Into Print, The University of Iowa Business Services' quarterly newsletter, aims to educate, inform, and entertain its readers, with a goal of fostering positive communication between the department, its staff, and its clients.

TypeStrikes

General news
E-forms find their way online
Quality Report--Open book management: Building the foundation
Buy recycled

Central Mail System
Frequently asked questions about University mailing
Character Counts: Meet David Larsen

Laundry Service
Vasquez to work with Laundry management team
Landscape takes on a new look at UI Laundry Service
The teamwork cycle

Materials Management
Stores' current price list on Web site
Cool cats
When you have questions . . .
Another good guide: Xerox copier accessories

Printing Department
Wide-media service scans, prints, and archives documents
Test departments needed for imaging initiative
Creature Feature! (True stories from the front lines)

We are . . .

Business Services directory

General Stores will offer its "Introduction to General Stores and Online Ordering" class in October and December. If anyone in your department would like training on the SIGS and MIGS online ordering systems before then, contact Judy Rockafellow.

The Printing Department will again offer classes starting in the fall. Watch for more information in future issues of Into Print and through the Staff Development office.

The dates, times, locations, and registration information for both departments' classes will be announced later.

You can't find the form you need. You try to correct a mistake and end up with a smudged mess. You use an outdated form because you didn't know a change had been made. It can be aggravating and time-consuming.

Well, jump on the Web and into the world of e-forms! There are more than 125 of the most widely used forms on campus at www.uiowa.edu/~eforms, with more added regularly. For many, this has made life easier.

"I was ready for something new and better to come along! I think the forms are wonderful!" says Phyllis Rosenwinkel, School of Journalism and Mass Communication administrative secretary.Donna Reihman, with the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine, agrees. "Much, much easier and faster, I think, than the old paper forms, and you don't have to use a typewriter! They're neater (easier to read, no smudges) and easier to correct and redo, too," she says.

The e-forms project is an ambitious one. According to its home page, the Electronic Forms Web site is designed to be a central repository for the UI's electronic forms.

As the University moves away from paper forms, virtually every interdepartmental form used on campus will find its way online. Gary Anderson, manager of Materials Management, which through its General Stores keeps paper forms in stock, points out a distinct advantage to this trend.

"We continually have a large number of outdated forms in our inventory. New software and new ways of doing business often result in changes to forms. Updating forms in paper format is time consuming and costly. New forms must be created and printed, and the outdated paper forms must be written off and recycled. E-forms allow forms to be printed as needed, where needed. Less paper is used, and the large quantities of out-of-date forms would not exist," he says.

The move toward online forms began several years ago with K*forms, which are Microsoft Word templates for University administrative forms. Many departments started downloading these templates and used them frequently, discovering that it was much simpler than keeping track of stacks of forms. E-forms is an extension of K*forms that uses Adobe Acrobat rather than Word. While there are a number of K*forms still in use, they are being replaced by the e-forms.

Mike Cash, the Printing Department computer consultant who administers the e-forms Web site, acknowledges that not everyone is happy with this switch. He says, though, that as people get used to the new system, most will like it. "There are some disadvantages of e-forms compared to K*forms, but the advantages far outweigh them," says Cash.

To access e-forms, go to the home page cited earlier. You'll find a list of the departments that have e-forms available, such as Accounts Payable, the Cashier's Office, and many more. Among other office staples, you can find requisition forms, travel vouchers, and procurement cards. Pull down the alphabetical listing of all the forms if you're unsure of which department has the form you need.

All of the e-forms listed have a link to general e-form tips right next to the form name. If you need K*form information, it's available at the top of the page that lists the forms.

When you find the form you need, simply click on it and fill in the blanks. Some of the forms have a user profile option that can set defaults for much of the information on the form. When you're finished, print a quick copy and you'll have a clean, easy-to-read, completed form.

Cash wants everyone to know that the e-forms project is a work in progress. He asks for feedback from those who use the forms and invites anyone interested to poke around the Web site. You can e-mail Cash, mike-cash@uiowa.edu, with questions or if you have forms you'd like converted to electronic format. Also, be sure to subscribe to the e-forms listserve mentioned on the site to receive updates and information about the system.

And the next time you can't find that one form you really need, relax-e-forms are there to make your life just a little bit easier.
Nic Arp

Chances are, you have probably never heard of open book management. The essence of this philosophy is that the best, most efficient way to operate a business is to give everyone in the company a voice in suggesting how it should be operated.

This is accomplished by teaching employees the business through the use of financial statements.

It teaches people how to think and act like business owners rather than employees, and it creates an environment whereby employees are encouraged to share ideas and to be constantly learning.

In the fall of 1996, I began thinking of launching a pilot program. Since my office is in General Stores, I thought this would be the logical place to start.

I began by gathering a core group from within the department. It consisted of the department manager, administrative assistant, delivery supervisor, gas cylinder manager, bookkeeper, a clerk, and myself.

One of the main premises of open book management is the sharing of information with all employees, so I wanted a good mix from within the workforce. The importance of this is that as these people learn, they can share the information with others and, hopefully, it will filter through the ranks.

Prior to beginning the process, I met with each person to explain the concept, what we were trying to accomplish with it, and why. The most prevalent reactions were "Why would you want to share financial information with us?" or, "They've never let us see this before."

In these initial meetings, I stressed the importance of being able to read a financial statement. It was knowledge they could use anywhere, even if they left the University for another employer, and it was knowledge they could use in their personal lives.
Lee Vasquez

Vasquez, a Business Services program consultant, implemented open book management, the practice of including employees in financial planning, at General Stores. This article was first published in College Services Administration, the journal of the National Association of College Auxiliary Services. Next: "By the numbers"-teaching the basics of the department's finances.

Where can I buy stamps?
Use your department procurement card or prepare a voucher or invoice payable to the Postmaster, Iowa City Post Office, to buy stamps for University business. When Accounts Payable has the check ready, take it to the Post Office to purchase the stamps.

Can I charge postage to my department and repay the department?
No. The use of University funds for personal postage, either metered or franked stamps, is prohibited.

Why can't I send personal mail through Campus Mail?
The Code of Federal Regulations forbids the use of a college or university mail system to carry personal correspondence and spells out penalties for the private use of campus mail. The University operations manual also prohibits the private use of Campus Mail.

Where can we get Campus Mail envelopes?
Departments often send excess envelopes to Campus Mail. The envelopes are redistributed free of charge to any department requesting them. Purchase new Campus Mail envelopes from General Stores.

How can I get my mail forwarded?
Send a change-of-address form to publishers and correspondents at the time of your move if you leave the University. The Postal Service will not accept a change-of-address form for a University address.

Why do we receive mail for staff who have gone?
The sender may not know the person has departed. Mail a change-of-address card to the sender or mark the piece with the forwarding address and redeposit it in the mail. The change-of-address card is the best way to ensure the sender receives the new information.

At the end of the work day, Larsen steps into his other career. "This is what I spend most of my time on outside of work," he says, and hands over a business card listing him as an associate with a company that manufactures dietary supplements called nutraceuticals. It's a fairly new industry that has seen tremendous growth since the passage of the 1994 Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act that regulates it, he says.

Larsen, who markets the supplements, spends time talking to people, developing interest in the product, and attending meetings around the state with others who are involved or interested in becoming involved with the company. The supplements are derived from a component of plants that is "natural-your body will recognize it and use it, and nontoxic-it won't harm you in any way," he says.

Born and reared in Iowa City, Larsen now lives in Lone Tree. His mother and a sister, who works at the UI Credit Union, live in Iowa City; another sister is in Milwaukee and his brother lives in Waterloo.

Larsen spends time working on his house, updating and refinishing it. He's remodeled the kitchen, put a shower in the basement, and still has to refinish "a bunch of doors." His leisure time includes watching movies and playing action games such as "Quake," "Star Wars," and "Turok," in which "You run around through the jungle, make sure you don't get eaten by dinosaurs," he says.

Anything else? "I'm going home to mow the yard tonight," he says. A word of caution, then: steer clear of dinosaurs and please don't eat the daisies!

"I've asked him to work with me on reviewing and auditing internal processes that relate to customer service," says Dave Gray, Laundry Service manager. Gray says he hopes to have Vasquez' help with finance, budgeting, and accounting processes as well.

Vasquez says he plans to review the entire process flow at the Laundry and then suggest ways to strengthen and streamline service. He is the author of a series of articles on open book management that begins in this issue of Into Print (see General News).

While no one will-or could-replace longtime assistant manager Jerry Miller after his recent retirement, Vasquez will help Gray and the rest of the Laundry employees fill Miller's shoes. He says he is looking forward to working with everyone at the Oakdale facility, and the feeling is clearly mutual.

"I'm absolutely delighted that Lee is coming out here to be part of the management team," says Gray.
Nic Arp

To accomplish this, Design and Construction Services hired a local landscape architect to prepare the site plan, Campus Shops staff did some of the earth work, and Pleasant Valley finished it off with the planting and seeding, says Bob Brooks, an architect with DCS. The plan included "a variety of trees and shrubs, some of it to help fit the building into the site," says Brooks.

Pleasant Valley general manager Aleda Feuerbach says the project is 98 percent finished; a few plantings remain to be done, but the grass needs to establish itself first.

"They worked really hard to get it done, digging up weeds by hand to seed it," says Monica Fuhrmeister, supervisor in the Laundry's uniforms and dust control areas. "I didn't think they would finish it this fast, but they did."

Karen Lorence, who works at fitting uniforms at the Laundry, says she thinks it will look nice when the grass has begun to grow, but adds, "I wouldn't want to mow it!"

In the end, the new Laundry building at Oakdale is surrounded by 24 shade trees, 32 evergreens, 11 ornamental trees, 13 deciduous shrubs, 19 evergreen shrubs, perennial flowers, and 1.5 acres of grass. Just in time for company, too: on July 15, the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee will tour the facility.

*A JSB is a buffalo juniper (Juniperus sabina 'buffalo'); FPS is a summit ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica 'summit'); and an AGi is an amur maple (Acer ginnala), on the off chance you didn't know.

Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. At -109.3 degrees F, it is much colder than regular wet ice. As it warms, it becomes gas rather than water, and it can last about five times as long as wet ice.

One recent day, Novak, also known as "Bandana Mike," has a couple of reporters ride along on his appointed rounds.

Wearing thick leather gloves, Novak first unseals a large insulated box at the General Stores receiving dock. Vapor rises into the warm morning. He deftly wields big tongs as he pulls out several 60- to 70-pound blocks of ice, wrapped in brown paper, and plunks them onto a flatbed truck. Asked if the ice is dangerous to touch, he shows a long burn on his right forearm. The man has been wounded in the service of science.

He has a number of deliveries this day, at the UI Hospitals and Clinics, the VA Hospital, and the Chemistry Building. Some of his stops have big, professional-looking freezers for the ice, some just have little camping coolers. Some are nondescript storage rooms, and some are labs, alive with eerily bubbling vials.

Often, he says, he just leaves the ice and never sees who uses it. Today, though, he gets a chance to meet someone on the other side of the equation. At the Chemistry Building, he hits a room on the second floor. He reaches into a small camping cooler and removes the old ice. He puts in the new block and replaces the old on top of it so that it will get used first.

This small courtesy doesn't go unnoticed. Kate Reck, a postdoctoral associate in Chemistry, stops and thanks him warmly for it. Reck says she uses the ice for cold baths in chemical reaction experiments. She explains that when one mixes the ice with an organic solvent it will maintain a constant, very cold temperature. Acetone mixed with dry ice, for instance, will hold at -78 degrees F, in a sort of slush.

"Kind of like a nice margarita," she says.

But there's no time to dally. Bandana Mike's already on his way to his next stop, keeping the UI stocked with all its dry ice needs.
Nic Arp

Call Hruby, 384-3900, with questions concerning General Stores stock numbers and pricing; the status of a BT order; items short or missing from your order; credit being issued; copies of invoices; and where items were delivered and signatures. Call the BT number, 384-3908, with questions concerning the company's stock numbers; pricing and availability of product; status of back orders; returning an item for credit; and custom stamps.
Gary Anderson

Contact Dan Wyjack, 384-3914, if you have questions about Xerox products and their corresponding General Stores stock numbers. Also contact him to discuss the availability of toners and other supplies if you are considering buying or leasing a new Xerox copier.
Gary Anderson

With this service, any UI department can create large posters, banners, and other documents from hard-copy originals. It is possible to scan originals and save them in electronic format on CD-ROMs and Zip or Jaz disks.

The scanner is used for black-and-white jobs only. Originals as small as 41/2x51/2 inches or as big as 36 inches wide by 100 feet long can be scanned for archiving or printing. The service can be a cost-effective way to enlarge documents containing primarily line art or text for use in presentations and displays. However, the printer is not designed to produce large areas of solid coverage.

For general use, per-job charges are $2 for handling, 12.5 cents per square foot for printing, and 40 cents per page for scanning. If an original needs to be cleaned up or fixed in any way for scanning, there is a charge of $15 per hour, or 25 cents per minute. Finally, if there are any special features used, such as reverse printing, enlargements, or reductions, there is a charge of $1.50 per feature per job.

You can use a standard University requisition form or a standing account (M-number) to pay for your order. Contact the Printing Department accounting office to establish a standing account.

Currently, the wide-media service is used mostly by Design and Construction Services for printing and archiving construction plans. Lin Hartman, the Printing Department manager, points out that it enables contractors to retrieve electronically archived copies of plans on demand. This saves the University money by eliminating the need to print multiple copies, some of which often do not get used.

Call Janet Wieland in the wide-media service center for more information or to place an order.
Nic Arp

Lin Hartman, the Printing Department manager, says there are a number of advantages to having records scanned and archived in this manner. Departments can save space, time, and labor costs, and provide faster, more efficient service. Strict confidentiality can be maintained.

If your department is interested in this service, contact Hartman or Francis Fang at the Printing Department.
Nic Arp

The job
A 20-page booklet, with keystrokes and layout by the customer.

The process
The customer provided a disk and laser proof; we provided high-resolution output.

The proof
Blueline.

The problem
When the blueline was returned, the corrections marked included four errors that were contained in the original file. Making these corrections at the blueline stage increased the cost of the job 9 percent.

The solution
Proofread your copy in order to spot and correct errors before sending files or originals to be printed.

We are . . .