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Rumor
Mill separates fact from fiction
Parking
Rumor: Why is parking in the County Garage
so expensive? I hope you realize that private parking costs less now! Why
are we charging employees so much for parking? Can this be taken out of
my check pre tax?
Truth: In response to the first part of
the question—I hope you realize that private parking costs less now. (1)
Parking at county garage for MUSC employees is currently $45 a month. This
is the same amount that MUSC charges for all on-campus MUSC reserved parking
locations. (2) It is also $28 less than what MUSC has to pay the county
for each parking space leased by MUSC in their garage. The county's rate
to us is $73 a month. (3) Parking rates offered by private renters in the
MUSC area range from $45 for more-distant parking locations to more than
$100 a month for those locations which are most conveniently located. No
roof covered parking is offered at any price. (Monthly contract parking
in the county garage is not available to individuals. It is available only
through entities such as MUSC which hold contracts with the county.) Second
part—(1) The MUSC parking operation receives no state-appropriated monies
and therefore must depend on fees charged to the users of the parking system
to operate, maintain, repair, and expand the system. MUSC tries to keep
its parking rates as low as possible and still meet these requirements.
We are not aware of any comparable services offered at lower prices than
ours. (2) Some institutions, such as Roper Hospital, are able to provide
parking at no cost to their employees. This is not to say that they do
not have parking-related expenses. They do. But, unlike MUSC, they have
and are able to use other sources of revenue to meet the costs of operating,
maintaining, and expanding their parking systems. Third part—Absolutely.
When you sign up for parking at the MUSC parking office you are offered
the pre-tax option. If you have already signed up but don't believe you
have exercised the pre-tax option, contact the Office of Parking Management
at 792-3665 for assistance.
Resident Parking
Rumor: Why do residents pay so much for
parking? I read the earlier rumor that stated that many departments pay
for parking. You should be aware that some do not cover this expense. The
OB/GYN Department does not cover any parking for residents. What are the
rates going to be for the county garage? (I didn't see this listed on the
FY'03 review) I wish we could be a little kinder to the residents who work
long hours in pursuit of excellent patient care and patient satisfaction!
Truth: Residents parking fees are the
same as all other faculty and staff including nurses, hospital staff, etc.
Currently this is $20/month at Harborview and $45/month everywhere else
including the county garage. These will increase July 1 to $25 and $50.
As noted before in the Rumor Mill, some Departments are able to cover this
for residents and others are not. This is a decision made by the individual
departments based on the resources they have available.
Daycare
Rumor: Any updates on the plans for daycare
on campus?
Truth: The Office of the Provost informs
that a Request for Proposals has been prepared in draft form and will be
finalized in a few days. We will then be in a position to solicit proposals
from potential outside sources.
President Greenberg
Rumor: Rumors are flying that President
Greenberg is leaving. Is there any truth to that?
Truth: President Greenberg's response:
There is absolutely no truth to this rumor. I feel honored and privileged
to serve the Medical University and will continue to do so to the best
of my ability. I have not entertained offers from any other institutions
and hope to remain at the Medical University for many years to come.
Tramell-Crowe
Rumor: I understand that the firm of Trammell-Crowe
is going to take over and manage maintenance and engineering sections of
the Medical Center and the university. I also understand that there will
be a reduction in force for those employees who work in these departments
when they take over.
Truth: Trammell Crow was originally asked
by University administration to evaluate the feasibility of a sale and
leaseback of several properties on campus. The purpose was to explore generating
cash while not harming the university's long-term financial position. Trammel
Crow also offered to develop and present a proposal for a number of facilities
management services for the university and Medical Center Authority. If
and/or when they present such a proposal, and if the proposal seems potentially
feasible and sufficiently cost effective to merit further consideration
of outsourcing, then Trammel Crow and any other company that could provide
such services would be given the opportunity to compete.
Emergency Anthrax Showers
Rumor: After watching something being
installed on the ground level of parking garage 1 for a long period, I
finally asked the physical plant person what it was. He said it was Emergency
Anthrax Showers. I thought he was joking but he assured me he was not.
These, so called showers, are on the ground level of the garage in the
area cars must use to exit the parking garage. When I asked the physical
plant person where might the privacy be, he responded that two curtains
would be placed around the showers separating the men‘s from the women‘s
shower. First, if this is truly what this is for, I can not help but question
the judgment of the engineer or whomever decided to place such a facility
in the parking garage. Second, I don't think I would be alone is saying
there is no way I would disrobe to shower in an open parking garage (with
or without so called curtains). If there was a real need for such a facility,
should it not have been installed in a more practical location? Can you
shed any light on this?
Truth: These are the showers to be used
in the event of a mass casualty event. They were installed at direction
of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals which after 9-11
required Hospitals to embellish their disaster plans to include mass casualty
decontamination areas. Choice of location in this particular area was based
on extensive consultation with members of the MUHA Disaster Preparedness
Committee, University Risk Manager and the University OSHA Director. As
compared to other mass casualty decontamination areas for major health
care facilities throughout the US, this MUSC/ MUHA mass casualty decontamination
area provides both privacy and gender separation. For further information
please contact Al Nesmith, director of Safety, Security, and Volunteer
Services of MUHA. He can be reached at 792-6902.
Drug Screen
Rumor: We wanted to know what happens
when you refuse a drug screen. Can you still work at the hospital? Where
does the hospital stand on this? I heard that MUSC can not make you take
a drug screen, even through there is evidence that drugs are being
used on the job.
Truth: If an employee appears to be under
the influence of drugs or alcohol, he/she may be asked to submit to a drug
test. If the employee refuses and a reasonable suspicion exists that the
employee is impaired, then the employee may be relieved from duty and an
investigation will be conducted. The outcome of the investigation will
determine any appropriate disciplinary measures or other circumstances
that need to be addressed. Please refer to the Medical Center (MUHA) Drug-Free
Workplace policy #47 in the Human Resource policy manual for details. Also,
refer to the Disciplinary Action policy #45 for guidelines for disciplinary
measures and policy #44 for the Grievance Procedure for the appeal (review)
of certain disciplinary measures. The Human Resources office of MUHA (Eric
Frisch) is available to provide assistance with any specific issues that
may arise.
Subway in HOT
Rumor: Is it true that Subway is not coming
to Harborview Office Towers because MUSC will not support it?
Truth: The establishment of Subway at
Harborview Tower is fully supported by the university. Opening has been
delayed because the room does not meet required state codes for a restaurant
in the areas of air handling, power requirements and Fire Safety. Upgrading
the space to meet these requirements is cost prohibitive. Therefore, MUSC
is pursuing with the Regulatory Authorities requests for variances from
code in order to operate a food service facility which will be considered
something less than a full service restaurant yet meet environmental standards.
We are cautiously optimistic that the needed variances will be granted.
Tardiness
Rumor: We want to know what disciplinary
action MUSC takes for an employee in an supervisory position who is habitually
tardy.
Truth: Human Resources Policy No. 45,
Disciplinary Action, recommends progressive disciplinary action, beginning
with an oral reprimand, for chronic tardiness and attendance problems.
However, the university leaves the implementation of disciplinary actions
to the discretion of managers. The policy also states, that “Employees
in supervisory positions should set an example by their own conduct, attitude
and work habits.“ It is believed that leading by one's example is a powerful
management tool.
Reproduced from http://www.musc.edu/rumor/.
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