Into Print aims to educate, inform, and entertain its readers, with a goal of fostering positive communication between its participating departments, their staffs, and their clients.
Copy Centers: Work performed as of 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, will be billed in fiscal year 2009. Work performed after that will be billed in fiscal year 2010.
General Stores: Orders faxed or mailed and received by 2 p.m. on June 30 and those entered directly by a department on the MIGS and SIGS ordering systems by 4 p.m. on June 30 will be included in the current fiscal year.
Parking & Transportation: Parking Services' Departmental Business, Service Vehicle Zone, and Pentacrest placard renewal forms will be sent to all departments that currently have them by the end of May. Faculty and staff permits must be renewed this year. (Related article.)
Printing Services: Printing work performed by 5:30 p.m. June 30 will be charged in fiscal year '09. The balance of charges for jobs in progress will be made when they are completed and closed. Place FY '09 orders soon to be sure they will meet the deadline. Special Printing Orders (SPOs) issued by 4 p.m. June 30 will be encumbered in FY '09. The charges will be based on the estimated invoice from the vendor.
Mailing Services: Mail processed by 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, will be charged in fiscal year '09. Please send us mailings as early in the day as possible.
It's a good start, but everyone recognizes there is much more to do. The report is on line at http://www2.state.ia.us/regents/Meetings/DocketMemos/09Memos/March/0309_ITEM15.pdf for the March 18-19 meeting.
The partnership benefits both entities: UI provides a quality product for the schools, and the district is able to reduce costs. School district customers have made positive comments about the service.
The Business Services information technology group has two new programmers. Jinping Gu designs and develops Parking and Transportation's online applications. She previously worked for Twin State Technical Services, an IT consulting company. Originally from China, Ping holds a degree in electrical engineering from Hunan University and an MS in computer science from Marycrest College in Davenport.
Valerij Petrulevich's first priority is to develop an online storefront for print orders. Before joining Business Services he worked in the Oakdale offices of Pohaku Inc., a business development company headquartered in Washington, Iowa. A native of Lithuania, he earned a degree from Syracuse University.
Bill Kramer began working at Surplus in early April. His work involves directing the crew and pricing stock. He previously worked at a property management company in Cedar Rapids and lives in North Liberty.
The eBuy project is scheduled to be implemented on May 18. This new ordering tool will replace MIGS, and it will allow our customers to order with their MFK account number on the OfficeMax website and use Workflow for approvals. The PeopleSoft Inventory project will eventually replace SIGS. This is a PReq process. Implementation for this project is scheduled for August. Training will be announced as that time approaches.
These systems will significantly change the way we track inventory and the way our customers place orders. Customers will see new screens and have new options not presently available. Some stock numbers will change, processes will change, and terminologies will change.
Some of our staff will be preoccupied with these implementations over the next several months. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Additional information will be forthcoming as we proceed with the implementations. — Gary Anderson
Whole lotta shakin' going on . . .
. . . at UI Laundry Service. When manager Dave Gray purchased a Pik-Quik mechanized sheet and blanket shaker, our production employees' job got a lot less physical. And that is a good thing. This is the science of ergonomics well applied.
Linens washed in our front-loading, 450-pound capacity machines get very clean and use much less water and detergent to do so. However, one drawback is that sheets get badly tangled as they tumble in the washer. The drying process only alleviates part of the tangling. This means production employees must use muscle power to separate the sheets before feeding them into the sheet ironer. Sometimes this can lead to neck, arm, and back strain. But thanks to the Pik-Quik, not any more!
The Pik-Quik looks like a large metal box on stilts. A cart of newly washed sheets is pushed between the stilts. Then a mechanical arm with two pinching fingers picks up a sheet and moves straight up. If the sheet does not budge the fingers release it, the cart ratchets a few inches, and the arm tries again. When the sheet goes up with the arm, pneumatic air ports poof the sheet with enough force to propel it into rollers. The rollers then send the newly fluffed sheet into a cart to await pressing.
How did we ever get along without this little gem? It pinches, it pulls, it fluffs, it senses, it ratchets, and it takes away all the physical effort previously needed to untangle newly washed sheets before they are fed into the ironer for pressing and finishing.
There are many advantages: The footprint of the Pik-Quik is small and takes up little space. The only utilities required are electricity and an 80- to 120-psi air supply. It operates automatically, with little babysitting, allowing employees to complete other tasks at the same time. But most impressive is the reduction in repetitive motion for the worker. — Jo Anne Worley
Every day at 9:30 a.m., a UI Mailing Services employee drives to Cedar Falls to deliver and pick up mail. Mail is being loaded into the van by 11:45, and the return trip to Iowa City is under way by noon. Back at the Mossman building it goes into the processing stream together with UI mail.
The partnership saves a substantial amount on operating expenses. In the end, both schools benefit from increased postage discounts and overall lower mailing costs. — Sanda Pop
To qualify for the program and gain certification, an individual must be employed in the field, have managerial experience, demonstrate expertise in several related areas, and successfully complete a rigorous, four-hour exam. The certification is valid for two years. Of the seven candidates from Iowa and Kansas who took the test in November, two passed. One of them was Kathy - congratulations!
The e-mail asks for a University ID number, department name and address, the lot or ramp number, the current access card number, and the vehicle license number. It also asks for confirmation to continue payment via payroll deduction. The fee may be prepaid in full or paid through monthly deductions.
Those who renew their permits will be e-mailed a notice on June 1 confirming the renewal. Permits will be sent in Campus Mail or can be picked up at the IMU ramp or Hospital Ramp 2 after July 15. Most parking fees are unchanged from the 2007-2009 schedule. For more information, see the Parking and Transportation website at http://transportation.uiowa.edu/, or call 335-1475.
Credit cards are widely accepted among businesses, so incorporating them at the ramps has made it easier for patrons. There is no longer a need to carry as much cash or be concerned whether there is enough to pay for parking. This form of payment has been very positive for patrons.
To prepare for the transition, over 150 parking attendants were trained to use credit card terminals, process transactions, and be alert to security issues associated with credit cards (to date, there have been none).
Credit card usage started slowly: about 100 out of 10,000 daily transactions used them. This is expected to increase. Credit cards have been used for a range of charges, from as little as 70 cents to more than $15.
Accepting credit cards in the ramps is reducing the amount of cash handled in the field. This is consistent with Parking's desire to reduce risks and increase the security of cash. Although credit cards are not currently accepted in the parking offices, there is a plan to allow them at those sites in the future. — Michelle Ribble
Linda was promoted to office coordinator and in 1984 Parking was combined with Cambus to form the Parking and Transportation Department. A year later Linda was promoted to manager for the entire University parking system. As manager she was responsible for day-to-day operations for nearly all employee, student, patient, and public parking programs. She also oversaw the parking for special events, including football, basketball, and concerts, and helped develop the parking plan for the first NCAA National Championship Wrestling tournament hosted by the University.
In the late 1990s, as the campus population grew and demands for services soared, the department was reorganized. Linda became Parking Services manager, a position where many of the pressures of employee and student parking demand remain focused. She has held one of the most challenging positions on campus and has filled it fairly, honestly and admirably. Linda retired from Parking and Transportation on April 30. A reception for her will be held on Wednesday, May 6, in the IMU North Room from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
During her career Linda saw the campus transform and grow numerous times. When she started, there were only 8,000 parking spaces spread across dozens of small, close-in surface lots conveniently interspersed among buildings to serve employees and students - and just three multilevel structures and four cashiered sites for patients and the public. Cambus provided direct commuter service only to the Hancher area and Lot 43.
Today, there are 16,000 spaces in over 100 facilities, including eight structures and thirteen cashiered sites. Cambus provides more than a third of its service to peripheral parking lots, which now constitute a third of the total system parking capacity.
And, by the way, Linda raised two sons, Scott and David, while she handled all this. She intends to stay in Iowa, where her sons are raising their children and where her sister also remains. — Dave Ricketts
Lea started as a clerk for Parking in the Security Building, which was located where the Seamans Center now stands. Soon the Parking Office moved to the IMU Ramp, where she often worked the counter. In 1985 Lea became the Parking Office coordinator and took over management of the Van Pool program. During this time Parking combined with Cambus and a transition from mainframe computer terminals to personal computers began.
The introduction of PCs led to dramatic changes in the way offices were managed. These changes were accompanied by LANs, ethernet, Windows, IT security, printing failures, crashes, upgrades, and system incompatibilities. Parking and Transportation needed in-house assistance, and Lea began quietly educating herself on PCs and related software.
In 1995, after years of informally being the department's in-house support desk, Lea moved into its administrative group to become a full-time technical support lifesaver. She successfully combined a thorough knowledge of the enterprise with her technical know-how to solve countless problems and move the department past numerous roadblocks. Lea was simply invaluable.
When she came to work for Parking, Lea brought with her many wonderful baked treats to share, a dry sense of humor, a fear of flying, and a love of attending Hancher and theater events. She was also a long-time volunteer for the Iowa City Public Library, which fed her serious reading habit. Along the way she raised three daughters, no mean feat in and of itself.
Lea has already moved to Arkansas to care for her mother, but we hope to see her back from time to time to endure an Iowa winter and to bring treats. — Dave Ricketts
Phase one involves online ordering for business cards. Customers will be able to log on, view the available styles, select a template, check the price, type in the information to be printed, view a proof online, and place the order. The proof is generated dynamically and displays the card exactly as it will print, which reduces duplication of work - and errors. Multiple items may be included in a single order. Eventually, customers will be able to browse and order from a catalog of business cards, letterhead, envelopes, and other products.
The storefront will simplify our customers' tasks of managing print orders and accounts. It will generate reports that show what has been ordered and when; what has been shipped and when; an order's status in real time; and a full ordering history.
Advantages to Printing Services include increased efficiency and economy: the system organizes jobs to print like ones together and interfaces with our production, distribution, and billing functions.
During phase one, staff in a limited number of departments will be trained to use the system. It will be more widely available in later phases. Watch for more information!
Self mailers, which are mail pieces not enclosed in an envelope, are quite successful. They can be addressed to each individual on your mailing list, with his or her name printed throughout the document. This can save time, money and headaches.
The digital color press we use for VDP offers a number of creative options. In any print run, each piece can have variations in text, photos, graphics, and layout to customize it for an individual reader. Text can be oriented in various directions, such as on an incline.
Your mail pieces can be as personalized as much as you wish. "This service that we provide is limited by only your imagination," says Kathy Battin, Mailing Services manager. Business reply mail pieces may be printed with the customer's return address. Envelopes may be printed with the customer's name matching the enclosed personalized letter; printing can be set up to use window envelopes in which the recipient's name appears in the window. Our customers who use the service are finding it convenient, economical, and helpful in meeting their goals.
"This year UI Mailing Services has handled our large-volume letters for both prospective undergraduate students and those who have applied and been offered admission, in addition to other jobs that have included variable data printing. Kathy and the Mail staff have processed multiple batches of these targeted communications in a timely manner, and have provided consultation and recommendations that have allowed for postage savings," says Matt Kroeger, associate director in the Office of Admissions.
"We have found that by utilizing Mailing Services' ability to integrate mail with printing, we save both time and money. We have used this variable data process for a variety of printed materials, including invitations, postcards, and newsletters, and find that whether our project is small or large, priority or bulk, their services are always first class," says Jill Fishbaugh, director of external relations for the College of Education.
Try our variable data printing! The Mailing Services manager meets with departments at UI and the University of Northern Iowa to educate and train customers about it and our color printing options. Contact her at 384-3809 for more information. — Sanda Pop
Surplus has recycled or disposed of items that were more than ten years old to make space for inventory with potential for faster turnover. A new layout has helped with sales, too, because customers have easier access to the merchandise - so it sells out rather fast.
"We have cleaned up a lot of stuff that was not moving and was collecting dust. Our goal is to create a different look every week on the sales floor, which we believe will encourage customers to come back," says Steve Stange, the new Surplus manager. He steps into the position with strong people skills developed during his twenty years with UI Public Safety, and Solon City Council and volunteer firefighting experience.
Stange says he loves working with his team and believes its extraordinary effort and hard work, essential to the department's success, have made all the changes possible. Employees are multi-tasking and working in different ways, he says.
Chris West, a clerk at Surplus, is taking control of the paperwork and tracking inventory. Bill Kramer, a new, full-time employee, oversees equipment as it comes in and assesses the sales options. "We are trying to get the best bang for the buck," Stange says.
Surplus is striving to find different ways to become more efficient and to offer low prices to UI departments and the public. It has partnered with Heartland Recovery, a North Liberty company that conducts surplus and asset liquidation sales, to sell lab and medical equipment. Computers are now located on the ground floor, making them more accessible to customers. Starting in the fall, Surplus will sell UI athletics equipment as well.
Check out the new Surplus. It is open to UI departments from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays. — Sanda Pop
Editor and web administrator: Jenean Arnold, phone 319-384-3723, 129 Mossman Building.
