May 26, 2016

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Ford's Focus

It's another packed News & Views, so there are a few things I'd like to point out to you. First, I'd like to acknowledge all who participated in our partnership with OSHA for its National Safety Stand-Down week May 2-6. We are committed to safety here in OPP and were proud to join OSHA in this educational opportunity.

Please don't forget we're still accepting nominations for the Spirit of Physical Plant Awards. These awards cover three categories: custodial, technical service and staff. If you know an employee who exhibits the qualities listed on the form, please be sure to nominate them. More information is available on the OPP website. The deadline to submit nominations is June 3.

Finally, as we head into Memorial Day weekend, I'd like take a moment to acknowledge and thank our veterans and those currently serving in our armed forces. Thank you for your willingness to serve, dedication to your country and the sacrifices you make. We're proud to have you as part of OPP.

Best,

Ford

Photos of the Week

The 20th Annual OPP Spring Celebration was held on May 16 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Both the morning and evening events were a success.

Below you can watch a time lapse video of the food service portion of the lunch event. It took only 17 minutes to serve and seat the approximately 1,000 OPP employees who attended the lunch event. Check out candid photos from the celebration.

You can also read the special thanks delivered by President Barron and Ford Stryker at the Spring Celebration.

20th Annual OPP Spring Celebration

Welcomes & Farewells

Welcomes

Harrison King accepted a position as an IT support specialist. His first day was May 23.

Hometown: State College

Hobbies: Playing drums

Mark Reynolds accepted a position as a facilities specialist. His first day was May 23.

Hometown: Julian

Hobbies: Working on cars, drag racing

**If your picture was not included, we would be glad to include it in a future edition. Please contact Susan Bedsworth to set up a time to have your photo taken.

Farewells

Erin Branstetter, custodial worker, accepted a position with Intercollegiate Athletics. Her last day was May 22.

Jim Brown, group leader for moving and general maintenance, is retiring after 34 years with the University. His last day is May 27.

Ted Kolbe, construction services representative, is retiring from the University after 28 years. His last is May 31.

Rodney Smeal, technician for TV and electronics, is retiring from the University after 35 years. His last day is June 10.

Facility Coordinators

Glorie Josephs was named the Facilities Coordinator for the Hintz Alumni Center.

Cheers

NRC Inspection Results

The NRC had its annual inspection of the Radiation Science and Engineering Center (the Breazeale reactor) earlier this month. The inspection indicated the NRC and its staff are performing their mission and activities in a safe and secure manner in compliance with regulations, their license and procedures. The Radiation Protection staff from the Environmental Health & Safety Office plays a major role in ensuring the safety of the operations at the Center.

Engaged Scholarship

Professor Dan Stearns wrote to OPP to offer his appreciation for the commitment of OPP to student projects. "Once again, collaborative efforts by students in the landscape contracting program and OPP staff resulted in completion of a significant campus project. The raised planter boxes at Headhouse 2 are ready for use by greenhouse staff, faculty in the Department of Plant Science and individuals affiliated with the student farm. Beginning with the design developed by landscape architect Derek Kalp and greenhouse manager Scott DiLoreto, students scheduled their work and organized construction tasks from initial site layout to final cleanup. Jeff Dice and his crews once again provided us with expertise, equipment, and materials as needed. In particular, Wayne Gates, Don Hassinger and Chris Clark were key to the success of the project. Their attention to detail and to our unique scheduling requirements kept us on our timeline and enhanced the daily learning opportunities. We also appreciate the input from Michael Brown, Melissa Weber and Joe Swanderski regarding storm drain issues on our site.

"We could not do these hands-on activities without the sincere commitment of OPP personnel to the education of our students. The projects are an outstanding example of engaged scholarship."

OSHA Safety Stand-Down Week

Safety is paramount here in OPP, not only for our staff and tech service employees, but also for our contractors, faculty, staff, students and visitors. OSHA partnered with Penn State for its annual National Safety Stand-Down week on May 2-6. The goal was to encourage not only OPP crews involved in construction, but also all contractors to spend at least one hour one day that week focusing on fall prevention. Falls from elevation are the leading cause of death in construction.

OSHA's goal this year was to reach 5 million workers during its stand-down week. With the cooperation of OPP and current contractors, more than 800 workers were reached not only here at University Park, but also at various branch campuses including Altoona, DuBois, Harrisburg and York.

Below are photos from the various stand-down events on campus.

The Steam Services crew signed a safety pledge during their Safety Stand-Down event.

Irwin and Leighton hosted a Safety Stand-Down event on their work site near North Halls.

Mortenson hosted special guests Penn State Head Football Coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lion at their Safety Stand-Down event.

PC: Mortenson

Alexander hosted Safety Stand-Down events at various locations, including Beaver Stadium (above) and their project site at Penn State Harrisburg (below).

PC: Alexander

OPP Twitter Spotlight

OPP was recognized on Twitter in numerous ways over the past few weeks. Check out the tweets and accompanying photos below.

Tools of the Trade

The item in the May 13 issue of News & Views was a measuring stick used to determine how many board feet of lumber are in a log before milling. The metal hook is placed across the butt end of the log, and once the diameter is determined, you combine that information with the length of the log and the markings indicate how much of certain types of lumber you can saw out of the log.

Item from the May 13 edition:

The next "Tools of the Trade" items are below. What do you think these are used for and by a person with what type of job? Email your guess to newsviews@psu.edu.

Thank you to the 2FA Team!

A big thank you to all those who helped with the 2FA training and transition for staff and tech service employees here in OPP. The group included a core team of individuals, as well as staff from the HelpDesk and those who served as Registration Facilitators. Thank you for helping everyone in OPP move through the registration process smoothly.

Core Team

HelpDesk

Registration Facilitators (not included above)

Memorial Day Message to Our Veterans

As we approach Memorial Day, Finance & Business would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has served/is serving in a branch of the U.S. Military.

This year we also would like to pause and remember the families of the fallen who are facing a summer of family events without their whole family.

If you are able, take a moment to reach out to someone who may be facing their first wedding anniversary alone, parents who are approaching the birthday of a child they have lost, or a bride without a father to walk her down the aisle.

A kind word, walking a dog, checking in, meeting for coffee, helping with yard work, even just a smile-you never know when your effort may make all the difference to someone who is struggling.

Be safe, be kind, be awesome!

Jim Brown to Retire after 35 years of Contribution to Penn State

By: Katie Klodowski, Communications Intern

After more than 35 years of working for Penn State, Jim Brown is finally retiring. However, his involvement with Penn State is nowhere near finished. "My daughter says I need to take the summer off-I haven't had a summer off since I was twelve years old," Jim said.

Jim's entire family has ties to the University-he has siblings that work here, in-laws that work here, a wife that works here and a daughter with two Penn State degrees.

"Everything that we have-it's all Penn State," said Jim.

Jim says that his love for Penn State can be traced back to his father who was a manager in housing and would bring his son into work on "term breaks" when all of the students went home. Jim remembers helping his dad lock up the residence halls when he was just 10 years old. That's how he got involved at Penn State-just visiting dad at work.

Jim also used to work with his father parking cars at Penn State football games. Jim's father started in 1972 and Jim himself started in 1974 when he was 12 years old. They kept on with their tradition, and in 1995 Jim became a parking lot supervisor for the stadium. He eventually had to give up the position because his crew at OPP became more involved in game-day operations. However, Jim's father continues to work as a parking lot supervisor for Penn State football at the age of 86.

"To understand me you have to know my dad," Jim said. "He was well-liked by everyone and he was a good mentor to me. It was great just to come to work with him when I was young and see the respect that everybody gave my dad." Jim's father started working at Penn State around 1968 and he retired in 1996.

Jim began working wage-payroll for Penn State during the summers in high school. In 1981, he started working at the Student Book Store, which at the time was housed in the basement of McAllister (where the post office is now). Jim originally planned to attend Penn State. However, he found mentors who were working in tech service in the Bookstore who told him, "If you can get in here right out of high school, you're set."

Right before the holidays in 1981, Jim heard that the University wouldn't be bringing back many of the wage-payroll employees after the new year. Back then, wage-payroll workers were allowed to bid on full-time jobs if they had worked for the University for at least 60 days. Jim took a shot and bid on a whole bunch of jobs. Right after the new year of 1982, Jim was contacted by Housing and Food Services and officially started working full-time for Penn State in the dining halls.

After working in Housing and Foods Services for almost five years to the day, Jim moved to OPP in 1987 and has been working with the same crew ever since. From 1987 to 1995, Jim worked as a maintenance worker in OPP's Grounds and Equipment Division. In 1995, he earned the position of Equipment Operator. Since 2008, Jim has served as the lead man in his crew.

"To tell you the truth, I knew from the moment I set foot in the crew room that day that that's where I wanted to be. The guys do things away from work together even though we already spend extended hours together during snow removal and game day. Everyone is really tight-knit. I'm telling you, and you wouldn't believe me, but the camaraderie and the bonding that the crew has today is no different than when I started here in January of 1987."

Even though he's had the same employer for 35 years, the days are not boring. Among many other things, Jim's crew is responsible for setting up the security perimeter on football game days. Their primary job, however, is to take care of the customers on campus. If there are any special events happening, it's very likely that Jim's crew has helped the event come to fruition.

Throughout the years, Jim and his crew have had many positive experiences with students. Since their crew is involved with THON and Homecoming, they've seen the students in their best moments. They have some not-so-great moments as well. "I've seen students walk through wet cement and barrier tape when they're not paying attention. It's definitely gotten worse now with smartphones and headphones," Jim said.

Another job that falls under the crew's jurisdiction is snow removal from the parking lots and roadways on campus. Their domain: from the research park to Cato Park, and even to some lots out by the airport. Jim remembers the first couple of snowfalls when he was in charge as being vaguely scary. "You're waiting for guys to call you and say that they're done with their area so that you can have them break off into other areas. When it gets to 4 or 5 a.m. and you're not getting any calls, you get worried because you need everything cleaned off by around 7 a.m." Despite the stress it may cause Jim as leader of the crew, the team always works hard to make sure everything is clean by the time students and faculty head to work or class.

While snow was definitely one of Jim's biggest stressors, it is also the start of many of Jim's favorite memories. One in particular he remembers very clearly-the blizzard of 1993. "I remember coming in on a Saturday morning at 7 a.m. plowing and not returning home until 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon," Jim said. While this may not seem fun to many, Jim insists that it is one of his favorite memories from his time at OPP.

"I love plowing snow," Jim said. "Snow is the part of the job I'm actually going to miss. It was really fun when I didn't have to worry about being in charge. You just had a truck and an area and you got it done."

Jim remembers plowing lot 44 (before the era of the Bryce Jordan Center) with one of his crew members Dave Brouse. The two had started at opposite ends of the lot and were pushing the snow towards the middle. However, they were working in nearly white-out conditions. "We were pushing all the snow into the middle, just trying to keep up with it. I remember when we would meet plow to plow at 2:00 in the afternoon, and all I could see was the outline of his headlights. We'd be almost touching face-to-face, but I couldn't see the truck, just the headlights."

Likewise, some of Jim's best memories come from the crew being able to laugh at their own blunders. Jim recalls one time when a crew member was out salting and plowing the roads. They had gotten a call that he was stuck, so two members went out to assess the situation. The rest of the crew figured they'd need a front-end loader to help him out. However, when the two crew members called back, they said, "Don't bring the front-end loader-bring the crane."

Jim was heavily involved in OPP's Furniture Reuse program. He helped move forward the initiative, which focuses on being environmentally and financially responsible, and allows Penn State departments to find cheap and useable office furniture. Likewise, he also directed OPP crews involved with Trash-to-Treasure, which is held in Beaver Stadium every year. The operation, which is a joint effort between OPP, Penn State Housing and United Way is extremely beneficial to the community and wouldn't be possible without difficult logistical planning by people like Jim.

Keeping everyone satisfied on campus may be stressful to Jim, but he is very good at it. After he announced his retirement, Jim was presented with OPP's Superior Performance Award, which he received because of his customer service. The award noted Jim's willingness to be flexible and provide assistance even on the most demanding and difficult projects.

Jim also received a "We Are" nomination for going above and beyond what is asked of him in his job at Penn State. His nominator wrote: "Jim has mountains of responsibility for keeping campus safe with snow removal, and he also handles many furniture moves. Any time you call Jim he is helpful, professional, accommodating and above all has a smile in his voice! Jim is a fantastic worker and is an asset to the Office of Physical Plant and Penn State!"

Over the years, Jim has seen a substantial part of Penn State's history-including six University presidents. He has seen Penn State go through highs and lows. When Jim was initially employed by Penn State, John Oswald was still president of the University. Since then he has worked under Bryce Jordan, Joab Thomas, Graham Spanier, Rodney Erickson and Eric Barron.

During his time at Penn State, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders have all visited campus. Jim's crew worked with the Secret Service to make sure the events went smoothly. The crew also helped with several concerts, which used to be held at Rec Hall before the Bryce Jordan Center was built. He helped set up and tear down shows featuring Ice-T, Eddie Murphy, Steve Winwood, Howard Jones and Herbie Hancock.

When he was first employed, Jim saw a Penn State that was much more lax. In many ways, the Penn State Jim once knew is almost unimaginable to today's students. Jim recalls his first years here, when he himself was just a kid. He remembers going to parties in East Halls that were much more casual and social-because they were in a dorm. "I was in East Halls and they would clear out two dorms rooms; one would have a bar set up and another would have three kegs in it. Then they'd clear out the lounges at the end of the hall and play tunes. As long as you didn't have a cup in your hand in the hallway, the R.A.s never bothered you."

He also recalls quite fondly some of the perks of his job and what it has allowed him to see throughout the years One of the first things Jim helped out with when he joined OPP was setting up for the rally after the Penn State Nittany Lions won the national championship in 1986 and beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

Jim has an extremely busy life, both at work and at home, and while Jim might take a short break from work, it probably won't last long because he's in high demand: "An hour after I posted my retirement on Facebook I had two job offers."

Even though some of his friends did offer him part-time jobs, Jim hopes to take some time off to focus on his other hobbies. Jim has been a volunteer fireman since he was 16. When he moved to State College in 1988, he started at the Alpha Fire Company and became a deputy chief in 2006. Eventually, Jim decided to change his status to inactive lifetime member. Now that he's retiring, he looks forward to catching up with everyone at the station. "I gave up my officer ship knowing that one day I could go back. I'll definitely start going to have some coffee or lunch with the guys now."

Jim also runs a website dedicated to scoping out prospective baseball players from the minor leagues. "I play fantasy baseball, I've been playing it for years, and I'm in a really good league that's been in existence for 25 years. It's guys from all over the east coast, who come into State College once a year to do our draft and we get together for the weekend." Over the years, Jim and his partner have gotten better and better at perfecting their process; now they are able to determine pretty successfully which young players will make it all the way to the MLB. "I've watched kids that come out of the Dominican Republic, and as soon as they come stateside I tag them. The numbers in my formula say that there's something special about that kid, so I'll write about him and track him...then the next thing I know he's pitching in the majors. So that's something in my retirement that I definitely want to pursue."

But baseball isn't Jim's only passion. He also assists his brother and his nephew broadcast high school football games on Friday nights on the radio. "Every Friday night we do a Centre County game of the week on the radio. I help my nephew and his son and do football on Friday nights and also some wrestling. I never could because of snow in the winter, but I hope to get more involved with wrestling. I've been doing that for almost 10 or 12 years I think. I've never been able to commit to doing States with them down in Hershey, but now I look forward to going."

And, of course, Jim looks forward to attending Penn State football games in his retirement. Although for him, it will be a relatively new experience. "I've never sat down inside the 'new' Beaver Stadium for a game. I used to be on the sideline during game day operations but it's been a while because the crew got busy with other things."

"I'm going to tailgate. I'm going to tailgate hard because I haven't tailgated since '72."

Did You Know?

Saving the Penn State Elms

The first Penn State Elm was planted back in the 1890s. Since then, the Elms have been living witnesses to the University's history. However, for many years now the treasured Elm trees have been slowly disappearing due to the Elm Yellows disease.

OPP plays an important role in trying to save the many remaining Elms on campus. Annually, the Elms are sprayed via ground application and helicopter in an effort to kill off the insects that transmit the disease. The first spraying of 2016 occurred overnight on May 24-25.

In addition, a portion of the proceeds from items purchased through the Elms Collection is used by OPP to replant the campus with a wide variety of species.

OPP Blood Drive

Did you know that even though 38% of Americans are eligible to donate blood, only 8% actually do? Consider donating blood at the OPP Blood Drive this Friday.

When: Friday, May 27

Where: 105 A&B Conference Room, OPP

All participants will receive a free t-shirt.

Want to help speed the process along? Consider using RapidPass. RapidPass allows donors to complete their pre-reading and donation questions online prior to their appointment. Visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass, read the information, answer the questions and print the pass or email it to yourself. Please note, you must complete the RapidPass process on the day of the event.

Stay Healthy at Work

Are you bored of the same lunches day after day, week after week? Tired of spending way too much going out to eat several times a week? Consider trying the ideas below to change up your lunch routine and make it one of the healthiest parts of your day.

The slow cooker is your friend - Use your crock pot and make meats, stews and soups ahead of time. There are so many great meals you can make with a crock pot and there will be plenty to share with family or to cover a few of your meals each week.
Pack healthy snacks - Are you finding yourself already hungry by mid-morning with the lunch hour still a long way away? Pack some healthy snacks that are easy to grab, such as raw veggies and a light dip, that will keep you from overeating at lunch. Forget your snack? Try some light popcorn.
Try flavored water - It can be hard to get the recommended amount of water each day. A lot of people say they just get bored drinking plain water all the time. Try flavored water! You can make your own with fruit and veggies of your choice, or check out the multitude of flavored seltzers you can find at your local grocery store.
Salads are your friend too - Packing salads is an easy and filling lunchtime option. You can even invest in a container that comes with a little bottle to hold your favorite dressing. This is a great way to make sure you're getting an adequate amount of vegetables every day.
Fruit salads help with afternoon sugar cravings - Are you finding yourself struggling to get through that 3 p.m. slump and always grabbing a chocolate bar? Switch that out for a fruit salad instead. Mix up your own, try some new fruits or add chopped mint for a refreshing twist.
Snack lunches cover all bases - Throw a bunch of healthy snacks in a bag to create your own snack lunch. Items like hummus, fruit, whole grain crackers, a can of tuna, hard boiled eggs and more can all be combined for a super healthy and filling lunch.

Trash to Treasure Volunteers Needed

It's that time of year again to start thinking about preparations for Trash to Treasure 2016. This is the 15th annual Trash to Treasure Sale, which benefits the 35 Centre County United Way Partner Agencies.

The sale is scheduled for June 4, 2016, at Beaver Stadium. Each year more than 60 tons of donated goods from Penn State students moving out of the residence halls are collected and sorted to be resold at a discounted price. It is the largest recycling event in the area and allows community members to get great deals on a variety of items while supporting local health and human service agencies.

The Trash to Treasure set-up and sorting process began on May 7 and continues until the day of the sale. Volunteers are needed to help get the event ready for the more than 1,000 shoppers who attend the sale. Consider volunteering as an individual or as a group. There are many flexible shifts available and no previous experience is necessary.

Please visit the Trash to Treasure website to sign up to volunteer.

Planning for Retirement

In each edition of News & Views we usually include information and links to retirement information found both on the web and from Penn State's Office of Human Resources. It's always important to plan ahead when it comes to retirement.

In this edition, we thought it might be a nice change of pace to focus on a more fun aspect of retirement-what you're going to do when you don't have to be at work every day. The prospects are endless. If you're into traveling, maybe you should add some of these U.S. destinations, both near and far, to your list.

Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth, Maine - This historic lighthouse, the oldest in Maine, is one of the most photographed places in the state. The city of Portland is also earby. Consider visiting in the Spring before Memorial Day or after Labor Day to miss the summer crowds.
Fallingwater, Mill Run, Pennsylvania - Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater is a National Historic Landmark and just a few hours from State College. It's an easy day trip and offers visitors stunning scenery year round.
The Everglades, Florida - Feeling adventurous and craving warm weather? Check out The Everglades where you're sure to come face-to-face with some beautiful landscapes and some dangerous and unique animals.
Monument Valley, Colorado - This is one of the most photographed areas of the American West. Hop on a plane or add it to your itinerary for a cross-country road trip.
Arches National Park, Utah - Another wonderful place for adventurers and photographers alike, Arches National Park offers visitors more than 2,000 natural stone arches ready for exploration or a photo op.

Check out this section in the next edition for a few more ideas of great places to visit.

Carpooling

You can find a list of carpoolers and regional bus services through the RideShare Program and a full list of all transportation options at the Transportation Services site. Or post a request in News & Views by sending it to newsviews@psu.edu.

Philipsburg CATA Vanpool

The Philipsburg CATA Vanpool is looking for full and part-time riders. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The vanpool travels to campus making stops at Innovation Park, Centre Medical Science Building, and other on-campus locations. Email sms55@psu.edu or call 814-577-6289 for more information.

Burnham/Milroy CATA Vanpool

The Burnham/Milroy CATA Vanpool is looking for new riders. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. Email Julie Stringfellow at jls1007@psu.edu for more information.

Up for Grabs

Have something to sell? Let us know! E-mail Susan Bedsworth with your item(s), details, contact information

and photos. We will include it in the next edition of News & Views.

And don't forget about OPP's Yammer Group "Up for Grabs." Just sign in with your University ID and password to post your item.

Lion Surplus

Lion Surplus handles the removal of University-owned equipment in environmentally responsible ways, such as sales, bids and auctions. Their store, located at the corner of Services Rd. and Big Hollow Rd., is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. The inventory changes daily, but the store routinely has gently used furniture, computers and other electronics, scientific equipment, and much more.

Lion Surplus routinely places items on eBay, LabX and GovDeals.com, while also selling items, including Fleet vehicles, through a bidding process.

Follow Lion Surplus on Facebook to keep up to date on inventory and special events.

Contact Us

If you have any comments or suggestions for News & Views, contact Susan Bedsworth by e-mail or at 863-9620.