Health economist Kenneth E. Warner, the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health, will give the inaugural lecture at 4 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Hussey Room, Michigan League. His topic is “In Harm’s Way? Harm Reduction and the Future of Tobacco-related Death and Disease.” Warner’s address launches a new lecture series recognizing the accomplishmets of U-M’s Distinguished Univeristy professors.
The U-M Retirees Association will meet at 3:15 p.m. Feb. 14 in Suite 18,Wolverine Tower. Speakers Barbara Zaret and Gina Bisnaro of Catholic Social Services will discuss retiree assistance. For more information, contact Rita Rendel, (734) 647-9841 (afternoons).
For year 2002, federal withholding tax tables have changed. Tax rates for 2002 can be accessed on Web at www.umich.edu/~payroll/. Select the box marked “Tax Calculation Help.” The amount of each federal exemption has increased, $2,900 to $3,000 each year.
The base for Social Security withholding has increased to $84,900 from the 2001 figure of $80,400. The rate remains at 6.2 percent, allowing a maximum withholding of $5,263.80, up from $4,984.80 in 2001. The Medicare tax rate remains unchanged at 1.45 percent on all earnings paid.
The Michigan income tax rate has decreased, 4.2 percent to 4.1 percent, and the state exemption has increased, $2,900 to $3,000 per year.
Employees who want to change the number of withholding allowances claimed must file revised Federal or State W-4 forms 15 days before a pay date for the change to be effective for that pay date.
Students who claimed exempt in 2001 should review their status and submit new W-4 forms as soon as possible. Exempt status automatically expires Feb. 15 if a new W-4 is not submitted. If 2002 W-4 forms are not available; a 2001 form may be used. The current date must be added next to the signature.
W-4 forms are available by accessing www.umich.edu/~payroll/ and selecting the box marked “Forms and Tables,” or by calling (734) 764-1485. Forms also are available at the Campus Payroll Office, G395 Wolverine Tower-Low Rise; Hospital Payroll, 300 North Ingalls Building; and from the Human Resources Service Centers.
The 30-Hour Famine, a program that allows individuals to make an impact on world hunger, will hold a recruitment meeting at 8 p.m. Feb. 4 in Room 1800, Chemistry Bldg.
The event, March 8–9, involves a pledge to fast for 30 hours.
The 30-Hour Famine is sponsored by the nonprofit organization World Vision. For more information, send e-mail to 30hourfamine@umich.edu or visit the Web at www.umich.edu/~famine/.
The Department of Art History’s May seminar, “Power, Piety and the Arts in Renaissance Florence,” will be May 5–15 in Florence, Italy. Professors Ralph Williams and R. Ward Bissell will lead on-site lectures on late medieval and renaissance Florentine art.
The $2,650 program fee includes accommodations, meals, cultural events, transportation and site admission. Airfare is not included. For more information or to register, contact Paola DeSanto, (743) 764-5401 or paodes@umich.edu.
The Child and Family Life Center is organizing a collection of valentines for patients at Mott Children’s Hospital. Valentines should be appropriate for pediatric patients and able to fit into a shoebox.
All donations should be delivered or mailed by Feb. 7 to Child Life, Mott Children’s Hospital, Room F2519, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109. For more information, call (734) 764-6874.
The Life Sciences Values and Society Program will continue its Outreach Lecture Series, which presents topics in scientific developments and related social effects. All lectures are 7:30–9 p.m. in Room 100, Hutchins Hall.
Upcoming lectures include:
All lectures are broadcast on UMTV, Comcast channel 22. For broadcast times, visit the Web at www.itd.umich.edu/umtv/external/calendar.html. For more information on the Life Sciences Values and Society Program, visit the Web at www.lifesciences.umich.edu/values/index.html, or call (734) 647-4571.
U-M-Flint will commemorate African American Heritage Month with the theme “In Honor of the Griot: Telling our Story through our Words.” The planned activities and events honor the oral tradition of the griots, African storytellers who passed history on through words. The kick-off event is 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Feb. 9 at the University Center, and features an African marketplace, music, and storytelling.
Other events include:
For more information on these free events, contact Crystal Flynn at the Office of Educational Opportunity Initiatives, (810) 762-3365.
Free cholesterol screening and blood pressure checks will be offered by Geriatrics is Terrific (GisT), 9–11:30 a.m. Feb. 9 in Suite C, Turner Resource Center. Medical students will be available to address diet and lifestyle management concerns. For more information, call (734) 764-2556.
Lorelei Corcoran, director of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology at the University of Memphis, will present “Text and Context in Egyptian Art” at 5 p.m. Feb. 8 in Room 180, Tappan Hall. Corcoran is an expert on the iconography of the funerary arts in ancient Egypt. For more information, call (734) 936-3518 or visit the Web at www.lsa.umich.edu/humin.
Edward Goldman, health systems attorney and adjunct lecturer in the School of Public Health, and John O’Shea, professor of anthropology, will present the lecture “Human Participant Protections in the Social Sciences” 5–7 p.m. Feb. 18 in Room 4448, East Hall.
For those in the biomedical sciences, the same topic will be discussed by Goldman and David Smith, associate professor of medicine and of urology, 5–7 p.m. March 18 in Room, G1230, Towsley dining room. Both lectures are sponsored by the Research Responsibility Program (RRP).
Sessions are free and open to all faculty, students and staff. For a full RRP schedule, visit the Web at www.responsibility.research.umich.edu. For more information about RRP, call (734) 615-5045 or send e-mail to research.responsibility@umich.edu.
Paul Anastas of the White House Office of Science and Technology will present “Sustainability through Green Chemistry” 4–5 p.m. Feb. 8 in Room 1017, Dow Bldg. The lecture will be part of the Environmental Science, Engineering and Policy in the 21st Century (ESEP-21) seminar series. For more information, visit the Web at www.engin.umich.edu/soc/greenpeas/esepseminar.html.
The Institute for Social Research will try to answer the question, “What drives some personalities to violent, suicidal actions?” 3:30 p.m. Feb. 11, Room 6050, ISR. Tel Aviv University professor of psychology Ariel Merari will address suicide terrorism. Other talks by Merari, include:
For more information on these and future talks, visit the Web, www.isr.umich.edu/rcgd/.
Students of Color of Rackham (SCOR) will hold its graduate conference, “Dismantling the Divide(s): Students of Color Constructing a New Praxis,” Feb.7–9 in the Michigan League. Graduate students will present research, and faculty members will lead interactive workshops.
The three feature speakers include:
For more information on this free, public event or to register, visit the Web at www.umich.edu/~scorweb/conf2002/announce.htm.
Fawwaz Ulaby, vice-president for research, will deliver the annual Sigma Xi address at 4 p.m. Feb. 20 in Room 1400, Chemistry Bldg. His lecture, “The Price of Success: New Challenges and Expectations,” will address the status of research at the University. Co-sponsors are Sigma Xi and the American Association for University Professors.
The Office of Human Resources and Affirmative Action is seeking nominations for the Workplace 2002 Staff Recognition Awards. The awards honor staff members from all departments who have provided distinguished service to the University and the community. The nomination deadline is March 11. For more information, visit the Web at www.umich.edu/~hraa/workplace/index.htm.
William McDonough, architect, activist and environmental advocate, will present “A Whole New World” at 6 p.m. Feb. 4 in Room 2104, Art and Architecture Bldg. McDonough, whose work has focused on sustainability in design, is currently working with the Ford Motor Company to develop the Ford Rouge Center. For more information on this free, public event, visit the Web at www.tcaup.umich.edu/newsevents/newsevents.html.
The Treasurer’s Office and Financial Operations have selected Midwest Payment Systems as the new processor of merchant credit cards. Departments who accept credit cards as a form of payment will undergo a conversion from Paymentech to Midwest Payment Systems beginning March 1.
Three informational forums are scheduled Feb. 11–12 in Room 1004, Wolverine Tower to answer questions. For more information or to register, contact Annette Hartley at (734) 615-6123.
The School of Social Work received a $550,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation for “The Women’s Employment Study: Work and Well-Being Five Years After Welfare Reform.” The ongoing panel study of women who were recipients of cash welfare in 1997 in an urban Michigan county is led by Principal Investigator Sheldon Danziger, the Henry J. Meyer Collegiate Professor of Social Work and professor of public policy. Other faculty members working on the study are Mary Corcoran, professor of public policy, of political science, of women’s studies and of social work; Sandra Danziger, associate professor of social work; Richard Tolman, associate professor of social work; and Kristine Siefert, professor of social work and associate director of the Research Center on Poverty, Risk and Mental Health.
UM.SiteMaker is available to the University community for creating and maintaining Web sites. SiteMaker requires only a browser and no knowledge of HTML or Web site design. More information is available at http://sitemaker.umich.edu/info.
Support for UM.SiteMaker is being handled by the Media Union. Information by phone, (734) 615-5512, is available 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., by e-mail, sitemaker@umich.edu, or in person at one of the Learning/Instructional labs. The Learning Technologies Lab, 1321 Media Union, is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri. and the Instructional Technology Lab, 1712 Chemistry is open 1–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri.