Personnel Relations James Keller talk with administrative and supervisory staff members at

the School of Veterinary Medicine about the policies contained in the recently distributed

Personnel Policy Manual.

243-6358: Snow and

Emergency ClosingTelephone Number

To learn whether the University isclosed due to inclement weather, youmay now call 243-6358 ("AID-MELT"?).This telephone number supplementsthe existing ways of notifying theUniversity community about snow andother emergencies. Public radioannouncements (our snow emergencycode numbers are 102 for closing of daysessions and offices and 2102 forcancellation of evening sessions) will bemade and responsibility centers notifiedas usual.

Joe Reagan Dies in

November

On November 19, 1978 JosephReagan died at the age of seventy-six.After working for the PennsylvaniaRailroad, Mr. Reagan joined the Univer-sity staff in 1963. Until his retirement in1971, he acted as a liaison betweenstudents in the Men's Dormitories andBuildings and Grounds (now PhysicalPlant).

Described by many of his friendshere at the University as a most conge-nial, witty, and kind man, Mr. Reaganwas more than an employee. To hiscolleagues he was a friend and to manyof the students a father figure. He issurvived by his widow, Mary, threechildren, Patricia, Mary Lou, and Jo-seph, Jr., and thirteen grandchildren.

Looking for Us?

During the nineteenth century, atime when many people were settlingthe west (now the midwest), EmilyDickinson's family moved from onehouse in Amherst, Massachusetts, toanother within sight. Despite the short-distance move, Dickinson wrote to afriend saying she had a "gone to Kansasfeeling" and was still looking for herselfwith a lantern. If you are still looking forus, our new locations are:

Employment Office,Personnel Relations130 Franklin Building

Office of the Bursar132 Franklin Building

Office of the Internal Auditor729 Franklin Building

Insurance Manager728 Franklin Building

Associate Treasurer730 Franklin Building

The Faculty and Staff ScholarshipProgram will no longer be handled in215 Franklin Building. The administra-tion of this program is now part of theStudent Financial Aid Office, 230 LoganHall. For information about this pro-gram and scholarship applications, callMrs. Shirley Rhodeside at extension5154 between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.and from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.