CUBICLE ETIQUETTE 8
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 10
NE WS YOU C AN USE • A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6
Downtown Sparks Ideas
BILTMORE DISCOUNT 14
Editor’s Note
CONTENTS
LEANORA MINAI
A New Look for Working@Duke A new Working@Duke logo on the cover. An emphasis on engaging photos and visuals. And a back page spotlight on social media. These are some design changes we’re unveiling in this issue of Working@Duke, which celebrates 10 years of publishing in 2016. What is not changing? The “news you can use” stories about institutional priorities, employee benefits and programs, campus happenings, and other practical information to help you in your work and life. The refreshed look is meant to make the publication even more enjoyable to read. Why a redesign? Last year, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education recognized Working@Duke for the eighth year in its Circle of Excellence awards. While judges provided positive feedback, they offered advice about design. It was time for a new look. This issue marks the first significant redesign since 2011 when Working@Duke transitioned to a news magazine format. We studied other magazines with Paul Figuerado, the graphic designer for our office. He’s been laying out Working@Duke since the first issue rolled off the presses in March 2006. Paul got to work reviewing current trends and implemented the changes you see today. The font is easier on the eyes, and story pages have cleaner layouts with more white space for readability. The back page includes a new feature highlighting conversations on our Facebook and Twitter pages. We hope you enjoy the new look. Most importantly, we hope you continue to find the stories useful. Let me know what you think. Drop me a note at leanora.minai@duke.edu.
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4 DTheowntown Sparks Ideas collaborative nature of science and technology in downtown Durham
is getting a boost from Duke. During the past five years, the number of Duke employees working downtown has increased from nearly 2,000 to 3,500.
8 HWorking@Duke ow’s Your Cubicle Etiquette? asked employees to share some do’s and don’ts about working in close quarters. Check out a sampling of tips.
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Expand Work Skills
Through the end of this year, Duke’s Learning & Organization Development is leading 111 classes on work and leadership skills that range from computer programs and critical thinking to presenting to groups.
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Safety Campaign Urges, “Yield to Blue Devils” Help Recognize Retiring Colleagues Memories in the Mountains with Duke Discounts Duke Football Aims to Expand Zero Waste Efforts
Contact us Editor/Communications Director: Leanora Minai (919) 681-4533 leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534 paul.grantham@duke.edu Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado (919) 684-2107 paul.figuerado@duke.edu
Among the design updates is a new look for the publication cover.
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Senior Writer/Videographer: Bryan Roth (919) 681-9965 bryan.roth@duke.edu Writer/Videographer: April Dudash (919) 684-4639 april.dudash@duke.edu Photography: Duke University Photography and Bryan Roth and April Dudash of Communication Services.
Working@Duke is published every other month by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and story ideas. Send email to working@duke.edu or call (919) 684-4345. Visit Working@Duke daily on Duke Today: working.duke.edu
2014 Gold, 2015, 2013, Silver, 2016, 2009, 2007 Bronze, Print Internal Audience Publications and 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing
Cover photo: Duke will occupy 100,000 square feet of space in The Chesterfield at the corner of Main and North Duke streets in downtown Durham.
BRIEFLY Get vaccinated early for flu season Staff and faculty can protect themselves early by getting a free flu vaccine starting Sept. 15 through Duke Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW). For the 2016-17 season, Duke will offer a quadrivalent vaccine, which protects against four strains of flu viruses. Also available is as an egg-free option for individuals with allergies. Previously, Duke’s “Fight the Flu” campaign offered a vaccine that provided protection against three strains. “The flu can be unpredictable, and a person can get the flu and have very severe outcomes, even death, related to the flu,” said Dr. Carol Epling, director of EOHW. “The best thing you can do is get the flu shot to prevent that from happening. We’d like to see people get vaccinated early in the season.” Faculty and staff with a valid DukeCard ID can get a vaccine at EOHW in the Duke Clinic Red Zone or at a roving campus clinic. No appointment is necessary. The flu shot is a condition of employment in the Health System and for many School of Medicine employees. About 30,000 Duke employees received a vaccine or exemption through Duke during the 2015-16 season. There were 59 flu-associated deaths in North Carolina from October 2015 through May 2016, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. While the exact timing and duration of flu seasons vary, flu outbreaks often begin in October and can last as late as May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the time, flu activity peaks between December and February. Visit flu.duke.edu for the vaccination schedule.
Download Duke’s free safety app Put safety in your hands by downloading LiveSafe, Duke’s free mobile app. The app, which is available in Google Play and the Apple App Store, allows Duke employees and students to call and text the Duke University Police Department 24/7 with tips or concerns. An app feature, SafeWalk, lets users connect with friends or family members who can track their location on a real-time map. “To have everything right at your fingertips in one app is awesome,” said Tom Szigethy, associate dean and director of the Duke Student Wellness Center, who has the app on his phone. “I like having all of the safety resources in one place. It makes it a little bit easier to access them.” LiveSafe also includes direct access to Duke resources such as real-time campus bus tracking, Duke’s campus map, and emergency procedures. “LiveSafe is another advancement in our ongoing efforts to create and sustain a safe learning and working environment for our entire community,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration and emergency coordinator. “It enables students, staff and faculty to report concerns any time, anywhere, to the appropriate authorities.” Download LiveSafe from Apple at tiny.cc/applelivesafe or from Google Play at tiny.cc/googlelivesafe.
Nominate a colleague for the Teamwork or Diversity Award Do you know a colleague who fosters a collaborative work environment or demonstrates respect for differing viewpoints? Nominate that coworker for a Teamwork or Diversity Award, two of Duke’s highest employee honors. The annual awards recognize employees who advance Duke’s values and important departmental or university-wide projects. Julie Cusatis, left, with President The deadline for nominations is Sept. 16 Richard H. Brodhead. and requires a nomination and letter(s) of support explaining how the nominee meets the award criteria. Julie Cusatis received a 2015 Diversity Award for her work to diversify the background of Duke nursing students, as well as her support of doctoral study joint programming between Duke and WinstonSalem State University, a historically black university. “It’s so important to just take a moment out of the day to acknowledge someone for the work that they do,” said Cusatis, senior manager of international programs in the Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives for the Duke School of Nursing. “It makes you feel good, and it definitely builds morale.” Awards will be presented at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in November. Nomination forms can be found on the Duke Human Resources website under the “Blue Ribbon Awards” section: hr.duke.edu/benefits/appreciation.
Find a fitness routine with Run/Walk Club Duke’s Run/Walk Club returns Aug. 22, offering a social way to exercise. The 12-week program, which meets for low-pressure workouts twice a week, is free for staff and faculty. Run/Walk Club is ideal for all fitness levels and meets until Nov. 9 at multiple locations. Organized by Duke’s employee wellness program, LIVE FOR LIFE, the club meets at 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays on East and West campuses, 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Duke Regional Hospital, and Thursdays at noon at Duke Raleigh Hospital. In addition to run/walk sessions, members have access to weekly events focusing on yoga or strength and balance training. Employees can also register for an independent program and receive the same workout plans and incentives. Katie MacEachern, fitness program manager with LIVE FOR LIFE, said she’s seen continued success with Run/Walk participants because exercising in a group dynamic can create a positive atmosphere. “There’s something special about collaborating with others who have similar goals for health and fitness and accomplishing goals together,” she said. “There’s a strong feeling of accountability when you’re side-by-side exercising with someone. Knowing you’re not doing it alone, that makes you stronger.” To register, visit hr.duke.edu/runwalk.
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A view of downtown Durham from the top of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance building with the seven story Chesterfield building at center.
Downtown Sparks Ideas Nearly 3,500 Duke employees work in downtown Durham, boosting innovation
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choing through seven floors of a vacant, historic building, sounds of saws sheering through metal and the clanging of hammers filled one of downtown Durham’s biggest renovations projects. Open windows and entryways at the 68-yearold Liggett & Myers cigarette factory, now The Chesterfield, allowed the sounds to spill onto North Duke and Main streets, an audible cue of the future for the city – and Duke. The economic and cultural renaissance of downtown, supported by $1.2 billion of private and public investment since 2000, is showcased perfectly in The Chesterfield, where Duke will lease about 100,000 square feet for engineering and medical research. The Chesterfield, billed as a centerpiece of Durham’s life science community, is set to open in
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This rendering of the inside of The Chesterfield building showcases the building’s atrium space, featuring a 3,500-square-foot skylight.
January 2017 with a goal of spurring ideas and products that may change the world. At The Chesterfield’s center is an atrium meant to attract the building’s bright minds to one of its brightest spaces. A 3,500-square-foot skylight shines sun on a lobby where employees and visitors will meet, mingle and discover medical or engineering breakthroughs in a space being referred to as a “knowledge community.” “Not only do you get to interact with people easier and more informally, but students, faculty and others are working together that creates a sense of community,” said Ken Gall, a professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science who will move to The Chesterfield. “When you interact with people who work toward similar problems and challenges, that gives you a sense of confidence in your work.” Duke has had a downtown presence since the 1970s with Duke University Press employees at Brightleaf Square. During the past five years, the number of Duke employees working downtown, from Brightleaf to the American Tobacco Campus, has increased from nearly 2,000 to 3,500 and will continue to grow even more. As Durham continues to evolve as a city, the collaborative nature of science and technology is getting a boost from the collection of faculty and staff moving downtown. “Durham is very diverse in thought, economically diverse, ethnically diverse, and the area where you can collaborate with those people is already here – it’s downtown,” said Scott Selig, Duke’s associate vice president of capital assets and real estate. “You can run into someone working at a gaming company or sequencing proteins just anywhere. It’s an open environment of ideas.” Scott Selig
Looking Back to Look Forward
space for Moogfest, a gathering of artists, entrepreneurs, futurist thinkers, musicians and engineers. “We’re getting wiser about solving problems we have in the world because we’re not limited to one answer from one person,” said MarieAngela Della Pia, I&E’s community director who facilitates learning and interaction opportunities between Duke and Durham. “The spirit of entrepreneurship is finding answers from a lot of different people with Marie-Angela Della Pia a lot of perspectives.” Since opening, The Bullpen has connected disciplines spanning social sciences, law, anthropology and medical research. Duke community members, including students, have used the space to dream up projects from a sensor that detects displacement of a runner’s heel to an antiperspirant hand lotion. “You come for the space but stay for the collaborative possibilities,” Della Pia said. It’s a lesson learned by Tatiana Birgisson, a 2012 Duke graduate who, as a student, founded the energy drink company MATI Energy with the help of I&E and stayed in Durham because of the entrepreneurial spirit she found at The Bullpen. “Putting Duke resources close to the startup scene creates a connection between Duke and a density of startups, which is incredibly important,” said Birgisson, who now mentors and collaborates with students at The Bullpen. “The culture of entrepreneurship intensifies the closer you get to its nucleus.” That’s a tangible outcome seen by Nicholas Katsanis, the director of the Center for Human Disease Modeling and Jean and George W. Brumley Professor of Cell Biology and Pediatrics. Since moving into downtown’s Carmichael Building at 300 N. Duke St. a year ago, he has harnessed partnerships with other Duke faculty. >> continued on page 6
In August 2015, Duke’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (I&E) moved into a downtown Morris Street tobacco building built in 1916. I&E’s office, The Bullpen, is a focal point of the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship efforts and foreshadows Duke’s involvement in Durham’s growing Innovation District, a span of 1 million square feet across 15 downtown acres. The Bullpen provides just under 13,000 square feet of workspace for collaboration among Duke community members and Durham’s entrepreneurs and organizations. In May, it served as a meeting Duke community members meet and mingle during the grand opening of The Bullpen in 2015. The space is a main Duke hub for innovation and collaboration between students, faculty, staff and community members.
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Nicholas Katsanis, center in the black shirt, discusses research plans with a colleague in his downtown lab space in the Carmichael Building at 300 N. Duke St.
On campus, Katsanis was far away from peers in the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, but now he’s sharing labs and space with fellow researchers in Carmichael, allowing for daily conversations and connections. By sharing close proximity, Katsanis and his faculty have been able to accelerate several research projects on disorders such as glaucoma. He’s also in the early stages of a startup, Rescindo Therapeutics Inc., which focuses on accelerating drug target discovery for genetic disorders. “If we weren’t here downtown, I don’t know if I’d have the proximal tools available to launch the company,” Katsanis said. “Here we have capacity to use an incubator model to help the company stand on its feet and promote interaction between scientists working for the company, my own academic unit and other Duke investigators.” With the potential to meet academics and non-academics alike within walking distance of his lab space, Katsanis said an important benefit of being downtown is simply having the chance to share information about what he and Duke are up to. “Being in the heart of Durham gives us opportunities to demystify our work to the general population,” he said. “By and large, scientists have shied away from the responsibility of reducing the opacity of the research enterprise and engaging the broader population. Here, we have an opportunity to change that.”
table,” said Shelly Green, president and CEO of the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau. “One of Duke’s best resources is its really smart people that care about Durham and the world.” Tallman Trask III, Duke’s executive vice president, said that the university’s use of downtown space offers flexibility to grow and allows researchers and faculty access to work hand-in-hand with outside companies. “There’s a lot more university-corporate mixed activity than there used to be because a lot of corporations have cut back on research and development expenditures and are looking for partners,” Trask said. “You find the same thing happening in Cambridge and major cities like St. Louis or Baltimore. Biomedical, medicine and engineering partnerships are expanding all the time.” Trask estimates that in the past 20 years, downtown Durham’s available office space has dropped to just under 5 percent due to an influx of businesses and entrepreneurs snapping up space and finding themselves working within blocks- if not feet – of each other. When Ken Gall, the professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, moves into The Chesterfield next year, he’ll shift his office and lab space from campus’ Hudson Hall to about 6,000 square feet in the renovated building.
Embracing Collaboration By 2017, Duke faculty and staff will take up about 1.3 million square feet of space across downtown, and in 2018, Duke will take on 200,000 more square feet. About 55,000 square feet will be in a new 27-story high rise called One City Center and an additional 150,000 in a building being constructed across from The Bullpen near the corner of Morris and Roney streets. “Duke is always looking for ways to integrate into the fabric of Durham, and I can’t imagine working to collectively solve problems we face as a community without Duke at the
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One City Center, projected to open in 2018, will be a 27-story high rise in downtown Durham, as seen in this artist rendering. Duke is set to occupy about 55,000 square feet of space in One City Center.
A rendering of The Chesterfield shows a glimpse of what the inside of the sevenstory building will look like once completed in 2017.
Ken Gall, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, will be among the first Duke employees to move from campus to The Chesterfield building at Main and North Duke streets.
Once there, Gall may bump into staff from BioLabs North Carolina, a biotech co-working facility that will have 42,000 square feet in The Chesterfield. Gall said having close access to others is pivotal for research and ideas to flourish. He’s founded two medical device startup companies that have commercialized university-based technologies, experience pivotal to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among Duke colleagues. “More people are looking at research and asking, ‘how can I turn this into a product that might impact society in the near term?’” Gall said. “Being embedded downtown in a growing city
that has this entrepreneurial growth helps to spark interactions and build a sense of community around startups, small labs and the research we’re doing.” In Durham and elsewhere around the country, this marriage of academia and private enterprise is taking off. Crosscollaboration isn’t a luxury occurrence. More than ever, it’s becoming a necessity. “If there’s a problem you want to go after, you realize you don’t have to work in isolation anymore,” Gall said. “It’s an exciting time.”
By Bryan Roth
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How’s Your C W
hen sharing office space with others, reheating cabbage or fish, conducting meetings on a speakerphone, or clipping fingernails doesn’t exactly merit a “Coworker of the Year” award. However, establishing some best cubicle etiquette practices can enhance colleague collaboration and communication and make daily life easier in the workplace. “Respect is very important,” said Monique Turrentine, a Duke Career Center assistant director for employer development who recently worked in a cubicle setting in Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. “If each individual shows a level of respect for themselves and the people around them, that goes a long way.” Working@Duke asked Duke employees to share some #cubetiquette do’s and don’ts about working in close quarters, and here’s a sampling:
Monique Turrentine
Watch volume. Don’t talk loud, play music through computer speakers or use a speakerphone for a conference call. Headphones are your friend.
Think twice before dousing yourself with strong perfume or cologne. Don’t assume the stapler and tape dispenser are free for borrowing.
Mute or lower alerts on your mobile device.
Keep grooming habits in check. Leave nail clippers at home. Knock before entering. Don’t assume a colleague is always available just because he or she doesn’t have a door.
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Cubicle Etiquette? “If you’re not super quiet on the phone, you may be sharing more than you’d like. If you get questions from colleagues like, ‘Hey, did the sellers of that house accept your offer?’, it means you need to lower your voice.”
“Working in a cubicle has been a very good lesson in awareness for me. I am much more aware of how loud things are, not just voices, but phones, walking with heels and other everyday things that we usually tune out in a busy environment.”
Julia Trimmer Manager, Faculty Data Systems & Analysis Office of the Provost
“I like the collaboration and learning that takes place because we sit in an open environment and the fun we have while we’re at work. It’s part of what makes us such a great team.” Marti Brauer Information Security Analyst III Duke Health Technology Solutions
“It is bad ‘cubetiquette’ for someone to pop his or her head over the cubicle wall without warning in a sneak attack maneuver! Sometimes the abruptness of the wall pop-over is startling. Other times, I could be taking a bite of lunch or focusing intently on something. Approach my desk on foot, please, so I can see you coming.” Rose Porges Executive Assistant Duke University Health System
Mary Davis Wallace Donor Relations Project Coordinator Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs
“To work in a cubicle farm is to be battling distractions from almost all sides, and in the end, I try to minimize my contribution to it by using private spaces for phone calls, eating in the break room and keeping conversations down. But I also acknowledge that I have no control over others, and I would prefer a happy, collegial environment.” Debrah Suggs Senior IT Analyst Office of Information Technology
By April Dudash
Share #cubetiquette advice on Working@Duke’s Twitter [twitter.com/workingatduke] and Facebook [facebook.com/workingatduke] pages
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Class members in a “Guide to Managing at Duke” class participate in a blindfold activity to demonstrate the value of teamwork and communication.
Expand Work Skills with
Professional Development
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More than 100 classes are available to employees
hen it comes to being a lifelong learner, Ann Thurston is a leader of the pack. Over eight years at Duke, Thurston has taken 26 classes through Duke’s Learning & Organization Development (L&OD), picking up new skills and fine tuning others to stay on top of professional duties. When Microsoft updates or changes a program, she’s soon in a classroom to ensure she’s never rusty. Lately, Thurston has focused on L&OD’s leadership track, working to enhance skills that will benefit colleagues she manages as associate director of development at the Nicholas School of the Environment. Among the skills Thurston has improved include how to better plan meetings and communicate with colleagues. “I’m always seeking out opportunities across the board to do something different or learn something new because 10
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there are places where we’re naturally not good at doing something or just need a new skill,” Thurston said. “If you take one class at a time, you’re going to become better at your work.” Through the end of this year, L&OD is leading 111 classes on work and leadership skills that range from computer programs to critical thinking or presenting to groups. Over the first half of this year, L&OD oversaw 854 professional development and technology course completions by Duke employees. “You can be really good at what you do every day, but when you open your mind to see there’s more to learn, there are endless possibilities you could grow into,” said Keisha Williams, assistant vice president of Learning & Organization Development. “It’s about being a leader of your own learning and knowing you can grow as a person.” Classes, which range in price from $49 to $195, are offered on a rolling basis,
and faculty and staff can enroll through Duke’s Learning Management System at hr.duke.edu/train. Classes are taught at Central Campus offices, which provide free parking. Last year, Alberto Dunbar took eight classes to help him transition into a supervisory role at Duke’s Patient Revenue Management Organization (PRMO). Some of his courses covered being a first-time supervisor and intelligently leading with emotion. The classes proved so valuable, he keeps folders from each class on his desk so he can access information as he deals with issues at work. “When I finish a class, I can’t wait to go out and try what I’ve learned,” said Dunbar, supervisor for PRMO’s Customer Service Department. “It’s something everybody should take advantage of to make ourselves better employees.”
By Bryan Roth
Find learning opportunities at hr.duke.edu/train
Share the Road Pledge to keep roads safe as part of Duke Police campaign
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ast year, two Duke University Press staff members suffered minor injuries after cars hit them as they crossed busy intersections in downtown Durham. To help minimize roadway crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists, Duke University Press management partnered with the city of Durham and Duke University Police Department to adjust traffic signals outside Press offices to give pedestrians more time to cross the street. “We have to be responsible for our safety,” said Bonnie Conner, budget and logistics manager at Duke University Press who was not involved in the accident but was part of the traffic effort. “We continue to remind our employees to be cautious and not to assume the driver will see you, especially nowadays with people looking at phones and being in a hurry.” Conner is helping Duke Police introduce “Yield to Blue Devils,” a new safety campaign in which Duke community members sign a pledge to obey traffic laws and help keep campus roads and crosswalks safe for pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists. Employees and students who sign the pledge at police.duke.edu/ yield will receive an “I Yield to Blue Devils” sticker. Duke Police officially kicked off its campaign Aug. 2 at National Night Out, a community-building crime prevention event, on Central Campus. Officers will also get help from nearly 120 alumni of Duke’s Citizens’ Police Academy, including Conner, who will share information about Duke’s safety campaign with schools, departments and offices. “We want people to be mindful of pedestrians and realize that at some point they will be pedestrians themselves,” said Eric Hester, Duke Police’s crime prevention specialist. “Not only is pedestrian safety a law enforcement concern, but it is a community concern, and we all can take a few minutes to look at the pledge, sign up for it and make this difference.” Vehicles hit more than 2,600 pedestrians and 970 bicyclists each year in North Carolina, according to Watch for Me NC, a Take the “I Yield to Blue Devils” pledge: police.duke.edu/yield
From left to right, Bonnie Conner with Duke University Press, Eric Hester with Duke Police, and Melissa Neeley with the John Hope Franklin Center are working together to spread the word about “Yield to Blue Devils.”
safety program run by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Melissa Neeley, a building manager for the John Hope Franklin Center, works at the busy corner of Erwin Road and Trent Drive. She and other Duke employees who work near that intersection meet with Duke Police once a year to discuss pedestrian safety. “I take public transportation, I am a driver, and on campus, I am a pedestrian,” Neeley said. “Taking the pledge and reviewing this information can give you a new perspective. It reminds drivers that they are also pedestrians sometimes, and drivers should yield to bicyclists and pedestrians.”
By April Dudash
Share the road responsibly While driving:
• Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks • Pass bicyclists only when safe and provide them enough room to ride • Always look for pedestrians, especially before turning or backing up
While bicycling:
• Obey all traffic signals and stop signs • Ride in the direction of traffic • Use hand signals when turning
While walking:
• Obey all pedestrian traffic signals • Look for cars in all directions before crossing a street • Use a sidewalk
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Help Recognize Retiring Colleagues Tell us about staff and faculty retiring after at least 20 years at Duke
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Beverly Boone Meek, arts outreach and communications assistant, will retire in September after working at Duke for 20 years.
Steamfitter Johnny Duke retired in May after working at Duke for nearly 34 years.
uring her time at Duke, Beverly Boone Meek has spread the word about the annual Duke Arts Festival, met visiting artists and helped promote their performances, and she received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies. After 20 years as a Duke employee, Meek, the arts outreach and communications assistant in the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, is retiring in September. “The thing that has shaped me the most has been the people I’ve met through the arts,” said Meek, who turns 66 in September. “That’s why I came to Duke – the chance to work in an academic setting and work in the arts.” Last year, 231 Duke staff and faculty retired, ending longspanning careers of research, teaching and supporting faculty, staff and students. Working@Duke wants to recognize the careers of employees who have made a difference supporting Duke’s mission and its guiding principles of trustworthiness, respect, diversity, learning and teamwork. As part of a reoccurring feature for Working@Duke and its channels on Facebook and Twitter, we’re on the lookout to highlight faculty and staff who are retiring from Duke after working here at least 20 years. Do you have a colleague in mind or a special office celebration planned? We’d love to hear from you. Please complete a brief submission at hr.duke.edu/retiring. Working@Duke will give away Working@Duke travel mugs to nominators and retirees throughout the upcoming academic year. In May, Working@Duke and Duke Facilities Management (FMD) celebrated the retirement of steamfitter Johnny Duke, who worked at the university for nearly 34 years. He started working at Duke after high school and helped maintain more than 100 miles of underground utilities, which included steam, gas, chilled water, domestic water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer systems. “Congratulations! You will be missed!” wrote Deborah Scism, a network systems analyst at Duke Health Technology Solutions, on Working@Duke’s Facebook page. “Enjoyed the 10 years that I worked with you at FMD!”
Compiled by April Dudash
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Celebrate a colleague’s retirement at hr.duke.edu/retiring
A series profiling leaders at Duke who balance work and life. Healthy habits boost mood and energy and combat diseases, which can also reduce healthcare costs for you and Duke as a whole. Through exercise or other behaviors, these leaders are role models.
Regimen: It varies from month to month. Right now, I’m running, and I used to run at Wallace Wade Stadium all the time. I now run the Koskinen Stadium stairs instead, which isn’t as daunting, but it’s still a good workout. I typically run West to East Campus and run one or two times around East Campus and back, which is usually about 12 kilometers. I’m lifting at Wilson Recreation Center, and I play basketball occasionally. I do a little bit of TRX (suspension training that uses a person’s bodyweight to develop strength, flexibility and balance). I often do a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class.
Wellness mantra: To keep exercising, even when things are busy. Starting in the fall until the last football game of the year, things get really busy for me. I’m writing music, writing drill routines, making arrangements for travel, and responding to whatever emails might be coming in from alumni or current students. I just accept the fact that I won’t be in as good of shape in the fall, but I’ll still exercise two or three times a week.
Top health and wellness goals: I did the Love Rox Half Marathon in Richmond, Va., about two years ago. I over-trained, and my IT band (a ligament along the thigh) was killing me, so I walked about the entire thing. I want to ramp up more slowly this time and check a half marathon off my list.
How a healthy lifestyle affects my work: When I’m loading and unloading a truck or moving instruments, exercise helps. It’s nice to be able to do that stuff and not be exhausted. I also started meditating a couple of years ago, and that’s the thing that really has helped my work. If I stay present in what I’m doing, I’m able to focus on what’s happening now, deal with things as they come, and not be bombarded with stress.
Biggest fitness accomplishment:
Five years ago, I had two hernia surgeries that were six months apart, and then I tore a calf muscle. After almost two years without exercising, I expected to resume my regimen and feel better in a month, but I felt totally weak and defeated every time I tried to exercise. It took literally seven, eight months to actually start to feel strong again. I had faith that it would pay off. I stuck with it and actually got back into acceptable shape.
Advice: If you’re starting from a low fitness level and want to see results quickly, you have to accept that you’re not going to see real results soon. Take how long you think it’s going to take and multiply that by 20.
Got a leader at Duke in mind for the Live Well, Lead Well series? Nominate him or her at bit.ly/lwlwduke
Interview by April Dudash
Jeff Au
Director, Duke University Marching & Pep Band
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Making Memories in the Mountains R
Save on a visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville
decorations, a treasured family honda Loftis is memory that Rhonda keeps in committed to a Facebook photo album. planning adventures The family saved on and creating the excursion by booking memories with her mother, Biltmore tickets through who was diagnosed with Duke’s employee discount Alzheimer’s three years ago. program, PERQS. Duke Her mother, Barbara, employees receive $10 off a retired certified nursing assistant from the Duke daytime admission prices to the Biltmore [bit.ly/ Emergency Department, has a penchant for antiques dukebiltmore] by purchasing tickets online. Admission and Christmas, so Rhonda includes a self-guided visit combined those loves and of the Biltmore House and planned a family trip to the Gardens, Antler Hill Village, Biltmore Estate in Asheville. From left to right, Duke employee Rhonda Loftis; her aunt, Willie Suitt; her mother, and a guided tour and The Biltmore, an 8,000Barbara Loftis; and twin sister, Wanda Jones, visit the Biltmore Estate during the complimentary tasting at acre estate nestled in the Blue Christmas holiday. the Biltmore Winery. Ridge Mountains, features Activities that incorporate a fee include a guided horseback blooming gardens, outdoor activities and wine tastings during ride, rafting the French Broad River and the Biltmore Concert the year. Starting in early November, dozens of Christmas trees, Series. including a 35-foot Fraser fir, and garland, lights and wreaths dot Rhonda said she would love to return to the Biltmore with the historic property. The estate, which offers daytime tours and her mother in the spring, when the Biltmore Gardens and evening candlelight tours during the holidays, originally opened Grounds are covered in tulips and feature a rose garden of more in 1895 and housed the philanthropic Vanderbilt family. than 250 varieties of flowers. In the summer, the gardens are full “I saw the excitement in my mother’s eyes when she would of native rhododendron bushes and perennials. see the Christmas lights and the Christmas trees,” said Rhonda, “Her short-term memory is going faster than long-term, an assistant at Duke Children’s Primary Care in Durham. “I but I’d like to be able to share the moment with my mom and made a decision to do as much and make as many memories show her pictures and reminisce,” Rhonda said. “She and my as possible with her before this awful disease progresses.” dad always took vacations and always made sure we had the best. Rhonda visited Asheville with her twin sister, Wanda, and I want to do the same for her.” their mother and aunt and took a daytime tour of the Biltmore House. They posed for a photo in front of the Biltmore Christmas By April Dudash
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SUSTAINABLE DUKE YOUR SOURCE FOR GREEN NEWS AT DUKE
Football Aims to Expand ‘Zero Waste’ Efforts Duke was first in ACC to divert over 90 percent of recyclables and compost from trash
A
s dozens of Duke football players stood around tables in the Yoh Football Center, the hulking student-athletes each took turns rolling bags with educational fliers about recycling and composting and wrapping a rubber band around each roll. In all, players prepared 10,000 rolls of bags for tailgating fans to help explain how to dispose of recyclables, compost and trash. The event, held in May, was part of the third year of Duke’s “zero waste” game-day initiative, which aims to divert at least 90 percent of recyclables and compost from trash at each home football game. This season, volunteers will hand out the bags on home game days for compost, recyclables and trash. In addition, special zero waste stations will be available throughout Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium’s concourse and the Blue Devil Alley tailgate area between Card Gymnasium and Cameron Indoor Stadium. The effort is led by a partnership between Duke Sanitation & Recycling, Sustainable Duke and Duke Athletics. Zavier Carmichael, a junior linebacker on the team, said it was important to be a part of the flier effort since he and other players want to be role models for others. “It’s a habit now for us to pick up trash we see on the ground when we’re walking
From left, Duke football teammates Zavier Carmichael, Twazanga Mugala, Shaun Wilson and Trevon McSwain form an assembly line-like process to roll up bags for fans for recycling, compost and trash at Duke home games.
around campus,” Carmichael said. “It’s an important lesson to live by so it’s not just Duke football players doing it, but others see us and do it too, so we can help change campus.” Duke achieved its first-ever “zero waste” game day Nov. 14, 2015, against University of Pittsburgh, diverting 94 percent of recyclable and compostable materials from trash. Through the first two years of Duke football’s zero waste initiative, fans have
Learn about campus recycling initiatives at sustainability.duke.edu
composted more than 14,000 pounds and recycled more than 62,000 pounds during home events. “Our staff and volunteers work really hard to get buy-in from fans to help us achieve zero waste on game days,” said Arwen Buchholz, Duke’s recycling and waste reduction coordinator. “When we’re able to have the whole campus community show a sense of ownership for this program, it builds momentum for this season.” By Bryan Roth
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