Briefly Speaking

Fall parking changes

Monday, Aug. 21 marks the end of summer modified parking rules and a return to regular parking enforcement. Effective at 7 a.m., Aug. 21, all permits will be restricted to their specific, identified parking zones between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The 2000-2001 parking permit for faculty and staff will again be the "ClingCal." The ClingCal is a thin plastic film that adheres to glass by static force rather than a chemical adhesive. Consequently, drivers may move the ClingCal as many times as wanted. Construction projects across campus will affect parking patterns. However, the overall supply of spaces is greater this fall than last, due primarily to the opening of the 25th Ave. Garage last April. Every zone has the same number of spaces -- or more -- than last spring. Zone 3 will experience the largest change in patterns because 493 Zone 3 spaces are now concentrated in the 25th Ave. Garage.

New parking benefit for employees

The University Office of Traffic and Parking in cooperation with Human Resource Services announces a new benefit to Vanderbilt University employees: before-tax payment of parking fees. This benefit allows employees to reduce their taxable income by the amount of their monthly permit fee, thereby reducing the amount of withholding and employment taxes deducted from their paycheck. Details of the plan have been mailed to University faculty and staff with their registration instructions.

2000 Faculty-Staff Campaign sets record

More than 1,300 individuals contributed $528,652 and an additional $68,215 was pledged to be contributed during fiscal year 2001 for a total of $596,867. This is a new record in giving to the annual Faculty-Staff Campaign. Vanderbilt employees could designate their gifts to any of the University's schools, departments or a particular fund, program or service. James E. Auer, director of the Center for United States-Japan Studies at VIPPS, chaired this year's campaign that is carried out among the University's nonmedical faculty and staff.

TA, ITA orientation held Aug. 21-26

The Center for Teaching will host orientation sessions for teaching assistants and international teaching assistants next week. All new TAs are invited to attend Aug. 22, with sessions focusing on building relationships with students, faculty and other TAs; student-centered teaching; and Vanderbilt resources and issues. All graduate students are invited to attend Aug. 23 for sessions on teaching techniques and a question-and-answer panel with Master Teaching Fellows at the center. Sessions for ITAs will be held Aug. 21 through Aug. 26. For more information, call the Center for Teaching at 322-7290 or visit its Web site at www.vanderbilt.edu/cft.

Gee to speak at orientation for new faculty

All new faculty are invited to attend the "Teaching at Vanderbilt" orientation on Friday, Aug. 25, 11:45 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Wyatt Center's Rotunda. The Center for Teaching and the Provost co-sponsor this event, in collaboration with the Chairs of Teaching Excellence and Peabody College. Chancellor E. Gordon Gee will welcome all incoming faculty this year. The afternoon will include presentations, a panel discussion with Chairs of Teaching Excellence, and small group conversations on teaching at Vanderbilt. For more information or to register, please visit www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/ifo.htm or call the Center for Teaching at 322-7290.

Women's Center hosts planning meeting

Reading Sisters, a book group that studies works by African-American women authors, will meet on Thursday, Aug. 17, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center. This will be an organizational meeting to plan the books that will be reviewed for at least the next four months. The book group is open to all (male and female) students, grad students, staff, faculty and community members.

Price appointed to national committee

Betty L. Price, controller and assistant vice chancellor for finance, was recently appointed to serve on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Special Committee on Continuing Professional Education Standards. The committee is responsible for reviewing the AICPA Policies and Standards on CPE and to ensure that CPE standards harmonize with those set forth by other professional accounting bodies and the AICPA. Price is one of 11 CPAs from Tennessee appointed to yearlong commitments on an AICPA committee or council beginning October 2000. She is a member of TSCPA and its Nashville Chapter.

Division of Public Affairs becomes official

Effective July 31, several previously independent offices merged to become Vanderbilt's Division of Public Affairs. Under the direction of Vice Chancellor Michael J. Schoenfeld, the new division will consist of five interdependent units including Communications and Media Relations; Creative Services; University Events; Policy and Planning; and Government and Community Relations. For more information, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/publicaffairs.

Copiers installed in Eskind Library

New digital copiers will be installed in Eskind Biomedical Library Aug. 21-22. All current EBL cards must be exchanged for new ones.