Effective immediately, parking lot Yellow B, near Pond Lab and Oswald Tower on the University Park campus, is reserved 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., only Yellow B permits are authorized to park in this lot. After 5 p.m., any valid faculty/staff permit is valid. There is no student or visitor parking permitted in this lot at any time.
For more information, e-mail Jean E. Harris, parking manager, at jeh8@obs.psu.edu.
Springboard diving classes for children seven years old and up are being held at the McCoy Natatorium on the University Park campus beginning June 21. There are five, one-week sessions scheduled for beginners through experienced competitive divers.
For more information and registration materials, call Jon Larson at (814) 863-3945. If voice mail answers, leave an address where information can be sent.
On July 1, the University is adopting a change for meal allowances for continental United States (CONUS) travel. This change will involve two aspects:
* Penn State has used a two-tiered cost system for domestic meals: $28 per day for meals and $34 per day for meals in high-cost areas. The new system uses a five-tiered cost system starting at $28 per day for meals up to a maximum of $44 per day.
Although these rates are not effective until July 1, they are available for budgeting and planning purposes. These rates are listed on the GURU Web site at http://guru.psu.edu/gfug/appendices/APP11.html.
It should be noted that the CONUS rates continue to represent a maximum daily meal allowance and that Penn State reimburses/covers the actual meal expense up to those limits. Individual budget executives may further limit the daily amounts and set meal limits for reimbursement on partial day trips.
Also, the rates are for counties/areas, not just for particular cities. The cities listed at the GURU Web site are the key cities within each area, however, the rates apply to any city within the specified county/area.
* The second change is in the tools for finding these rates. Appendix 11, found at the GURU Web site, has been redesigned to provide easy interactive lookup by state. An additional tool helps users locate the name of the county for any populated area in the United States.
Anyone with questions about the new system, should contact the financial officer for their unit. Anyone with questions about accessing the Web site or its contents, should call technical support at (814) 863-8592.
Since July 4 falls on a Sunday this year, the University will observe the Independence Day holiday on Monday, July 5. Therefore, July 4 will not be an official University holiday. There will not be classes on July 5.
The Penn State Call Center Services Office will be operating on holiday hours, Sunday, July 4, through Monday, July 5. Office hours for these days will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office will resume normal hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesday, July 6.
A message service is available for departments needing office telephone message support during the Independence Day holiday.
Contact the Penn State Call Center at (814) 863-3410 to request the service or visit the Web at http://www.otc.psu.edu/services/staff/callcenter.asp under "Message Service."
Some services have relocated recently, or are about to relocate, as part of the Pattee Library renovation and Paterno Library construction projects on the University Park campus. During the next few months, one-page news sheets will be available at library service desks to alert patrons to other changes in Pattee Library and Paterno Library.
* Archives access limited
The Penn State University Archives (the former Penn State Room) will be closed in July due to its relocation to the first floor of the Paterno Library. There will be limited access to services during this period, and there will be times when the archives staff will be unable to provide telephone, e-mail or in-person reference; photograph reproductions; or photocopying services.
Beginning July 5 through early August, patrons should call (814) 865-7931 to access the collections. University Archives will resume normal operating hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, after the move. Updates can be found on the Libraries Web site at http://www.libraries.psu.edu/.
* Business and social sciences reference services
Reference services for business and social sciences are temporarily located in C105 Pattee Library, the former Gateway Library. These services will move to Paterno Library in late 1999, when the Business and Social Sciences Libraries open in their new permanent locations.
* Library services for people with disabilities
These services are now located in C5, on the ground floor of Central Pattee Library. C5 is in the hallway leading to the stack area.
* Gateway LIAS terminals
Some of the LIAS terminals in C105 Pattee Library (the former Gateway Library) have been removed for renovation of that room. The Gateway Library will reopen in C102 Pattee Library in August. LIAS terminals are available throughout Pattee Library and Paterno Library and the branch libraries. Penn State faculty, staff and students may access LIAS from home or office on the Web at http://www.lias.psu.edu/.
* Microforms
Brief disruptions to microforms services may occur this month. Call (814) 863-0377 for updates.
* Reserves
Reserve materials are now in W211 Pattee Library, sharing the area with the Periodicals Room. Need assistance? Ask to speak with a reserves staff member at the service desk. Faculty should submit reserve requests for summer and fall 1999 ASAP. Check the Web at http://reserve.libraries.psu.edu/facinfo.htm for more information on how to submit reserve materials.
Faculty members interested in developing and teaching Elderhostel courses during the summer of 2000 are being sought. Elderhostel is a nonprofit educational organization that offers short-term academic experiences for people 55 and older. More than 1,900 colleges, universities, museums, state and national parks, environmental education centers and other educational institutions in all 50 states and more than 52 countries conduct Elderhostel programs.
Faculty members have a variety of options for class structure. They may teach a single course or collaborate with others to present a multifaceted program. Penn State's Conferences and Institutes takes care of event planning, meals, classroom support, content guidance and social programming.
Interested faculty members are asked to contact Nancy McCord, program specialist, at (814) 865-2581 or by e-mail at nam5@psu.edu by Aug. 1.
The Department of Psychology's Brain and Cognition Lab is seeking infants between the ages of three months and eight months to participate in studies of infant perceptual and cognitive development. Most studies involve a single, 30-minute visit to the Child Study Center on North University Boulevard, where infants watch computer-generated video displays. The principal investigator on this project is Rick O. Gilmore, assistant professor of psychology.
All infants are awarded a personalized PSU "Infant Scientist" degree for participating. If you are interested in having your child participate, call (814) 863-5672 or visit the lab's Web site at http://csc.la.psu.edu/gilmore/babylab.html
Penn State's football games this fall with traditional conference football powers Ohio State and Michigan will be nationally televised by ABC Sports.
The Ohio State game is Oct. 16 and the Michigan game is Nov. 13, Penn State's final home game of the season. Broadcasts of both games will begin at noon eastern time.
The University Libraries are preserving Lancaster Farming, a leading source of Pennsylvania agriculture news, on microfilm. First published in 1955, the newspaper is the largest farm weekly in the United States. Issues printed between 1955 and 1983 will be microfilmed. The microfilming will be completed by the end of July.
For more information on preservation projects, contact Sue Kellerman, head of the Preservation Department, at (814) 863-4696 or e-mail lsk@psulias.psu.edu. Lancaster Farming's current issue and additional information on the publication are available at http://www.lancasterfarming.com.
Individuals and communities seeking advice on how to prepare for Y2K can check out a new federal Web site developed by the United States General Services Administration. The "Community Guide to Y2K" at http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mks/yr2000/ community/community.htm, provides information on the current status of Y2K preparations and guidance on how to be ready for possible Y2K-related problems.
For additional information or assistance regarding Y2K, send an e-mail to y2K.web@gsa.gov.
Is someone in your family considering attending Penn State? Prospective students can obtain more detailed information from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by filling out a request form on the Web at http://www.psu.edu/dept/admissions/ cardform.html or by calling (814) 865-5471.
Other Web sites that provide information on tours or open houses are: http://www.psu.edu/dept/admissions/upvisits.html (for University Park) and http://www.psu.edu/dept/admissions/calendar.html for locations other than University Park.