12 AUGUST 20
o. 1 Vol. XXXV, N
IN THIS ISSUE... Getting Dropped Off?...................2 RNC Experts...................................2 Safety Tips.....................................3 Convention Insight.......................3 Keep Calm......................................4
Make Your Plans Now
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ith the start of the fall semester — and the Republican National Convention — only days away, now is the time to finalize your plans. Go to www.ut.edu/rnc/facultyandstaff for attendance guidelines for faculty and staff during the RNC. Here are some things to consider when making your preparations: • Commuting to and from campus may be a challenge. Plan alternate routes, allow for additional travel time and keep your supervisor apprised should difficulties arise. • Discuss within your department whether to stagger work schedules so offices are functional for scheduled work periods. • Be mindful of scheduling appointments or errands during the RNC. Factor in additional time or reschedule them if possible.
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As always, each faculty and staff member has the right to decide if they cannot be on campus due to safety or other accessibility issues. The University will inform faculty and staff of any changes in operations through the UT RNC website, global email and other customary means of communication.
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Please note that the Cass Street gate will close at 7:30 p.m. each night during the RNC (Aug. 26-31). It will reopen each morning as usual at 5:30 a.m.
• Make contingency plans for home emergencies that might require immediate attention. Ask a family member, neighbor or friend to help out if necessary.
Armenia Ave.
Closing Time
• Avoid scheduling deliveries, such as office supplies, during RNC week. If possible, schedule deliveries before or after the convention.
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Be on trend this fall by wearing your lanyard and ID holder. From Aug. 2431, all UT faculty, staff and students will be required to wear or carry their Spartan Card while on campus. If you haven’t received your lanyard, please contact your college or department office. Faculty and staff lanyards are orange, and student lanyards are green.
• Child care drop-off/pick up can be hampered by traffic patterns and street closures. Make sure you have made alternate arrangements in case your primary plan does not work.
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Lanyards: A Fall Fashion Statement
ROAD CLOSURES — The Selmon Expressway will be closed from Willow Avenue to 50th Street starting 12:30 a.m. Aug. 27, through 5 a.m. Aug. 31. The Selmon’s reversible elevated lanes will remain open and operate as normal during the RNC. Additionally, the Platt Street bridge will be up, diverting traffic onto Kennedy Boulevard and other local roads. For a complete map of road closures and traffic impacts, click the map to the left.
The Class Must Go On
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ug. 27 marks not only the start of the RNC, but also the start of the Fall 2012 semester at UT.
Getting Dropped Off? The circle around the Plant Hall fountain on the east side of Plant Hall has been designated as the official drop-off and pick up location during the RNC for those students, faculty and staff who get a ride to and from campus. This location allows for the easiest access from Kennedy Boulevard.
RNC Events at Vaughn Center There are a few RNC-related rental events taking place on campus during convention week. These events will not impact parking, as participants will be bused in, dropped off and picked up.
Museum to Remain Open The Plant Museum will be closed as usual on Monday, Aug. 27, and plans to be open the remainder of the week.
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Classes will not be canceled. In case a class cannot physically meet, faculty should notify the impacted students and direct them to online alternative class work. Class content should align as much as possible with the standard course materials for week one, though faculty are encouraged to incorporate convention content where appropriate. Click here for ideas. Students are expected to be in attendance, though commuter students can be given leeway as needed. All Gateways and Pathways sections have access to the RNC 101 module, which should be completed by Aug. 31. RNC 101 is a non-partisan course module, designed by Scott Paine, associate professor of communication and government and world affairs, to teach about the presidential electoral process. The only exception will be classes in the ELS Language Center, which will be closed for the duration of the RNC.
Scarborough to Blog for HuffPost Education
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eginning Aug. 26, Edesa Scarborough, director of the First Year Experience program, will blog about the RNC for Huffington Post. With campus located less than a mile from the convention site, the UT community is uniquely situated to witness and experience the RNC. Scarborough will solicit first year students enrolled in RNC 101, their peer mentors and faculty for their impressions of the convention, and then create daily posts from their responses. To follow along, go to www.huffingtonpost.com/education.
UT RNC Experts
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id you know that a UT faculty member teaches the mathematics of voting? Or that one faculty member specializes in the impacts of protests on children? Or that another faculty member has written a book on Mitt Romney and Mormonism? If not, you should check out the RNC Expert Sources for Media list on the UT RNC website, www.ut.edu/rnc/. If you have a specialty that you think should be added to this list, contact the Office of Public Information.
Safety First
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• Keep a radio or TV on in your office/department to stay informed should any security issues arise.
Please keep in mind the following safety tips throughout the week:
• Remember that RNC not only coincides with the first week of classes, but it is also occurring in the heart of hurricane and afternoon thunderstorm season. Keep an eye on weather reports, and consider obtaining a NOAA weather radio for your area.
ith tens of thousands of people flooding into downtown Tampa for the RNC, the safety of faculty, staff and students will be a high priority. Campus Safety has contracted to have additional staff during the convention and will work with outside law enforcement to ensure the security of campus. • Please wear or carry your Spartan Card at all times. Special lanyards and ID holders will be issued to make carrying identification easier. • Pay extra attention to securing your valuables as there may be unknown visitors on campus. Close and lock your office door when you step out, and keep purses and other valuables secured. • Ensure that your department contact list is updated and shared within your area.
• Sign up for RNC web alerts from the University at www.ut.edu/utwebalerts/, from the city of Tampa at www.tampagov.net and Tampa Downtown Partnership at www.tampasdowntown.com. • Be aware! If you see something, say something. Call Campus Safety at x7777 or call 911.
Staff Member’s Past Experience Gives Insight into Political Conventions
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elieve it or not, John Gavin, maintenance manager, once caught a cold from Walter Mondale, the 42nd vice president of the United States. As a young man, Gavin served as a Broward County delegate to the 1979 Florida Democratic Party straw poll, where as a member of the hospitality committee he escorted the vice president onto the stage. “There was a secret service agent escorting him and the vice president said hello and shook my hand,” said Gavin. “It was a pretty cool moment.”
persuade you to change your vote. Sometimes things got quite heated.” For the most part, though, he said it was a fun experience, where he got to meet a number of elected officials. Most notable besides Mondale were Bob Graham, then the newly-elected governor of Florida; Claude Pepper, who was then serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida’s 14th district; and Lawton Chiles, a U.S. Senator at the time who would go on to be governor of Florida.
He noted that Mondale was coughing a bit before he went on stage and asked for a lozenge. He didn’t think much of it until a day or so later when it was his turn to speak as a committee secretary giving a report. His throat was sore, making his voice raspy and he apologized to his Though not as politically active these days — and no longer a Democrat fellow delegates, saying, “You’ll have to excuse my voice, I caught a sore — Gavin encourages everyone to pay attention to the upcoming throat from Vice President Mondale.” elections. “I feel it is extremely important to research the candidates and fully understand all they represent,” he said. “Look at both sides of the “That got a big laugh from those attending the convention,” he said. media — conservative and liberal. Look at each candidate’s background, Though a much smaller event than the upcoming Republican National their voting history. In a debate, they change their message depending on Convention, Gavin’s experience at the straw poll provides him a bit of the audience, so look at what they’ve done.” insight into what the RNC will be like. “There were a lot of people,” he said. “You’d be invited to a hospitality room, where the host would try to
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Tippecanoe and Spartans Too
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representative from the supervisor of elections office will be in the Vaughn Center lobby on Aug. 28 and 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. explaining the voter registration process and distributing and collecting voter registration forms. Around campus, the University’s plasma screen system will have directions on the voter registration process posted, starting the first week of classes through Oct. 9. For additional voter registration information, go to www.ut.edu/civic/vote/.
Important Websites UT RNC News www.ut.edu/rnc
Sage Advice During her travels in London this summer, Linda Devine, chair of the UT RNC Committee, saw these iconic World War II-era posters and felt the “Keep Calm and Carry On” message applied perfectly to UT during the RNC.
RNC Host Committee 2012tampa.com City of Tampa www.tampagov.net Tampa Downtown Partnership www.tampasdowntown.com Visit Tampa www.visittampabay.com City of Tampa Police Department www.tampagov.net/dept_police
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Office of Public Information | (813) 253-6232 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. | Tampa, FL 33606-1490
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