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Rumor
Mill separates fact from fiction
Research
Rumor: How much research money
has MUSC attracted during the past year?
Truth: MUSC faculty have been extremely
productive, pulling in $135M of awards last year. Our faculty have already
earned awards of $73 million in the first four months of this academic
year, so we are well on our way to achieving our goal of $140 million for
this year.
Overselling Parking—Part II
Rumor: The excuse for overselling
the Hagood lot is that the spots are not reserved. The spots in the
faculty garage are reserved. How do you explain overselling those? Every
spot is full plus people are parking on every available curb (approximately
20). They have now started ticketing the cars on the curbs. What a great
racket! Sell more spots than there are and then ticket the people to whom
you sold the nonexistent spaces.
Truth: Parking in the Hagood commuter
parking is and always has been offered purely as a parking option, not
a guarantee. There is no charge for registering for or parking in the Hagood
commuter system nor is there a charge for the bus service which connects
it to campus. This parking option is offered to anyone at MUSC who is interested.
Registrants are free to use it on a space-available basis as their needs
dictate and as their schedules allow. In contrast to this free parking
option, users of the reserved parking system, in return for their monthly
parking fee, are guaranteed a parking space at all times in their assigned
locations. On any given day anywhere from 10 to 30 percent or more of the
users of a reserved parking facility will not be using the facility. This
creates a margin that allows additional assignments to be made to employees
on the waiting list. Using this margin to satisfy current parking demand
is a great service to the MUSC parking community. Without such utilization,
the waiting list would be an additional 800 names longer and the
average wait would be about 2.5 years longer. Other facilities, usually
the larger ones, where there is a large number of medical staff and others
with more dissimilar schedules may be over subscribed 30 percent or more.
The operational goal is to subscribe as many spaces as possible in each
location, but not to exceed a number that will allow a margin of availability
and insure that authorized parkers will have spaces when they need them.
In the employee parking garage (E Lot, PGII) there were a number of times
in September when the garage was completely full. This unusually heavy
demand was associated with the beginning of the academic year and an upswing
in clinic activity. The situation was only temporary and, knowing that,
rather than relocate any authorized parkers, the rule prohibiting the creation
of a space; i.e., no parking on the islands, was relaxed. Full conditions
have long since been gone; but some employees, without checking to see
if the garage was full, have continued to park on the islands. Initially
warning tickets were written advising drivers that the garage was not full
and that enforcement of the rule against creating spaces had resumed. The
issuance of warning tickets was followed by the issuance of $10 citations
for improper parking. MUSC does not make money from parking enforcement.
Quite the opposite is true. It is a net expense to the system. It is also
a thankless task that is carried out only because it is necessary in order
to maintain order, to meet personal and property safety standards, and
to protect the privileges of those who have contracted to park in the reserved
parking system and abide by the rules.
Hagood Lot
Rumor: Are they, parking management,
ever going to fill in the potholes again in the Hagood parking lot? It
seems to be getting worse the holes are getting bigger and deeper every
day. Please help.
Truth: MUSC leases the Hagood commuter
parking lot from the City of Charleston. As the lease holder, the city
is responsible for maintaining the parking lot. Recent heavy rains and
heavy vehicular traffic have caused considerable wear on the unpaved surface,
and there are many areas which need to be filled and the surface smoothed.
The city was notified of the lot conditions and has committed to make the
repairs. If you observe unsatisfactory conditions in the Hagood Parking
Lot, report them to the Office of Parking Management at 792-3665.
Buses
Rumor: I was wondering why the
buses are required to wait on Jonathan Lucas until a certain time to depart?
I was told that they have to wait until a certain time or until there are
10 people standing in the aisles. It seems extremely dangerous and poses
an unnecessary liability to MUSC for the buses to be this crowded.
Truth: Shuttle buses depart at
their scheduled time or whenever full, whichever comes first. During our
busiest morning and afternoon peak hours, a bus is not considered full
until all seats are occupied and available standing room behind the standee
line is offered to the awaiting passengers. Bus schedules are posted at
all bus stops and are available on the Web at http://www.musc.edu/transportation/.
If you have any questions, or are observing buses running contrary to this
schedule, call 577-5284.
Sign on Incentives
Rumor: I heard the new incentive
for new graduates is payoff of student loans. Is this true? And if you
are currently a hospital employee as clinical associate in nursing school,
will MUSC pick up your loans at time of hire as a registered nurse?
Truth: The Department of Clinical
Services has approved four nursing loan repayment awards for $5,000 each
for FY2002/2003. The awards will be provided to four inpatient units who
demonstrate the highest vacancy rates for three months. The goal is to
provide incentives to attract nurses to work in high vacancy areas. Each
award grants up to $5,000 for the nurse manager to use for loan repayment
initiatives. The awarded units will post job positions with the description
that this position is eligible to receive school loan repayment money.
Any registered nurse, whether a new graduate or experienced nurse, may
apply. The only qualification to apply is the applicant must have a current
outstanding school loan. The applicant completes a loan repayment application
form, as well as a job application, and submits to the nurse manager for
hiring consideration. Based on the number of applications, interview process,
and needs of the unit, the nurse manager will determine the allocation
of funds. Allocated money will be paid directly to the loan companies for
the individual or individuals selected. If this program proves successful
in attracting nurses into hard to fill areas, it is hoped that it could
be budgeted on a larger scale next year. In regards to the second question
regarding clinical associate loan payoff at the time of hire, that is not
true. However, upon graduation as a registered nurse the C.A. would be
eligible to apply for the awarded monies mentioned above.
Children's Hospital Elevators
Rumor: So, what is the problem
with the elevators in the Children's Hospital. Recently we only had one
visitor's and one service elevator working. They are all very dirty. The
service elevators are so dirty and the flooring is so bad that surely this
is a danger. They never stop level to the floor. Are they ever going to
get better?
Truth: Thank you for your comment
on the Children’s Hospital elevators. Indeed there has been an increase
in the number of service calls for the Children’s Hospital elevators lately.
Before we begin to address this issue please let me encourage you and all
other employees to report elevator or other malfunctions by calling 792-4119.
This number rings at the service call desk which is operated 24-hours-a-day,
all year long. Only by calling this number can we be sure that data regarding
elevator failure is maintained and that our elevator service company (ASK)
is properly notified. Regarding the Children’s Hospital elevators, the
service and passenger elevators were installed approximately 17 years ago
and have not had a major upgrade since that time. An upgrade is being considered
now. Recently a significant amount of construction dust found its way into
the elevator machine room. For the passenger elevators this dust appears
to be the source of much of our current problems. The elevator service
company has started a cleanup effort to alleviate that problem.
Basic Science Building Construction
Rumor: What are we building behind
the BSB? When will construction be completed?
Truth: The building under construction
is the Children's Research Institute. It will be a seven stories and will
connect directly to the BSB building. Construction is scheduled to be completed
in May 2004.
Reproduced from http://www.musc.edu/rumor/.
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as
needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations
for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South
Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107
or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst
Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu
or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community
Press at 849-1778.
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