News on the Go #665, August 26, 2008

News on the Go is a service of the Office of Institutional Advancement, providing timely news and information to faculty, staff, fellows, residents and students on the go. Deadline: 10 a.m. Thursday before Tuesday publication. Submit all events and deadlines to the Web Calendar. Submit other items for consideration using the News on the Go submission form.

Topics at a glance: Kaiser Comments ... Student Discount Q Cards ... Sneak Peek: New Sites ... Mobility Announcements ... Update for Standard Mail ... Dial Up: End of Service ... 2008 Compliance Survey ... IT Security Sense ... 22nd Valley Conference ... Hurricane Preparedness ... Training & Resource Center ... Research Day ... Call for Abstracts ... Scholarship Golf Classic ... Clinical Nurse Coordinator Education Course ... 2008 Fun Fest ... Laser Vision Correction ... Promote your Events ... HOOP Updates

Kaiser Comments

Check out Kaiser Comments, the blog from our new president, Larry R. Kaiser, M.D. Read the recent post "Camaraderie, Cowboy Boots and Clinical Care".

Dr. Kaiser welcomes your comments and suggestions.

Student Discount Q Cards

Due to recent problems of full-time students being unable to get Student Discount Q Cards, METRO has changed requirements for proof of enrollment.

Previously, METRO had required a copy of student’s fee bills. However, since some of the fee bills don’t show the required information, METRO has agreed to begin accepting one of two items noted below for proof of full-time status:

  • Students may print off a copy of their class schedule from UTLINK and present it to a Student Affairs staff member to verify the student's status by writing "Full-Time" and the staff member’s initials across the bottom.
  • A copy of the student's SIS bill with the statement "Full-Time" written across the bottom along with an office employee's initials. Students who need the Q Card may pick up a copy of their bill at either the Registrar's Office or the Bursar's Office.

Students who are not full-time still are required to request a letter from Parking Services by e-mailing parking@uth.tmc.edu.

Please contact parking@uth.tmc.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

Sneak Peek: The New Face of the Health Science Center

The UT Health Science Center at Houston is pleased to offer a sneak peek at the new external (Internet) and internal (intranet) Web sites. These sites will be the new face of the health science center on Monday, Sept. 1.

Separating public and internal content will free the public site to become a greater marketing tool focused on recruiting the best students and faculty, as well as showcasing the fabulous research and clinical expertise we have at the health science center.

Our new intranet site provides links to forms, procedures and breaking information that will assist students, faculty and staff to more efficiently accomplish routine tasks. For a visual guide to this new resource, click here. At this time, you must be logged into the campus network to view this site.

During this sneak peek, we ask you to look around both sites and send us feedback by using the feedback link that can be found at the bottom of each Web page.

Mobility Announcements

  • Katy HOV Lane Closure
    The Texas Department of Transportation is closing the Katy HOV lane during the first week of September for final construction work on the managed lanes of the Katy Freeway.
  • METRO Airport Direct
    METRO Airport Direct launched Sunday, Aug. 24 to provide non-stop service between downtown and Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Terminal C. For more information, visit http://www.ridemetro.org/.
  • Fort Bend County Express
    Bus service from Fort Bend County direct to the Texas Medical Center begins Tuesday, Sept. 2. The first four days of service are at no cost to the riders as a way to sample the service. Regular fares of $3.50 each way start on Monday, Sept. 8. The Fort Bend County Express is included in The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Mobility Program. For specific questions, contact Fort Bend County at 1-866-751-TRIP, the TMC Call Center at 713-791-6161 or visit the Mobility Program Web site.
  • The Woodlands Express
    The Woodlands Express has reopened the Conroe Park & Ride lot located at 2905 West Loop 336. For more information, visit the Mobility Program Web site.

For more traffic alerts and commuter options, visit Getting Around.

Move Update Requirements for Standard Mail (Bulk Mail)

In an effort to eliminate undeliverable mail, the USPS has made revisions to move update requirements for standard mail. Listed below is an outline of how these revisions will affect standard mail that is presented to Mail Services for handling:

Effective Saturday, Aug. 23, customers are responsible for assembling their standard mail and arranging it in ZIP code order.

  1. If the mailpiece has a permit imprint, an ancillary endorsement (Address Service Requested) must be placed on the envelope. Also, the customer must provide Mail Services with a completed Certification of Move Update Compliance form.
  2. If the mailpiece has a permit imprint and no ancillary endorsement the customer must provide Mail Services with a completed Certification of Move Update Compliance form.

If you have any questions, contact Renez.Pasley@uth.tmc.edu at Mail Services at 713-500-8116 or 713-500-8118.

Dial Up – End of Service

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston will discontinue dial up service effective Tuesday, Sept. 30. This decision is based on low utilization, and existing support costs. Please note that there are external internet service providers (ISPs) outside of the university that still support dial up at a low cost to the user.

If you decide to use dial up with an external ISP, the Virtual Private Network (VPN) software will need to be used in conjunction with the external dial up service. VPN enables staff, students and faculty to securely connect to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston network from home and other remote locations. Without the security of VPN, the information you type or send could be intercepted on the "open highway" of the Internet. VPN encrypts the data before it is sent across the Internet. Please call the Help Desk at 713-500-4848 for more information on the VPN software.

2008 Compliance Awareness Survey

The Office of Legal Affairs and Institutional Compliance is conducting a survey to determine employees’ awareness and understanding of the university’s compliance program. The survey is strictly confidential, with no personal identifiers, so respondents may remain completely anonymous. We appreciate your candid feedback as we seek effective ways in which to improve the availability of compliance resources as well as ways to improve our performance.

Please contact the Office of Legal Affairs and Institutional Compliance, 713-500-3294, with any questions. Access the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=a_2frkdWjqgDrlRiYmFRitlA_3d_3d.

IT SecuritySense

“How Secure Is Your Password?" is the focus of the August 2008 issue of the SecuritySense newsletter available at SecuritySense online.

The 22nd Annual Valley Conference

The 22nd Annual Selenia E. and Joseph C.Valley Conference hosted by The University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing Center on Aging is 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 12, at the Hilton University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center. The theme of the conference is "Elder Care Innovation: Houston's Aging Agenda." The conference is directed by Nancy Bergstrom, Ph.D., RN, director of the Center on Aging, and Dr. Vaunette Fay, Ph.D., RN, associate director of education of The Center on Aging. All attendees must RSVP to Joyce.M.Randolf@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-9167.

Hurricane & Tropical Storm Preparedness

Don’t get complacent just because Tropical Storm Edouard was relatively gentle with us. Hurricane season is still with us through Nov. 30. As the hurricane season wears on, make sure to keep your gas tank full and ensure you have a family plan and evacuation route maps. For information on hurricane preparedness and safety, visit:

Stay informed of local weather conditions, watches and warnings from the National Weather Service and view evacuation maps from the Texas Emergency Portal or Houston's Transtar Real-Time Traffic Map. To view forecasted wind speeds in your area, visit http://houstonhidefromthewind.org/. More emergency response information can be found at http://www.uthoustonemergency.org/.

HSC Training & Resource Center

Check out the TRC by visiting https://MyTRC.uth.tmc.edu and login using your UT UID and password to view personal training records, create interactive team rooms, or search the TRC Course Catalog for a list of training classes available to you.

To view a short instructional video about the TRC, please visit http://hr.uth.tmc.edu/TRC/ and click on "TRC Video." *This video includes sound so please make sure your computer’s audio settings are adjusted accordingly. For more training on the TRC and its features, attend one of the TRC Brown Bag training sessions. For a full list of training sessions, visit http://hr.uth.tmc.edu/TRC/trc_brown_bag.html.

Additional information about the TRC can be found at http://hr.uth.tmc.edu/TRC/. For questions, concerns, or feedback, please e-mail TRCAdmin@uth.tmc.edu.

Research Day 2008

The UT Health Science Center’s annual Research Day, “Complex Determinants in Health: Interactions of Genetic Factors and Environmental Influences,” will take place, Friday, Nov. 21, at the Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building of The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases. The event will include a Faculty Seminar followed by Student and Postdoc Poster Presentations. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the session.

The deadline for students and fellows to register for Research Day is Tuesday, Sept. 30. For more information, visit http://www.uth.tmc.edu/research/ResearchDay2008/Guidelines.html.

Advances in Teaching & Learning Call for Abstracts

The Advances in Teaching & Learning Conference invites faculty, researchers and innovators in health sciences education to present teaching and learning scholarly activities, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9, at the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Prevention Building. Presentations may cover new concepts, research or innovations in teaching or learning; new technology-based educational environments; or related topics.

Abstracts must be submitted to http://atlday.shis.uth.tmc.edu/ by Monday, Sept. 1. Lunch and the abstract booklet are free to the first 100 registrants. The best posters and podium presentations will each receive $500 awards.

All abstracts are peer reviewed and will be published in the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library Digital Commons http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/about.html. For more information, contact Cynthia.L.Phelps@uth.tmc.edu, 713-478-4018.

Save the Date: 16th Annual Scholarship Golf Classic

The 16th Annual University of Texas Health Science Center Golf Classic will take place at the Bay Oaks Country Club, Monday, Sept. 29. This tournament is one of the most important tools in raising scholarship money for health science center students, so sign up today and play for the minds of tomorrow. The tournament goal this year is $100,000 for UT Health Science Center Student Scholarships.

Registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 8. Visit http://www.uth.tmc.edu/golf or contact Rose.M.Betancourt-Trevino@uth.tmc.edu for registration details.

Clinical Nurse Coordinator Education Course

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Memorial Hermann Hospital System present a comprehensive three full-day and three half-day educational program focusing on the basics of coordinating a clinical research trial. The program begins 8 a.m.–3 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Medical School Building, Room B.605.

This educational program provides a model of practice in conducting clinical research based on the principles of Good Clinical Practice – focusing on research compliance, protecting the safety and well-being of the research subject and ensuring integrity of the research.

The course is free to health science center and Memorial Hermann Hospital employees; books will be provided. Space is limited so register early. For more information and to register, visit http://www.uth.tmc.edu/research/training/ClinCoordinator.html.

Save the Date: 2008 Fun Fest

The 2008 Fun Fest will be held 2–6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 7, in a new location – the Texas Medical Center’s Grant Fay Park, which fronts UT School of Nursing and UT School of Public Health (between Holcombe and Pressler).

All UT Health Science Center staff, faculty and students are invited to dust off their leather jackets and fluff up their poodle skirts as we join in with this year’s theme, Rockin’ and Rollin’ to the ‘50s. Admission is free to anyone with a university ID badge, and dressing up to fit the 1950s theme is optional but encouraged!
Come out and enjoy:

  • James Coney Island hot dogs with all the fixin’s
  • The annual chili and salsa cook-off competition
  • A silent auction organized by the University Classified Staff Council to benefit the UCSC scholarship fund
  • A hip DJ, who will play non-stop music
  • Door prizes galore and
  • more!

For more information, contact Rose.M.Betancourt-trevino@uth.tmc.edu, 713-500-3209.

Laser Vision Correction

Richard Yee, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at the UT Medical School at Houston and medical director of the Refractive and Cornea Unit at the Cizik Eye Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital, offers laser vision correction at a 20 percent discount for UT employees. The screening process is free; financing is available. Please contact Emily, 713-559-5212, or Monsey, 713-559-5274, to schedule an appointment for your free screening. For more information, e-mail Emily.Paisley@memorialhermann.org.

Promote your event

Now’s the time to submit fall events, deadlines, save-the-date or registration information to the online calendar at http://publicaffairs.uth.tmc.edu/calendar/submitevent_new.asp. Your submission promotes your event around campus and helps others know what dates already are scheduled for major university-wide events.

HOOP Updates

Several policies in the Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOOP) have been changed: the Faculty Grievance policy has been edited for simplification; the Purchases from Employees policy and the Purchases by Employees policy have been combined and re-named the Purchases from and Sales to Employees policy.

Please check out HOOP What's New? for specifics on new policy changes or the HOOP 2008 What’s New Archive for all 2008 policy changes. For general HOOP information, visit http://legal.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/hoop/index.html.