Around Campus
Index:
- Leaving a legacy in brick- And the golden apple goes to ...
- Learning a latte about the law
Leaving a legacy in brick
UNF faculty and staff will soon have an opportunity to leave a legacy in brick in the new $50 million Student Union's open-air plaza.
A Student Union brick campaign will begin this summer when UNF offers the opportunity to purchase a personalized paver that will be laid in Osprey Plaza, the atrium walkway between the east and west buildings of the 148,000-square-foot structure, before the scheduled opening in 2009.
Organizers hope a UNF brick will provide an opportunity for faculty and staff to demonstrate support for students, become a prized graduation gift, or a way for a grateful student to honor a mentor or favorite professor.
"It is an opportunity for alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and community members to purchase personalized bricks as a tangible expression of UNF pride and spirit that will be visible for generations," said Dr. Lucy Croft, assistant vice president for Student Affairs.
A personalized 8-by-8-inch paver will cost $200 for faculty, staff, alumni and others. Currently enrolled students will pay $100. The price includes the lettering that will be cut into the bricks. Proceeds from brick sales will go to the Division of Student Affairs to help pay for scholarships, programs and initiatives to enhance student life.
Bruce Ogier, a 1974 UNF graduate and member of the Student Affairs Community Council that proposed the brick campaign, said the council was looking for a fund-raising method to help Student Affairs enhance student life on campus, as well as create new ways for employees, students, alumni and others to connect to the University.
The brick campaign is expected to become an annual fund-raising source for Student Affairs for years to come. The atrium walkway will include thousands of bricks. Plans call for bricks to be installed once or twice a year, depending on sales.
Ogier said the brick campaign gives Student Affairs "the opportunity to have extra money to accelerate what would be good programs, which would be state-funded, to enhance them and make them even better."
The plaza is certain to become a well-traveled walkway as students, faculty and staff visit the hub of activity at the Student Union, which will house the Student Government offices, the UNF Bookstore, a convenience store, food court and other amenities.
And the golden apple goes to ...
Dr. Pamela Chally's hard work paid off May 30 when she was named this year's EVE Award winner for excellence in education at a luncheon at Jacksonville's Hyatt Regency. The Florida Times-Union presented its annual EVE Awards to recognize women who have made a positive impact on the Northeast Florida area and the people who live here. Chally, dean of the Brooks College of Health, received the coveted award based on her outstanding accomplishments over the past year.
Among her many successes, Chally performed a yearlong survey to evaluate and address the area's nursing shortage. She also obtained the naming grant needed to complete the $10 million expansion of the Brooks College of Health building and she was instrumental in taking the University's nursing and physical therapy programs from the master's level to the doctoral level.
Known on campus as a personable, dedicated and committed health care educator, Chally was characterized by the EVE Award judges as diplomatic and visionary and one who "just stays on the task until she gets it done."
"It's quite an honor to be selected for this award. I feel very humbled by it," Chally said. "It means a lot to be recognized by other women in the city for my accomplishments and for being committed to what I believe in."
UNF's Dr. Kristine Webb was also nominated for this year's EVE Awards and was a finalist in the education category. As director of UNF's Disability Resource Center and associate professor for the Department of Exceptional Student and Deaf Education, Webb's primary accomplishment in 2007 was making a UNF education feasible, available and enjoyable for students with disabilities. She also was responsible for substantially increasing the use of the resource center and its assistive technology and partnering with national, community and campus groups to enable 29 students with disabilities to graduate. This more than doubled the number of graduates in the previous two years.
EVE Awards have been presented by The Jacksonville Times-Union since 1969, recognizing local women for their efforts and accomplishments in the areas of education, volunteer service and employment. Four finalists in each of the three categories are honored for their significant contributions of the past year and one woman from each category is presented the golden apple, which represents the community's first and most esteemed award for women. Recipients are chosen by a panel of judges including former EVE Award winners.
Learning a latte about the law
While the audience at the recent "Coffee Talk with the Office of the General Counsel" event at Starbucks was comprised mainly of high-ranking staff administrators, a high-ranking member of a student organization also took advantage of the opportunity to learn about the law and UNF.
"As the attorney general for Student Government, I attended the 'Coffee Talk with the Office of the General Counsel' to learn about legal issues that are currently facing our campus," said Leslie Burch, a UNF senior who will be going to law school next summer. "By seeking education about these issues, Student Government becomes better equipped to represent and serve the students."
Chris Wrenn, an attorney from the General Counsel's Office, and Dan Endicott, director of Environmental Health, Safety, Risk Management and Building Code Administration, made brief presentations at the Coffee Talk event, touching on a number of subjects. This was the third "Coffee Talk with the Office of the General Counsel." The series is designed to address legal issues that arise at UNF, using a question-and-answer format.
"'Coffee Talks' provide students, faculty and staff opportunities to learn about the framework and practical application of federal and state law and University regulation," Wrenn said. "'Coffee Talks' are a good way to expand your knowledge about the law and find everyday applications in your life and career," he said.
Wrenn and Endicott spoke in general terms about issues related to management of legal risks by vendors, contractors and other non-University people. The risk management included safety compliance, transfer of risk, indemnity and insurance coverage.
Wrenn said the majority of the legal risks at UNF relate to intentional or unintentional torts. An intentional tort is a wrongful act by one party against another that results in damages and is recognized by law as grounds for a lawsuit. Intentional torts, which Wrenn said are not often seen at UNF, can include such actions as copyright infringement, slander and libel, assault and trespass.
Unintentional torts occur because of negligence, which results in an injury to a person or damage to property. Slips and falls and injuries incurred on University-owned equipment or facilities are examples of tort risks to UNF.
There are limitations on risk in Florida that don't exist in other states, Wrenn said. Because UNF is a state entity, sovereign immunity is available for UNF in an unintentional tort above $100,000 per person or $200,000 per occurrence. Sovereign immunity precludes persons bringing suits against the University from recovering higher amounts.
Endicott's department is responsible for risk management. They perform a risk review of contracts and agreements for student/University-sponsored events to try and ensure the risk is transferred from the University to the vendor or sponsor of the event.
Endicott spoke about environmental risks, which are addressed in contracts with UNF's vendors. "All wastes are recycled, used as fuel or incinerated so nothing is left to be stored in a barrel somewhere," he said. In addition to being environmentally sound, the disposal or recycling of wastes heads off potential future legal problems by ensuring local, state and federal regulations are adhered to.
When he talked about the transfer of risks, Wrenn addressed the topic of indemnity, which he defined as the assumption of one party of the liability of another party. Vendors often ask for an indemnity clause in contracts with the University. Wrenn referred to insurance as a subset of indemnity. The insurance company assumes the liability risks of the insured.
The Office of the General Counsel, with four attorneys on staff, provides legal representation and support for all segments of the University community. Identifying and reducing legal risk to UNF is one of its main goals.
Negotiable instruments like checks, drafts and promissory notes were the topics at the second "Coffee Talk" in April. Copyright law was the subject for the first "Coffee Talk" in March. The subject for this month's event hasn't yet been determined.