You Load 16 tons....

For anyone who has spent time around me you know I really dig interesting nuggets, factoids, and data about the building project. I know so many people who are gonna smack me if I say "this building is as long as one and a half football fields" one more time because I just can't seem to shut up about it. And yet, when people come back from even a short tour they say "wow, that's a huge building"....I KNOW!

As we end day five of loading new furniture into Nancy Nicholas Hall, let me share one more nugget with you: the good people of Emmons Business Interiors (who are handling the private office and workstation furniture) have moved in more than 75 tons of furniture into the building. They have done it cheerfully, professionally and with great care and as I learned today, members of the firm who worked on the furniture plans and design are Human Ecology grads.

"you load sixteen tons, and what do you get - another floor loaded and we ain't done yet"

My little riff - thanks Tennessee Ernie Ford.

The Journey Home: Our Friend Bill Aquilino

I have written and erased so many things trying to craft this entry.  But the truth is I am weeping. This will not be clever or pithy, not logical and certainly not well-crafted because I want to get this all down and not look back. Last night I received this note, so beautifully and gracefully written by Emeritus Professor Nadine Marks:

"Our beloved colleague and friend, Bill Aquilino, peacefully took in two long-spaced deep breaths and released his mortal frame at about 8:45 this morning in the glow of spring sunshine beaming into the east and south-facing windows of his second-floor bedroom at home. His beloved wife, Linda, was tenderly tending to him, and his beloved daughter, Zoe, was also close at hand.


Amazing all his caregivers--but at the same time, very true to his essence--Bill remained clear and lucid to the very end. Fortunately, he was not in any major pain during these last several weeks of transition. Bill continued to demonstrate great serenity and equanimity, and even spiritual/intellectual curiosity/anticipation, throughout the process of letting his body go. He was focused on the needs of his caregivers as much as his own needs throughout.
Per his wishes, Zoe opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate and toast his liberation."

When I started working for Robin on the building project I had a hard time keeping up - everyone on this team was so freaking smart. To quote my friend Maureen, I had to bring my "A" game every day.

The building committee was extremely diverse. Members included academic staff, deans and faculty with deep experience and strong opinions including Bill Aquilino. And he didn't hold back. My role was more a "wrangler" than anything thing else in those meetings.  Everyone knew we didn't have the budget or real estate (we are landlocked to the west by CALS, to the north by Washburn Observatory, and to the east by Van Hise) to build everything so the committee had to make tough choices and set clear priorities. During one particularly tough cycle I was talking to Professor Mark Nelson about how wrenching the meetings were and he said "it's like trying to decide which puppy to toss out of the lifeboat" - vivid expression of just how hard this process was going to be for everyone.

The priorities agreed to by the building committee would provide the road map for designing the physical space. The stakes were extremely high that the group get it right for the next 100 years.

I had known Bill Aquilino just by face and name as a faculty member of HDFS and I knew he was the Associate Dean of Graduate Education and Research, but that's about it. Over the course of a year working with the building committee I learned so much more. Bill is generous with his experience and intelligence, wicked funny and always one of the smartest people in the room. He is passionate about the graduate student experience. Because of his tenacity and vision the new building includes a glorious lounge exclusively for graduate students and private space for graduate students to work including a studio for design students. Bill knew the future of the School was dependent on attracting top notch graduate students but here's a twist I never saw coming...faculty recruitment.


View from the Link

Over the past months I have had the pleasure of taking faculty candidates on tours of the new building and invariably when we hit the graduate student lounge their faces light up. People have said "I never had a place like this when I was a grad student....we were shoved in the basement....we were housed in the attic....we never saw daylight..."  Bill Aquilino's fingerprints are everywhere. 
On March 14, 2012 Dean Robin Douthitt took Bill on a tour of the building and unveiled for him a Diego Rivera print installed in the Graduate Student Lounge, with the following dedication:

"This Diego Rivera print entitled,"Detroit", was presented by the School of Human Ecology in honor of Associate Dean and Emeritus Professor William (Bill) Aquilino in recognition of his abiding commitment to graduate education and the role he played in fostering a climate of mutual respect and collaboration between faculty and their proteges. Dr. Aquilino, an Emeritus Professor of Human Development and Family Studies ensured that the 2012 facilities expansion included this space for the exclusive use by all Human Ecology graduate students to build their own interdisciplinary, collaborative academic community."

With a huge smile and clasping Robin's hand in his left, Bill pumped his right fist into the air and said "YES"

 

Welcome home Bill.

 

xoxo-Zwick





Move Specifics: FAQ

Is it true we will have a shower in the building? That is so great because I ride my bike to work!

Yes, the building has (2) showers available exclusively for faculty and staff use. Contact Miranda Hofmann via email at mohofman@wisc.edu to learn more about access.

I want to host an event this summer in the new building – what should I do?

Unfortunately we are not able to host external groups, guests or special events this summer; the staff will be working hard to get processes and operations running smoothly and efficiently for the fall. That being said, of course, regular Human Ecology meetings (i.e. staff meetings, department meetings, etc.) may be held in the new building. Please send your meeting requests to roomrequest@mail.sohe.wisc.edu

Do I have to move my cruddy wastebasket?

No you won’t have to move those nasty things, new recycle and wastebaskets are provided for you as part of the project.

Will I have help packing?

Everyone is responsible for packing their own office or workstation. Please work with your department chair or unit supervisor to determine strategies for packing shared spaces such as department offices, storage rooms or reception areas.

What if I’m away and can't get packed, will someone pack for me?

If you are away it’s best to pack early or bake some really tasty cookies to get someone to help you. Everyone is responsible for their own space.

Move Specifics - mark your calendar!

The following information was presented March 26 at the all-School staff meeting:

• Packing material for offices, work areas, work stations and similar are delivered May 11

• Instructional studios will be addressed separately

Once your area is moved you are welcome - and in fact encouraged - to come in the next day to get started unpacking.

The schedule rolls like this…..(as always, subject to change!)

May 21 – let the games begin!
•Tokay Boulevard (WCWPDS)
•Third Floor Middleton
•Mechanical Engineering

May 22-23
•Sterling – all (Jacquard Loom on Friday)

May 24
•Henry Mall
•MSC
•Finish Sterling if needed

May 25
•Material from offsite storage
•Jacquard Loom

Unlike any other you will see

Seems appropriate that today I share some images of our parking garage in the new building. What? Parking garage? Aren't they all the same...drab, badly lit and unfriendly?

No more my friends, this space is like no other you will find on this campus! From the Preschool "circus peanut" to the colorful murals this space is unlike any other.

Thanks to the hundreds of friends, alumni, donors and the transforming lead gift from Nancy Johnson Nicholas the building is like a huge, wonderfully wrapped present that when you open it, surprises and delights just keep coming.

The image to the left is the public elevator lobby in the garage - visitors will see an information monitor that displays what's programmed in the building today...think of TITU as a model. The lobby is colorful, professional and well lit!

The other photo is a custom mural on the far east wall of the garage that directs folks to the stairs which lead to the Link, the new main entry of the School. Our good friends at ZD Studio designed the mural and delivered big time on the desire to make wayfinding helpful, friendly, colorful and most of all fun.

Happy birthday Robin!

Conversion Rates

Here's a quick nugget for planning file storage in your new office or workspace - the content from (2) file drawers in a vertical file cabinet can fit into (1) drawer in a 36" lateral file cabinet.

Pretty great, huh?!

Records Retention - help is a click away!

Operations and Facilities Manager Miranda Hofmann writes:

By now, we have met with each of your departments to discuss your available file space in the new building. Now, those of you who know me know that I’m a bit of a freak about records, preservation, storage and organization, and I am here to tell you that it will all be okay, really.

Currently, a good portion of filing space is taken up by files that must be held on to for a certain number of years, e.g., faculty search files, and then destroyed. Most likely, these files are not often referenced, or even touched at all, during that required retention time. Seems like a waste of precious file space, doesn’t it? Well, do we have a solution for you!

The State Records Center will store these files for you and then destroy them when you tell them to, wait for it, for FREE!

This document from University Archives on the State Records Center explains how to use their services for off-site file storage for search files: http://archives.library.wisc.edu/records/handouts/Using%20the%20State%20Records%20Center.pdf

The storage boxes can be ordered from MDS, under MDS Warehouse -Office Supplies and File Cabinets-Record Storage Cartons. The most recent records retention schedule for unclassified personnel records, which covers faculty/academic staff search files, can be found here:
http://archives.library.wisc.edu/records/schedules/2011Unclassified%20GRS1.pdf

You may also find this document about archiving academic department records helpful: http://archives.library.wisc.edu/records/schedules/GRS_DeptAcadAdmin.pdf
NOTE: There is a difference between Archives and State Records.

Please see the information on the fabulous Records Management section of the University Archives website for more information: http://archives.library.wisc.edu/records/
If you have any questions or need guidance, the staff at University Archives is always happy to help!

Their site also contains a ton of information about Records Management (for those of you, like me, who are a little on the dorky side), as well as a treasure trove of links to the Digital Collections of the University Archives. That’s right, pictures of people sledding down Bascom Hill during the Coolidge Administration! How cool is that?

Looking forward to helping everyone transition into Nancy Nicholas Hall – we’re in for a great ride!

FAQ - Part Two

1. When is furniture coming?

a. The campus FP&M folks lead the furniture plans, and are scheduled to start bringing furniture to the building around the third-fourth week in April, subject to change. It will take a good four weeks to install, which is why the relocation schedule is coordinated so closely.

2. What is my address? I want to order new business cards

• (Office or Room Number, i.e. 3107) Nancy Nicholas Hall

• 1300 Linden Drive

• Madison, WI 53706
  

NOTE - your current email and phone numbers will not change, it all ports with you to the new building!

b. Specific workspace and office assignments have been completed– please consult your supervisor or department chair if you have questions.

Frequently Asked Questions: Part One

I really like the photo on my current WISCARD – it’s the card I’ve had since I was a graduate student and I look, well, incredible. Why do I have to get another one?

a. The new building has the campus standard card access system, managed by UW-Police Department. Spaces in the new building controlled with a WISCARD include the computer labs and perimeter doors. I’m sure you still look just as fresh and bright as you did back then, but unfortunately it won’t get you into the building. Check this link to get your new WISCARD - your new photo will be our little secret.

When do we start packing?

a. Crates and packing material (if using cardboard boxes) are targeted to arrive about 3-4 weeks prior to your move.

b. Shred bins will arrive in April for material that needs to be handled securely.

c. Miranda Hoffman, Human Ecology operations manager (mohofman@wisc.edu )will work with departments and units to determine the number of folks needed crates versus cardboard.

What will we leave behind?

a. It’s like an episode of “Oprah” when the audience gets great stuff – all new, matching furniture, ergonomically appropriate chairs and thoughtful amenities in each office or workstation! No need to label a single stick of furniture – our gently used items will find a new home somewhere on the campus or SWAP.

Records rentention is super confusing – I can’t always figure out what’s required or what’s urban legend – can anyone help me?
Assistant Dean Sue Gallagher has placed a Records Retention folder on the S drive, which contains documents with references on how to manage emails and campus records retention information. You can find it at: S:\Admin\Public\Records Retention