GENERAL NEWS
Fiscal year ends soon; time to order '04 budget items
The fiscal year end is rapidly approaching, which means it is time to place Central Mail, General Stores, and Printing Department orders that you want to be billed to your 2004 budget. Please be aware of the following deadlines:
Central Mail
Mail processed by 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, will be charged in fiscal year 2004. Please send your mailings to Central Mail as early in the day as possible.
Document Services
Document Services' work performed as of 11:59 p.m. on June 30 will be billed in fiscal year '04. Any work performed after that time will be billed in fiscal year '05.
General Stores
General Stores will include any order in the current fiscal year if it is entered directly by a department or General Stores on the MIGS or SIGS system by 4:00 p.m. on June 30 and all other orders by Monday, June 14.
Office copiers
If you wish to purchase a copier in fiscal year 2004, obtain a Copier Feature Request sheet. It is available from Margie Yoder, 384-3720, and Diane Bird, 384-3702. Complete it and fax or mail it to us (384-3727, 130 MBSB).
We will help you arrange for test copiers. After you decide which one you want, complete a preq per the Printing Department's instructions. Include Printing in the preq routing and obtain all the required approvals by noon, June 23. We'll process it and send it to Purchasing. Specify that you want the funds encumbered for fiscal year '04.
Printing
For printing orders, only the work performed as of 4 p.m. on June 30 will be charged in fy '04. The balance of charges for jobs in progress will be made when they are completed and closed. Place orders that you want charged in fy '04 now. Special Printing Orders (SPOs) issued by 4 p.m. June 30 will be encumbered in fy '04. The charges will be based on the estimated invoice from the vendor.
Parking Services
Parking Services has sent Service Vehicle Zone, Pentacrest, and Departmental Business placard renewal forms to all who currently had them at the end of May. The fee for fy '05 is $228.
Cost reductions continue with consolidation, partnerships
Business Services departments continue to work on reducing costs. Consolidation within and between the departments has been ongoing, and partnerships with other Regents' institutions continue to be developed. Campus Mail began delivering business cards produced at the Printing Department this past spring. This reduces the number of small packages going out on large delivery trucks. The Printing Department driver, Rich Robbins, has joined the delivery crew at General Stores.
Partnerships that departments have developed with other institutions include Central Mail with the University of Northern Iowa and the Printing Department with Iowa State University Printing Service. UNI had contracted with Central Mail for mail processing service for the last fiscal year. "They've been extremely happy with the service and have renewed their contract," says Central Mail manager Chris Kula.
The Iowa and Iowa State printing services have shared information and met periodically for some time; recently UI Printing performed work for ISU. The printing could not be done there due to "a combination of time and equipment," says Printing Department customer service manager Steve Wilson. "It fit us to a 't': it was 2,000 copies of a 212-page book. Our goal is to do even more of that."
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CENTRAL MAIL SERVICES
FedEx pick-up is between 3 and 4 pm daily.
Please have outgoing packages in the mail room before 3 pm.
Central Mail to reduce fees for second consecutive year
Central Mail Services would like to inform its mailing customers that effective July 1, 2004, many processing fees will be reduced and set-up fees eliminated. This will be the second consecutive year that Central Mail has been able to reduce its processing fees. The continued partnering relationship with UNI, steady mail volumes, and reduced overhead expenses allow Central Mail to pass additional savings on to its mailing customers. Our fees are posted on the web at www.uiowa.edu/~fuscmail/cost/msvcfees.htm.
Chris Kula
Identity theft increasing nationwide - guard your personal information
What is America's fastest growing type of robbery? Identity theft. Last year an estimated 9.9 million Americans were victims; it cost financial institutions and businesses more than $48 billion and individuals an estimated $5 billion.
Criminals may be employees or patrons of mailrooms, airlines, hotels, or personnel offices - anyone who has access to financial information. Tactics for stealing an individual's identity include posing as a loan officer and ordering your credit report, which lists lines of credit; "shoulder surfing" at an ATM or phone booth to get your PIN code; "dumpster diving" in trash bins behind businesses or apartments for unshredded, preapproved credit applications, canceled checks, bank records, or any documents containing personal information; and stealing mail out of mailboxes. A criminal who comes across your social security number gains access to your medical, financial, credit, and educational records. Once identity thieves have your information, they may open new accounts or lines of credit under your name, for their use.
A number of prevention programs have been implemented to combat identity theft. The card-activation system proposed by a postal inspector requires that credit card holders call the issuer upon receipt to ensure the cards are in the right hands. Others are credit checks, in which creditors check card applications against various fraud databases before issuing a new card, and using new methods of encoding the magnetic strip on credit cards to increase their security.
To protect yourself from identity theft:
· Don't leave mail in your mailbox overnight or on weekends. Deposit outgoing mail at the Post Office and promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery.
· Shred or tear up unwanted documents that contain personal information before discarding them in the trash.
· Every year, order and thoroughly review copies of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies.
· Never give personal identifying information over the telephone or the internet unless you initiated the contact.
If you're a victim of identity theft and your U.S. mail is involved, call your nearest postal inspection service office or local police. Visit the Federal Trade Commission website or call its toll-free hotline at 1-877-ID-THEFT for more information.
Reminder: USPS soon to require address cleansing for discounts
In an initiative termed Move Update, the U.S. Postal Service will soon require that address files be cleansed (processed) before using them in mailings for which a presorted or automation discount would apply. Mailers who fail to do this will pay first-class rates for bulk mail.
Bulk mail
Prelabeled letters and self mailers will be processed by Postal Services, Inc. (PSI), the University's contracted presort vendor. PSI will process them according to Move Update. This mail will receive discount rates.
Prelabeled flats and booklets will receive no discount, so do not prelabel this kind of mail. Instead, send your address files to Central Mail for processing and addressing. We will return them to you on request if you wish to insert material yourself.
First-Class mail
There will be no change in requirements for First-Class mail (single-piece, full-postage, First-Class letters and flats), as well as discounted letter-size mail that is in compliance with USPS automation standards.
Other mail
Priority mail, media mail, and parcel post are not affected by Move Update and will have no change in processing requirements.
Using addresses that have not been processed correctly will cost your department the same as single-piece, First-Class mail: from 37 cents for a one-ounce mail piece to $1.06 for a four-ounce mail piece. To comply with the USPS regulations, you'll need to format your addresses according to Postal Service guidelines and make sure your address files are cleansed before every bulk mailing. The Postal Service has not set a date, but it could happen by late summer or early fall 2004.
This information is excerpted from an article in the last issue of Into Print. Call Central Mail manager Chris Kula, 384-3809, with questions.
Mail Smarts (tips from Central Mail)
· Central Mail and University policy state that personal mail should not be deposited in Campus Mail.
· Separate domestic from international mail.
· Combine outgoing mail and attach your department's mail card to the bundle.
· Make sure outgoing mail pieces are faced correctly: with the addresses facing to the front and envelope flaps up.
· If your department is using business reply mail, make sure the envelope does not contain more inserts than it was designed for. This can cause the entire University to lose postage discounts.
· Use complete, correct addresses when addressing your outgoing mail pieces.
Chris Kula
Familiar face in Campus Mail leaving
Central Mail Services would like to extend a fond farewell to Campus Mail clerk Dean Meiburg, who is leaving the University to relocate in Florida. He plans to refurbish and sell homes. Along with that he will continue to work at landscape design, albeit with an entirely different universe of plant life! Dean has worked on every Campus Mail route, delivering mail to every building and mail stop on campus. Thank you, Dean, for a job well done!
Chris Kula
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PARKING & TRANSPORTATION
Cambus completes first year of late-night service, adds early morning stop
As the spring semester concluded, Cambus also concluded the first year of an experiment with extended late-night service. For the fall and spring semesters this past year, service was extended from 11:55 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., Sunday through Thursday. Cambus continued to operate until 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights with its SafeRide service.
The extended service was deemed mildly successful. Cambus averaged 325 rides per night after 11 p.m. during the academic periods, which was about 60 more rides per night than before the extended service. (Daily ridership on Cambus averages about 19,000.) The Hawkeye route and Thursday nights garnered the most use.
The service was implemented in response to a request by UI Student Government. The request was for Cambus to operate until 2 a.m. seven days a week, in order to coincide with the Libraries' hours and to improve late-night safety. The final service hours were determined after consideration of several factors, including staffing, costs, level of use, and the intended purpose of the service. The final service design was intended to go beyond recreation and focus on accommodating academic pursuits.
Cambus will continue to evaluate the merits of the service. For the upcoming fall semester it may remain as is, return to the previous schedule, or be a modification of both.
Cambus has begun an early-morning service to the Hawkeye commuter lot. On May 17, the Hawkeye lot/Hospital route started at 5:10 a.m. in order to get commuters to work by 5:30. Bus service to the Hawkeye commuter lot has grown continually since the lot opened, and the number of commuters has increased. This service increase is the latest in the effort to make the lot viable to a greater number of commuters. The earlier service also makes the service level of Hawkeye commuter lot similar to that of the Finkbine and Arena commuter lots.
Brian McClatchey
Project updates
Ramp 4: The Ramp 4 expansion is scheduled to break ground in mid August.
South Grand: The South Grand Avenue construction project is planned to start in 2005. The project will widen South Grand to add a left-turn lane onto Melrose Avenue.
Lot 43: Lot 43 (the parking lot behind Kinnick Stadium) will be affected by construction projects for several years, beginning this summer with a utilities project that will take place from June through August. After the 2004 football season ends, the reconstruction of the stadium's south stands and press boxes will begin. The tennis courts to the south of the stadium will be removed, and the parking lot will be reconstructed and reconfigured.
CDD: The Center for Disabilities and Development will have twelve additional patient parking spaces constructed this summer.
Mayflower: The Mayflower Residence Hall will have the back parking lot and north metered lot resurfaced and redesigned. This project began on May 17.
Finding parking: A new sign system designed to assist motorists in finding additional parking on the east side of campus will be installed by August of this year.
Ramp maintenance: The ramp maintenance program continues this year with the IMU and North Campus ramps. Maintenance work on them began May 17.
Michelle Ribble
Parking and Transportation supervisor to retire after 32 years
Good luck and best wishes to Ellie Horning on her retirement. Ellie, the Parking and Transportation supervisor for Field Services, has been employed with the Parking and Transportation department for thirty-two years. During that time, she witnessed many changes around campus and was an active participant in recent technology upgrades.
Ellie has worn many different hats in her career, from enforcement officer to office clerk to her current position of supervisor. As her June 30 retirement date approaches, Ellie proudly looks forward to wearing the hat of mother and grandmother for many years to come. She will be fondly missed, and we hope she will make return visits to see us. Congratulations!
Michelle Ribble
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PRINTING DEPARTMENT
Economy vs. convenience: Printing, Doc Svcs can save your department money
With office printers and copiers selling at low to moderate prices, you might think you can save money by using one. Not necessarily. They are convenient but when used inappropriately can be more costly than high-volume production equipment.
We looked at twelve printers costing from $200 to $1,480 with speeds from 14 to 36 copies per minute, and fifteen copiers from $2,198 to $11,800 with speeds from 20 to 55 copies per minute. Then we calculated the cost per copy at various monthly volumes, up to 20,000 copies per month, based on prices from vendors and the web.*
Costs per copy ranged from three to twenty-three cents. In general, the higher the machine's cost, speed, and monthly volume, the lower the per-copy cost. But using a machine at less than optimal volume can be very expensive: one copier that costs five cents a copy at 10,000 copies a month, for example, costs seventeen cents a copy at 3,000 copies a month. Using a machine at greater than optimal volume can also be expensive, in higher maintenance costs and possible loss of vendor support.
If you spend six cents a copy using your office equipment you will spend $3 making 50 copies, $30 for 500. Document Services charges four cents a copy, so you'd spend $2 there for the same 50 copies and $20 for 500. The difference, $1 and $10 respectively, is the cost of convenience. If copies cost nine cents each on your office machine, the cost of convenience for 500 copies is $25.
Offset printing enters the picture as the volume of a single run reaches a certain point. Using the above examples and a run of 2,000 copies, you would spend $180 at nine cents a copy, $120 at six cents a copy, $80 at Document Services, and $76 for offset printing at the Printing Department. For 5,000 copies the costs would be $450 at nine cents a copy, $300 at six cents, $200 at Document Services, and $153 for offset.
The costs we calculated are low. We did not include printer accessories; extra memory; special papers; color toner; the use of photos, graphics, and bold type (they use more toner, and average toner yields are based on 4 to 5 percent coverage - if condensed on an 8-1/2x11 inch page, this would cover an area about 11/32"x7/16"); down time; repairs; additional administrative costs; and staff time spent on paper jams, waiting in line, and getting to and from workstations.
In the end, it is important to match your volume of copying or printing with the machine used to do the work. Conscientious use of office copiers and printers can help you do your job well. Careless use of them can cost your department lots of money. What is the cost of convenience worth to you?
*Our calculations included the following: price of machine; labor based on clerk III salary; maintenance costs when information was available; black toner or ink for printers based on 4 to 5 percent coverage (toner is usually included in cost quotes for copiers); print or copy on one side of 8-1/2x11, 20-pound bond costing $2.30 per ream (General Stores' current price); and, for high-volume copiers, accessories and features such as a document feeder, stapler, duplexing, and sorting.
UPACS service works to reduce course material overruns
As summer gives way to fall, the volume of course material (UPACS) produced steadily increases. Document Services clerk Ken Knopik, who runs the copyright and UPACS publishing service, expects this. But he is trying to cut production costs by making sure the volume doesn't increase more than it should. His goal is to reduce the number of unsold, leftover course packs.
"Because of the tight budget, we are trying to watch overruns. We are working closely with professors on quantities, because not everyone buys a course pack. Sometimes students share them, sometimes they buy and return them," says Knopik. Additionally, students may drop classes or access the material electronically if it is available that way.
To accurately estimate the quantity of course packs to print, Knopik asks lots of questions. "We ask if it's electronically accessible, for instance. If it is, some students will use it that way. We ask if the class will be offered again; if so, the leftovers can be sold the next time. We look at the history, to try to estimate the percentage of students who buy course packs for that class.
"To encourage the professors to print lower quantities, we offer quick turnaround on reorders - one to two days, so it's not a problem for the students," he says.
If you are planning to publish a course pack, gather as much information as you can about quantities. Then contact Knopik at the UPACS office (208 IMU Iowa House, 335-3410, upacs-printing@uiowa.edu). He'll help you get it right.
[To order a course pack, send the assembled materials, a requisition or an m-number,
and a completed order form. Call the UPACS office to request an order form
or to complete it by phone.]
Printing Department establishing listserv
The Printing Department is establishing a listserv for quick communications with its customers. If you want to sign up for it, go to the UI Mailing Lists website (http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/printsvc.html) and click on "Join or leave the list". The listserv will not replace the information we provide in this newsletter or on the web. We'll use it to disseminate news briefs and departmental updates that require more timely communication than a quarterly newsletter allows.
Wide Media Center staff changes
Chris West has joined Sanda Pop and Janet Wieland in the Wide Media Center. They print and distribute the plans and spec books for UI capital development projects, working closely with Design and Construction Services and contractors who bid on the projects. West formerly worked in the Printing Department accounting office.
Center for the Book continues Linotype tutorials at Printing
The UI Center for the Book conducted more Linotype tutorials at the Print Studio in the Mossman Building this spring. The studio provides a new teaching resource for the University and for specialists in book studies, through a collaboration between the Center for the Book and the Printing Department. Students and faculty have participated in the tutorials to learn how to operate the Linotype, the technology used for typesetting during much of the twentieth century. Gary Frost, UI Libraries' conservator and instructor in the Center for the Book, organizes the tutorials. Larry Raid, a Linotype preservationist from Denmark, Iowa, teaches them. The last issue of Into Print carried an article about the Print Studio and the tutorials.
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STORES AND RENTAL SERVICES
General Stores' core list has great prices on popular items
When you need to order supplies, check the prices for General Stores/Corporate Express core items before you buy elsewhere. General Stores' partnership with CE falls under the Big Ten Consortium contract, which calls for each participating university to select 300 items to be offered at special prices. General Stores chose 300 of the most commonly used items at The University of Iowa, both by dollar purchases and by quantity used, for its core list. In addition to the sample items below, the list includes binders, folders, labels, pens, tape, toners, and transparency film.
The core items are now designated as such on the MIGS website with an asterisk. Core list items indicate high usage and a special low price. Here is a sampling of the core items available to the University.
| Sample core list items |
| Item | price | unit | order number |
| Batteries, AA alkaline 8-pack | $8.58 | pack | DURMX1500B8Z |
| Post-it cube, bright colors, 390 sheets, 3"x3" | $3.32 | pad | MMM2027 |
| Sharpie fine-point markers, black | $0.39 | each | SAN30001 |
| Tyvek 9-1/2"x12-1/2" catalog envelopes, 100 per box | $31.28 | box | QUAR1530 |
| #2 pencils, UI imprint, 12 per box | $0.67 | box | Z721CH2132 |
Printed General Stores stock list available
Do you need an updated list of what General Stores stocks or a paper sample book of all the papers we carry? The stock list includes gas cylinders, bags, animal bedding, cleaners, coffee and filters, copier accessories, staples, custodial supplies, and light bulbs. The paper sample book contains the white and colored paper- on hand - thirty-seven different bonds - along with their stock numbers and descriptions.
Please email judy-rockafellow@uiowa.edu to request the stock list or paper sample book.
Judy Rockafellow
Bits & pieces: Maintenance Stores factoids
| Maintenance Stores issues the supplies needed for maintenance projects throughout the University. Its 6,000+ item inventory includes electrical, carpentry, plumbing, key shop, and refrigeration supplies; hardware; sheet metal; and tools.
|
Last year, Maintenance Stores processed....
19.0175 tons (38,035 pounds) of mild steel,
417 cases (5,004) air filters,
240 cartons (2,887 pieces; 11,548 sq. ft.) ceiling tiles, and
113.4 orders per month (1,361 per year) to vendors,
....all to help keep The University of Iowa in order.
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Character counts: Meet Steve Fulwider
Steve Fulwider, Equipment Rental, first worked at UI as a clerk in the Blood Donor Center and followed that with eleven years at Motor Pool. Then he threw it all away: "I gave up my career to come over here and play!" he says. Now, work is play for Steve. Deep inside a mountain of electronics at the far end of the Mossman Building, he checks returned equipment, removes data and rebuilds hard drives, and heads off disaster for customers in trouble.
"They rent a lot of AV equipment - especially projectors, because they're so expensive to buy. And they're not always the easiest thing to figure out," he says. "Imagine you're standing in front of 30 people, ready to give a presentation, and there's no picture on the screen. They call, we walk them through it."
Steve also works with frequent renters. "Certain departments have the mindset that renting, with the service we provide, is better than buying," he says. "If something goes wrong with a computer, they bring it back and we fix it. You can't do that if you buy it."
An avid learner, Steve has earned certification as a motor fleet manager (one of only 200 in the U.S. at the time) and in computer networking, all while working full time. "I try to get as much education as I can with every job," he says. He's now studying for A+ certification, a Microsoft program for specializing in software and hardware repairs on PCs. "It was either that or tap dancing, and the A+ fit in better with what I do here," he says with a grin.
Steve's children are Angela, a University of Arkansas student now in France for a summer internship; Aaron, a manager trainee in the food industry; and Andrew, who lives with his mother in Arkansas with the support of community organizations due to a mental handicap. Steve's "lovely significant other," Jane Holland, coordinates elder- and child-care programs in UI Family Services. For hobbies, Steve enjoys summertime fishing. It gives him time to read, mostly computer and tech magazines, and sometimes study.
"To be honest with you, I love my job. If I were ever to retire, I would do this for free. It's the only job I've ever had where I look forward to coming in to work every day."
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WE LIKE FEEDBACK!
Story ideas:
Are there topics we haven't covered that you would like to see in our newsletter?
Do you have questions you would like us to address? Send an e-mail to
jenean-arnold@uiowa.edu or a memo to Into Print,126C MBSB.
Address corrections and additions:
If you wish to be added to the Into Print mailing list, fill out and send our
form or e-mail the following
information [University of Iowa campus addresses and @uiowa.edu e-mail suffixes only]
to jenean-arnold@uiowa.edu:
- Your name
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- whether you want the print version, e-mail notification of Web posting, or both.
E-mail us:
Send questions and comments about departmental topics to:
Bionic Bus . . . bionic-bus@uiowa.edu
Cambus information . . . cambus-dispatching@uiowa.edu
Central Mail . . . central-mail@uiowa.edu
Commuter programs . . . commuter-programs@uiowa.edu
General Stores . . . genstores@uiowa.edu
Motor Pool . . . motor-pool@uiowa.edu
Parking facilities operations . . . facilities-dispatch@uiowa.edu
Parking services . . . parking-office@uiowa.edu
Wide Media Center . . . widemedia-printing@uiowa.edu
Copy Centers:
Boyd Law . . . dcblb-printing@uiowa.edu
Hardin Library . . . dchlhs-printing@uiowa.edu
Iowa Memorial Union . . . dcimu-printing@uiowa.edu
Med Labs . . . dcml-printing@uiowa.edu
Mossman Building . . . dcmbsb-printing@uiowa.edu
Pappajohn Bldg . . . dcpbb-printing@uiowa.edu
UPACS and Copyright Service . . . upacs-printing@uiowa.edu
We are . . .
Business Services: Central Mail Services, Equipment Rental, General
Stores, Laundry Service, Maintenance Stores, Parking and Transportation, Printing
Department, and Surplus, serving The University of Iowa. The print version of
Into Print is distributed free and on request to UI faculty, staff,
and students.
Contributors to this issue:
Gary Anderson/Business Services, Printing;
Chris Kula/Central Mail;
Brian McClatchey, Michelle Ribble/Parking & Transportation;
Judy Rockafellow/General Stores.
Editor/web administrator: Jenean Arnold, phone 384-3723,
jenean-arnold@uiowa.edu, 126C MBSB.
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