Around Campus

Index:

- Osprey 1Card debuts at UNF
- From Boomers to Gen Y: We Can Work it Out
- Raising the Roof on Osprey Fountains

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Osprey 1Card debuts at UNF

By Tom Cain

It didn't take Tully Burnett long — less than a week — after coming to UNF in April 2004 to determine that the University needed a new identification card system to replace the antiquated one that had been used since the early ‘90s. The Osprey 1Card, the new University identification card, makes its debut this fall, and Burnett can't wait to show off all the benefits the new card system offers faculty, staff and students.

The Osprey 1Card is the University's official identification card and is essential for accessing many campus services like the Thomas G. Carpenter Library, the Dottie Dorion Fitness Center, the Aquatic Center and the Arena. Students also use the card to pay for purchases at campus retail outlets and vending machines and for campus printing services. All University faculty, staff and students are required to have an Osprey 1Card.

"I'm excited about finally getting this done," said Burnett, associate director of Auxiliary Services. He was referring to the two-and-a-half-year process to implement what ultimately became the Osprey 1Card program. "I know students are excited by this program. This program will touch faculty, staff, students, the merchants around us and our patrons."

Lance Taylor, assistant vice president and chief information officer for Information Technology Services, visited other colleges and universities to research various identification card systems as part of the process to select a new system for UNF. "I think the new system will be a vast improvement over the one it is replacing," Taylor said. "The new card will provide convenient access to more services, both on and off campus, and greater flexibility in managing funds."

One feature of the new identification card is perhaps the most compelling component for Burnett, and it's what he was talking about when he mentioned "touching the merchants" around UNF. That feature is a pre-paid spending account called Ozzie Bucks.

Burnett describes Ozzie Bucks as an online account for faculty, staff and students where money can be added using a credit or debit card or by mailing a check. Ozzie Bucks users can also call up a complete transaction history. Students' parents can access the account to add money or see the transaction history if access is provided by the student. While it hasn't been finalized yet, Burnett thinks the maximum for the Ozzie Bucks account will be somewhere in the $2,000-$2,500 range. The old card had a $50 limit.

By this fall, Burnett is confident that at least 15 to 20 merchants in the area surrounding UNF will accept Ozzie Bucks. CVS Pharmacy on the corner of Beach Boulevard and Southside Boulevard is the first merchant to join the program. Some of the other merchants currently being recruited for the Ozzie Bucks program are Publix, Regal Cinema, Walgreens, Panera Bread, Supercuts, Beef O'Brady's, Applebee's and Dunkin' Donuts.

Burnett sees the program as a winner for the businesses and for UNF. "All of the off-campus merchants will have to agree to do some sort of promotion during the semester; some kind of economic benefit [to Osprey Buck users]," Burnett said. "It's helping the University's relationship with the community and the businesses around us. The merchants know there is a huge amount of purchasing power through UNF."

Participating merchants will display a sticker and other signage, not unlike credit-card logos seen on most store windows, saying something along the lines of "Osprey Bucks Welcome Here," Burnett said. The sticker, which is still being developed, will also feature the UNF logo or ID card. He added that this brings additional exposure for UNF in the community.

One advantage the new system has over the old one is if the Osprey 1Card is lost the Ozzie Bucks account can be suspended immediately by simply going online. Under the old system, if someone lost a card, whatever money they had not used was lost also. Burnett said last fiscal year more than 2,000 identification cards were lost.

Another advantage of the Osprey 1Card system is that its database will provide more detailed information about the utilization of on-campus recreational and fitness facilities. "It will provide a complete library of reporting on all of those facilities, which allows us to better plan how we deliver critical services to our campus community," Burnett said.

CardSmith, a New Jersey company established in 2003, is handling virtually all facets of the Osprey 1Card, from marketing, customer service and program management to database administration and processing financial transactions. The company is recruiting community merchants to participate in the Ozzie Bucks program.

"By contracting with CardSmith, we were able to acquire the system for about $250,000 less than traditional systems," Burnett said. He also said with CardSmith managing the system the University saves approximately $350,000 a year because it won't have to hire four or five new employees to help implement and manage the new system.

Osprey 1Cards will be mailed to faculty and staff during the first week of August, Burnett said. Current identification card photos will be used unless the faculty or staff member had a new photo taken at Auxiliary Services.

From Boomers to Gen Y: We Can Work it Out

By Tom Cain

With the sweet soul sounds of Marvin Gaye's 1971 hit "What's Going On" playing softly in the background, the Boomers and Gen Ys filtered one-by-one into a room at the University Center on a June morning to learn about communicating across the generations to create a more effective work environment.

The occasion was a Center for Professional Development and Training workshop titled Bridging the Generations Gap, taught by Linda Plummer. The terms "Boomers" and "Gen Y" are sophisticated slang words for the Baby Boomer generation and Generation Y.

Baby Boomers refer to people born between 1940 and 1960 and Generation Y refers to people born between 1980 and 2000. Those were the two generations represented at the workshop.

The other two generations Plummer talked about were the Veterans, born from 1920 to 1940, and Generation Xers, born from 1960 to 1980.

According to Plummer, generations are defined by common experiences, defining events, shared heroes, demographics and the first days in the job market. "An Arab proverb says 'people resemble their times more than they resemble their parents,'" she said.

For a group exercise, workshop participants listed the national and international events, trends and people they most remembered from the first 15 to 20 years of their generation. For the Baby Boomers, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Beatles, Ed Sullivan and gas wars with gas selling for 25 cents a gallon made the list. For the Generation Y people, Columbine, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Nintendo and Game Boy, Nickelodeon and cell phones were among the entries.

Plummer said the Baby Boomers' generational profile includes traits such as feeling like the star of the show, tending to be optimistic and valuing teamwork. They believe in consensus management, are often workaholics and think of work as a career.

"They've been told you are the hope of the future, and you are going to solve the woes of the world," Plummer said. "They are a little technology-challenged."

Parental advocacy was one of the trends that shaped Generation Y's generational profile, Plummer said. The parents of Generation Y children often had only one child and all of their hopes and dreams were wrapped up in that child.

"The parents wanted to be involved in every step of their growing up," Plummer said. "This generation has been told: 'You're terrific, kid.'"

Generation Y values living in the moment, loyalty to individuals as opposed to organizations, patriotism and serving the community. Generation Xers tend to be self-reliant, have a casual approach to authority, want balance in their lives between work and leisure-time activities, enjoy informality and, unlike their Baby Boomer brethren, are technology savvy. Plummer said they think of their work as a job not a career.

The Veterans' generation, of whom 32 million are still in the workforce, are dedicated employees and have a self-sacrificing work ethic. Plummer said they believe in duty before pleasure.

The following are what Plummer called motivators or actions that managers can use on the job for each generation: Baby Boomers - Managers need to get them involved and show them how to make a difference. Generation Y - Managers should connect actions to Generation Y's personal and career goals. Generation X - Managers need to give choices and provide work autonomy. Veterans - Managers should connect their actions to the overall good of the organization.

That's what it's all about," Plummer said. "It's all about having the conversation. Other generations look at things differently."

Participant Emily Stalvey, a training assistant at the Center for Professional Development and Training and Generation Y member, gave perhaps the best description of the three-hour workshop.

"I learned that a key to understanding generations is to consider what the world was like for them growing up; what they experienced and what events took place," Stalvey said. "I also learned that we can't expect people to change to fit a certain mold, but if we try to understand them and learn from them, we can make our workplaces more productive and enjoyable. It was also really good to see how interested the Baby Boomers in the group were in learning how to relate to younger generations."

Plummer is the founder of Plummer & Associates, a human resources consulting firm. She has more than 25 years of experience in human resources, specializing in training design and delivery, employee relations and employment.

The next Bridging the Generations Gap workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Oct. 10, in the University Center.

Raising the Roof on Osprey Fountains

It will be the tallest building on campus, and construction workers are already installing the roof on one of its two five-story towers. But unlike the Student Union, the Brooks College of Health addition and the College of Education and Human Services construction projects underway on campus, Osprey Fountains is nearly hidden in the woods and out of sight of gawkers.

Even those who arrive on campus via Kernan Boulevard can barely catch a glimpse of the Osprey Fountains construction as they pass a clearing cut through the woods to make room for a road to the $86 million, 1,000-bed residence hall that will open in fall 2009.

Paul Riel, director of the Department of Housing Operations, accompanied photographer Joao Bicalho and Marketing and Publications Director Dave Roman on a tour of the Osprey Fountains site recently to present this photo update on the construction's progress.

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