News briefs

Street resurfacing and State Street duct run to impact access to campus

The city’s annual resurfacing program will begin this week. However, traffic to and from campus shouldn’t be impacted until early May when installation of a duct run for IT-Comm and Plant Operations will reduce portions of S. State Street.

“We have contracted with Corby Energy Services to install telecommunications and electrical utility connections in an underground trench between our south and central campuses,” says Tom Keast, U-M project manager. “This project will require closing the lanes on the east side of State Street from Hoover to Hill streets during May. However, two-way traffic will be maintained on the western half of State Street, though parking will not be permitted along the two-block construction area. Access to residential drives will be maintained throughout the project.”

Most of the construction work will occur during the day and may involve short periods when traffic flow is directed by workers with flags. However, in order for the trench installation to cross two busy intersections at Hoover and Packard, some activity will be scheduled at night when traffic levels are lowest. U-M commuter and Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus routes will be maintained as scheduled.

“This is not an easy project, but we are trying to minimize the disruption to the neighbors and the community,” Keast says.

The annual city resurfacing program also will include several streets near campus. E. Liberty Street from State to Division streets is scheduled to be resurfaced in mid-May through mid-June. During the month before the Art Fairs, mid-June to mid-July, the following streets are impacted: Hill Street from Packard Street to E. University Avenue, East Hoover Avenue from State to Greene streets, Oxford Road from Geddes Avenue to Hill Street, S. University Avenue from Church Street to Oxford Road, Packard Street from Hill to State streets, and S. State Street from Hill to Packard streets.

ClosetCulture.net debuts

School of Information graduate students have opened ClosetCulture.net (CCn), an anonymous online community for closeted and questioning lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals.

Nicholas Johnson is the project leader and a human-computer interaction student at the School of Information. Advisors for the project are Associate Prof. Paul Resnick, whose research interests include online communities, and Associate Research Scientist Terry Weymouth. The project also includes master’s students Jim Harvey, Marjorie Knepp, Nathan Parham and Kelly Tyler.

For more information, contact CCn staff at admin@closetculture.net or visit http://www.closetculture.net.

PORE seeks applicants

The Head and Neck Specialized Program for Research Excellence (SPORE) is seeking applications for new pilot research projects relevant to head and neck cancer. Through its Developmental Research Program, SPORE provides an opportunity to foster new translational ideas important to the advancement of the field of head and neck cancer research, allow development of preliminary data for future grants, and promote high-risk research endeavors.

The focus of the program is providing investigators the flexibility to generate data that would become preliminary data for an R01 application. The program offers $22,500 support a year for two years of research or $45,000 for one year. Each selected grantee will be assigned a basic and clinical mentor selected from the SPORE operating committee.
The deadline for proposals is July 14, and funding will be available Jan. 1, 2004. For more information or to obtain an application, call (734) 998-6757 or e-mail caromili@umich.edu.

Cancer Center needs help with humor props

The Comprehensive Cancer Center needs help creating humor props for its Cancer Survivors’ Day Celebration, to be held June 8. Humor props, such as a smile-on-a-stick, can be made from “found objects” and decorated with messages of hope. Everyone who creates props will be recognized at the event.

Call (734) 936-9583, e-mail msolvay@umich.edu or visit http://www.mcancer.org for more information.

U-M automated operator service

Persons seeking faculty, staff and student telephone numbers have the option of using the U-M automated operator service. In addition to checking the paper or online directories, or calling telephone operators, it is possible to access the automated operator service any time by calling (734) 615-2244.

The service will ask callers to speak clearly the name of the person they are trying to reach. The service responds with the telephone number and gives callers the option of being transferred directly to that number. There is no charge for the service.

The automated operator service has been used to augment telephone operator service during non-business hours this past year. It is able to recognize more than 500,000 names and the database continues to grow as new names and pronunciations are added. Problems with mispronounced or missing names should be reported to (734) 647-5477. Leave your name and telephone number, and a member of the Operator Services group will return the call and obtain the correct information.

Instructions for using the automated operator service are available at http://www.itcom. itcs.umich.edu/operators/vrs_inst.html.

University Record publication schedule

The University Record will publish on an irregular schedule through the end of August. After this issue, the Record will publish on the following dates: May 5 and 19, June 2, 16 and 30, July 21, and Aug. 11.
The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays, one week prior to publication. The deadline for Events and News Briefs will continue to be 5 p.m. Tuesdays, six days before the publication date.

2003 Medicare B reimbursement rates

The University will reimburse its retired faculty and staff who are enrolled in Medicare for the premium cost of Medicare Part B (medical insurance coverage). Medicare includes two parts:
• Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), which pays for home health care, hospice care, and care in nursing or hospital facilities
• Medicare Part B (medical insurance), which pays for doctors, outpatient hospital care and other medical services.

The Medicare Part B reimbursement rate for 2003 is $58.70 per month for retirees who retired prior to Jan. 1, 1970, and $38.30 for retirees who retired after Jan. 1, 1970.

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