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Rumor Mill separates fact from fiction Leased parking spaces Rumor: According to a recent notice from Parking Management the parking garage at Harborview is full. I've heard that there are spaces being occupied by persons other than MUSC/MUHA/UMA/CFC, that is to say they are being leased by the private sector. Is this true? If so, are they charged the same as those who are employees of the aforementioned entities. Thanks. Truth: There are approximately 20 openings in the Harborview Tower (HVT) Garage. Because this is so close to being full, the Office of Parking Management (OPM) had temporarily stopped selling HVT spaces. This was done so that customer loading patterns could settle out thus allowing OPM to determine exactly how many more spaces could be sold. There was never a notice announcing that spaces were not available. OPM expects to resume selling HVT spaces in January. There are no unaffiliated parking customers using any MUSC parking facilities anywhere in the system. Thank you for the opportunity to present the facts in response to this rumor. Gas lines Rumor: I've heard the gas lines will not be restored in the Basic Science Building. What's the story? Truth: The rumor is not accurate. It is true that gas service has not yet been restored to the Basic Science Building, but it will be restored even though this may require some time. The fact is that we have been working toward restoring gas to the Basic Science Building since Dec. 11, 2001. The problem started when the Children's Research Institute contractor repaired a gas line he breached and SCE&G inspected to verify that the repaired line would hold pressure. Although the known leak was repaired successfully, the system still would not hold pressure. As a result, SCE&G  turned off the supply to the building until we could locate other leaks in the line and effect the repairs required for the line to hold pressure. The building system consists of a main line, several risers off that main line, and several branches off each riser. We are in the process of purging the gas line within the building with Nitrogen gas so we can install isolation valves for each riser. Once that is done, we can systematically pressure test the main line, the risers and the branches separately, identify leaks, and effect the necessary repairs. This process will take several weeks and, in the meantime, we have supplied the  researchers with portable alcohol burners and have portable propane burners on order which should arrive the first or second week of January 2002. The building engineer for the Basic Science Building has been working hard to keep the process moving and the building occupants informed of our repair efforts. Pizzeria Rumor: Is it true that there won't be any pizzeria in MUSC cafeteria? Truth: The space currently housing the pizza shop is being renovated. When it re-opens, the pizzas will still be offered.  Weather Rumor: How do I get the most timely and accurate information about university and authority closings due to weather conditions? Truth: Dial 792-MUSC. There also will be a “Weather Emergency Information Board” posted on the MUSC Home Page. Nursing Rumor: The LPNs are now called CA/PCT and most are not pleased that they had their title stripped, why would agency nurses be paid more money than staff or HOP nurses when the LPNs can do the same for less pay and some have been here since the late 1980's. Truth: We are well attuned to the concerns that have been raised. We will be reviewing the options and hope to announce a decision in the near future. We want to  acknowledge and thank the LPNs for the role they play in providing quality patient care at MUSC. UMA funds Rumor: I have heard recently that UMA is somewhere between $40 million and $85 million, (depending upon what rumor you hear), in the red this calendar year and all accounts have been frozen indefinitely. Truth: The following response is from UMA: UMA finished this past fiscal year $600,000 in the black and will do even better this year if current trends continue. UMA is experiencing a cash flow problem as many of its assets are not immediately liquid, but it is quite solvent. We have restated individual departmental fund balances which  previously did not reflect how much cash was available to be spent by each department. Each department will now receive a monthly statement indicating not only their total fund including investments, but also how much cash they have available to spend. This is not a foreign concept to any of us, as we all (usually) balance our checkbooks so that we don't over extend our cash reserves by bouncing checks. We don't attempt to spend the money invested in our homes, unless we sell, refinance, or list them as an asset when applying for a loan. This is precisely what the new leadership in UMA is attempting to do by balancing its cash accounts and requiring that each department only spend the cash it has in its account.  Burn Center Rumor: There is talk about the Burn Unit at MUH closing? Wouldn't this hurt our state since it's the best around? Thanks. Truth: At this time there are no plans to close the Burn Unit. In fact, we recently received approval to increase the number of staff to accommodate 10 patients in the Burn Unit. We recognize and appreciate the service that the Burn Unit staff provide, not only the Tri-County area but to the entire state of South Carolina.