Helium: Friend or Foe?

As part of preparing to "operationalize" the new building, the Day One Readiness team has been working over the past few months to identify best practices and wherever possible, gather written (or web) examples.

I have been reading the "Facility Use Guidelines" adopted by the good folks at the UW-Madison Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC) - it's a thorough document with lots of links to campus guidelines. For instance, there's no need to write a whole big process for catering, because the University has clear guidelines and policies.

And sure, it would be really easy to draft a lot of rules and regulations about keeping the spaces clean and to pick up after yourself but we are all adults.

But helium balloons, now that's a good one.

When I first read the policy banning helium balloons I thought, "well, that Med School is really stuffy. I mean really, who could begrudge a few bright red balloons to welcome students back in September? Or a colleagues birthday celebration, a bouquet of Mylar balloons swaying about?"

Then I remembered we have two major spaces in the new building with ceilings two stories high. The Link and the Concourse are both jewels - and there is nothing more pitiful than watching a couple of balloons begin the painful journey back down as they slowly leak their Helium.

In some facilities on campus Helium balloons are not allowed because they can set off fire alarms and are considered a safety risk. Maybe we should just have a practice that if someone is using these balloons, they need to dispose of the gas the old fashioned way...sucking it in and talking funny.

I'll need to dig a little deeper.

On a Clear Day

Loving life here on campus -- we are just a few short days away from commencement, parking will be a little easier and I won't have to schedule meetings around class change times (driving anywhere around campus during class change means you have to factor in an additional 15 minutes.)

Most of all I am thinking that in just 12 months we will begin moving into our new building. On a day like today when it's a comfortable 75 degrees, sun shining and a light breeze I imagine sitting on the roof terrace of Human Ecology. To the north I will see Washburn Observatory, peek to the west and linger on stately Ag Hall, then full east to take in the glory of our new addition. At night the 100 Women scuplture on the glass wall will be lit with energy effecient LED lights, creating a totally different feel for the area.

I'm counting the days.

Planning the Migration

I could get all clever and talk about the great migrations of our time...bird migration, the Migration Policy Institute, the monarch butterfly, or for smarties, migration as defined by the movement of one atom or more from one position to another within a molecule.

This time I am talking about the Human Ecology migration back to 1300 Linden Drive, going home.

I just sent an email to the good folks at Facilities Planning and Management (FP&M) to let them know at the last all-School meeting we let everyone know they are expected to be packed and ready to move by May 21, 2012. Packing crates will arrive sometime in March/April.

The last day of class is May 11 and finals go through May 19, 2012 and the faculty 9-month contract ends May 27.

Just two semesters to go and we are in the new building!