COMPUTER HELP
Click for eTicket
 |
|
REPORT SAFETY HAZARDS
|
|
MAKE SUGGESTIONS
 |
|
REPORT WRONGDOING
 |
|
READ PAST ISSUES OF N&V
|
|
CONNECT
 
|
|
|
|
Ford's Focus
Once again, our snow troops proved themselves this week with a quick clean-up after Wednesday's storm. Thank you to all who pitched in to help on our first campus closedown.
The weekend weather forecast looks brighter, so I hope you can all get outside to enjoy it.
Have a great week,
|
|
Safety Record
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice ... Injuries
We had a foot strain and a hand strain this past week, but the real danger was ice and snow.
 We had two employees slip and fall because of the icy conditions.
Please remember not only to watch your step but also to report unsafe conditions/areas to the Work Control Center.
Call us at 863-2340.
Visit us, or even drop a note outside our office in 103 Physical Plant.
|
Announcements & Reminders
Flu season is back.
Coming to work sick is one of the most common ways of spreading the disease.
To keep everyone safe, if you get the flu, please stay home to avoid affecting others. Let someone know that you are sick. Ask a friend to check on you daily while you're not feeling well.
OPP Adopts New Laser Weapons
 Over the past few months migratory crows at University Park have become resistant to standard OPP "Banger & Screamer" tactics.
Physical Plant personnel are now testing anti-crow lasers for effectiveness. So far it appears that green lasers work best and are being deployed as a supplement to flare guns. They are really just high-powered laser pointers that irritate the crows beyond their comfort level.
|
|
Welcomes and Farewells
This week we say hello and goodbye to OPP employees. Please take a moment to reach out to both.
Welcome
Please welcome Brad Rydbom to his new position as Chilled Water Operator for Utility Services - Refrigeration. Brad reports to Don Wallace and started on January 14, 2013.
Farewells
Norm Lucas is retiring from OPP after 18 years of continuous employment. Best wishes to Norm.
Charles Gable is departing OPP after 9 years to accept employment as the first Borough Manager with Brookville in Jefferson County.
Mack Messner is transferring from Design Services to ITS. His new assignment will begin February 1, 2013.
|
|
Cheers
Snow Marshall Gives Thanks
 Lloyd Rhoades, OPP Snow Marshall, complimented everyone involved in clearing campus Tuesday morning.
"I was actually astonished how much snow we move in such a short time. This goes for all three legs of our snow removal machine - Central Support Services (augmented by the Utilities Crew), Landscape Operations and the Custodial workforce. Great going all, and my thanks!"
|
After Hours
With Kevin Trostle
News & Views readers may recall that Kevin Trostle was the OPP night shift worker who went face to face with a coyote on campus just before the holidays. "When I discovered the animal, it was cornered in an entryway, it spun around, and for a millisecond I thought dog, but no, I got a good look at it. I knew, it was a coyote!" Maybe it was fate, but in many ways Kevin was the right man at the right place.
Kevin has an Associate Degree in Wildlife Technology from Penn State Dubois. He completed courses in Dendrology, sexing and aging animals, and wildlife statistics. Kevin tracked deer with compass bearings, droppings, and formulas. His class also stirred up quite a few rattlesnakes during the project and learned the importance of high boots.
Kevin hunts deer, small game, and turkeys, and has seen a fair number of bears, too. "Actually I remember a call coming over the radio last fall that a bear had been spotted in a campus outlying area...I've seen a few coyotes too...The campus may be a city unto itself, but I can remember seeing a flock of 20 turkeys at U.S.B. 1 awhile back."
Shafts & Feathers
 Kevin spends much of his off time doing traditional archery, making Native American long self-bows (made from a single piece of wood) and arrows. Kevin hasn't touched a compound-bow in 30 years. He likes to keep everything as simple as possible. He cuts and burns arrow feathers to shape and attaches them with a fletching jig and glue. His goal is craftsmanship based on nostalgia and heritage. He uses Douglas Fir shafts, which are quieter than modern aluminum shafts, and he can make a dozen in a couple of nights. Kevin hunts with his 10-year-old Springer Spaniel and is looking forward to training his next bird dog. His mentor is Ed Wentzler of the Lost Arts Trade Company. Ed taught him how to hand-hew controlled cuts of a quarter log with a hatchet. "It was a ton of work, and we learned to use elk sinews as a Native American form of fire making. I still make all my own wooden arrows. I hung with a lot of people who did flint knapping, grain tanning of buckskin, and fire by cordage. One of my friends is a scrimshaw expert who can make turkey calls out of turkey wing bones and belt buckles out of deer horns."
Powder Horns & Scrimshaw
Kevin also enjoys shooting black powder with muzzle loading flintlocks. Some of his friends built him muzzle loaders in the style of the French and Indian war period. He even makes powder horns from scratch and has dabbled in scrimshaw. Kevin and his twin brother both make powder horns and engrail them with walnut stains. "You boil the horn and the hardest part is using rasps to get the butt cap airtight. The finished product is antiqued and stained...it's like working with rock and takes hours to finish. It's better to use hand tools since you make your mistakes slower." His powder horns represent what the Native Americans would have carried during the French and Indian War. One charge for his 54 caliber muzzle loader is 90 grains, so a full horn will hold 30-40 charges...enough for a hunting trip.
If Kevin became a time traveler, he would feel right at home with the mountain men of the 1800s. Kevin has the skills to live on the frontier without a cell phone and if his canoe flipped over he could keep his powder dry!
Kevin grew up in State College. His wife is from Penn's Valley. He's been with the University for 24 years and has spent a little more than four years at Physical Plant. Prior to joining OPP, he worked in the shipping and receiving department at the Penn State Press.
|
|
Carpooling
VANPOOL HAS SEATS OPEN for riders (Philipsburg/ State College) serving a 7:30 am - 4:30 pm work schedule.
Please contact Terri at 814-238-2282 ext. 134 for information or visit www.catabus.com and click on CATACOMMUTE/Vanpools.
Clearfield-Centre Connector Announced
CATA is pleased to announce a regional commuter bus service, the Clearfield-Centre Connector, which links Clearfield, Philipsburg, and State College.
The service runs Monday through Friday and provides two trips into State College each morning originating in Hyde at 5:24 am and 6:24 am. Stops along the route include the Clearfield Courthouse; Irwin Drive in Decatur Village; the Gas Light Cafe; the Phillips Hotel; 8th Av. and Presqueisle St.; and Cold Stream Dam in Philipsburg.
On campus the buses will discharge passengers at the Bryce Jordan Center and Pattee Transit Center.
Return trips will depart from the Bryce Jordan Center at 4:15 pm and 5:15 pm and from the Pattee Transit Center (Chambers Building ) at 4:22 pm and 5:22 pm.
A brochure outlining the Clearfield-Centre Connector service can be found at the ATA website: www.rideata.com by contacting ATA Customer Service at (866) 282-4968.
|
|
Up for Grabs
New This Issue - January 18
FOR SALE: 4-Piece Set of Luggage
 PRICE: $40
CONTACT: Jeanne Higgins
DEPARTMENT: AVP
E-MAIL: jlw54@psu.edu
DESCRIPTION: Soft luggage, navy & floral print. Set contains 26" and 20" rolling uprights, 18" tote with hand and shoulder strap, 14" tote/toiletry bag. All pieces are in excellent condition.
More...
New Last Issue
FOR SALE: 2005 Ford Five Hundred
 PRICE: $6,995
CONTACT: Tiffany Bainey
DEPARTMENT: Human Resources
E-MAIL: tlb45@psu.edu
DESCRIPTION: Mid-size car, maintained and serviced regularly, mpg 24-28, charcoal color w/gray interior,power moon roof, back-up sensors, traction lock
Any OPP employee can post an item FOR FREE with their name, department, and e-mail address.
|
|
Tips of the Week
 Wash your hands multiple times a day. Use SOAP and WATER. Make it FAST, FOAMY and FURIOUS for 15-20 seconds. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or with your arm when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
Treating the Flu
 It takes about a week to recover from the flu, so make sure you have enough supplies.
DRINK more FLUIDS to stay hydrated and control your temperature. Water, sports drinks, and clear broth soups work well.
Stay in bed and REST as much as possible.
WAIT until your temperature is below 100 degrees for at least 24 hours before returning to normal activity.
Click here for more information from Environmental Health Services on dealing with the flu.
|
|
Porta-Contest Winner(?)
 So who (besides Frank Raymond) knew the most about portable toilets at University Park?
As you may recall from last week's News & Views, University Athletics asked utility mapper Frank Raymond to identify and map all the portable toilets on the University Park campus.
Many people wrote in with their "educated" guesses, most at around half of the correct number of 354.
Bing Smith guessed lowest with an answer of two, while Adam Davis, the winner, guessed highest with an answer of 352.
As promised, Adam is now free to use any portable toilet on campus. Congratulations!
|
|
Contact Us
If you have any comments or suggestions for News & Views, contact Alex Novak by e-mail or at 863-0432.
|
|
|
