October, 2010 Working@Duke by Working Duke

HEALTH BENEFITS ENROLLMENT It’s time to review, enroll or change coverage for health benefits and reimbursement account plans. Open enrollment begins Oct. 8.

N EWS YO U CA N U S E

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NEW LIFE AFTER RENOVATION The historic Smith Warehouse and surrounding land are turned into an academic office park unique to Duke and Durham.

Vo l u m e 5 , I s s u e 8

SUSTAINABLE DUKE Facilities Management is transforming the paint inventory to sustainable options. Two employees are recognized for the effort.

October 2010

Learning On The Job INCREASING NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES ARE PARTICIPATING IN DUKE’S TUITION BENEFIT A balancing act harity Tuten’s dream of a bachelor’s degree in biology was derailed a Lisa Wright, a financial analyst in the School of Medicine, started at decade ago by her grandmother’s death. She left college in her senior Duke in 1985 as a secretary after receiving an associate’s degree in fashion year to help her grandfather, then moved to Durham to be with her merchandising from Alamance Community College. For many years mother while her father was deployed in Iraq. through different jobs at Duke, she had no desire to return to school. “I’m the oldest child,” said Tuten, now 29. “I just kept moving to help “I got married, had kids, kept working and was fine,” she said. out the family.” Then one of her supervisors challenged her to broaden her horizons. In 2004, she joined Duke and soon after, her dream was back on “He saw I was interested in departmental finances and started including track. She transferred credits from Winston-Salem State University to me in budget discussions, business manager meetings and other projects,” North Carolina Central University, applied for tuition assistance from Wright said. “But I realized that even with 20 years of experience, I Duke and returned to the classroom. couldn’t get a business manager position unless I got a bachelor’s degree.” “As soon as my supervisor told me that Duke would help pay for In 2006, Wright began taking one business class each college, I knew I just had to take advantage of this semester at Alamance Community College but grew benefit,” said Tuten, a recruiter and background frustrated with the slow progress. “I didn’t want to spend investigator for the Duke University Police It is a valuable 10 years finishing a degree,” she said. Department. investment in A friend told her about accelerated programs at Tuten is in good company. The number of Mount Olive College in Research Triangle Park. She employees participating in Duke’s Employee Tuition our workforce. People applied and is now midway through an 18-month Assistance Program has increased from 320 in 2006 who are motivated to bachelor’s degree in business administration, where each to 713 in 2009. Last year, Duke reimbursed learn are the type of class lasts five weeks. employees nearly $1.4 million in tuition for careerThe challenge is balancing work, home and school. related courses at accredited North Carolina schools. people we want at Duke.” On a recent Tuesday, Wright flexed her hours and left Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for Human — Kyle Cavanaugh Duke at 4:30 p.m. to beat the traffic to RTP. She stopped Resources at Duke, said the benefit provides Vice President, for a hamburger and Diet Coke before joining 15 classmates individuals with opportunities to improve skills Duke Human Resources for a review of a take-home test on power in the workplace for current and future jobs and helps Duke retain for their Organizational Behavior class. employees. “It is a valuable investment in our As class began at 6 p.m., she settled in at a long table workforce,” he said. “People who are motivated in the front, took notes and participated in a class discussion on corporate to learn are the type of people we want at Duke.” cultures. When class ended four hours later, Wright tossed her textbook The tuition assistance benefit is available to staff and faculty and PowerPoint handouts in her car and settled in for the 45-mile drive who work at least 30 hours each week and have two or more years of home to Cedar Grove. continuous service. Each year, employees can receive up to $5,250 for up “It’s exhausting, but I like the accelerated format,” she said. “I figure to nine courses approved as part of their professional development plan. I can do anything for a short time.” In return, employees commit to remaining at Duke for two years after receiving reimbursement.

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Photo: Seven Duke Police employees have used the tuition assistance benefit in the past year. Top row: Security Officer Justin Clayton; Middle row (left to right): Lieutenant Greg Stotsenberg, Officer Darren Young, Lieutenant Shannan Tiffin; Bottom row (left to right) Captain Sara-Jane Raines, Recruiter and Background Investigator Charity Tuten, Police Officer & Recruiter Tracy Lane.

2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing 2009, 2007 Bronze Medal, Print Internal Audience Tabloids/Newsletters

>> See LEARNING ON THE JOB, PAGE 6

This paper consists of 30% recycled post-consumer fiber. Please recycle after reading.

Editor’s Note LEANORA MINAI Leanora.Minai@duke.edu

Newsbriefs Protect yourself, your family

t’s that time of year. From Oct. 8 through Nov. 6, Duke faculty and staff have the opportunity to enroll in or make changes to their health plans. By now, you may know that health care premiums will rise in 2011 – but at less than half of the national average for premium increases. Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for Duke Human Resources, has said that premium increases would have been closer to the national average, if special efforts were not made by Duke this year to rein in costs of prescription drugs by creating incentives to use less costly generic medications and mail-order for maintenance medications. "If we had not made those changes, we'd be looking at premium increases of 10 to 15 percent," he said. Even though premium costs will change, you can save on health care by enrolling in Duke’s health care reimbursement account. The account, administered through WageWorks, allows you to deduct money from each paycheck - before state and federal taxes are deducted - and deposit it in the account. An average employee can save $20 to $40 on taxes for every $100 deposited in the reimbursement account. Using a special bank card, you can then use that money for eligible expenses like co-payments and medical, dental and vision care. "It's like having a good chunk of change set aside to pay down those co-pays and dental expenses whenever and wherever they arise," said Taylor Hemphill, a Duke employee. Learn more about Open Enrollment on Page 3.

Duke faculty and staff can purchase supplemental life insurance for themselves and their families at newly negotiated rates that reduce the cost by 20 percent. During a special enrollment from Oct. 25 to Nov. 19, employees can enroll or increase coverage without filling out lengthy medical questionnaires. Employees already enrolled will automatically get the new rates. According to Sylvester Hackney, associate director of benefits for Duke, more than 60 percent of university and health system employees take advantage of supplemental life insurance. “It is a valuable benefit, especially for younger and mid-career employees who have increasing family obligations,” he said. Special enrollment materials will be sent to homes of faculty and staff in October. More information is online at hr.duke.edu/benefits/finance.

If you’re missing the conversation on Facebook, we’ll post a few snippets here each month – but please join and jump in at facebook.com/workingatduke.

Free flu shots and more at the Duke Health Fair Duke faculty and staff can get free flu shots, blood pressure checks and vision, cholesterol, blood sugar and bone density screenings at a Duke Health Fair in October. LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program, is sponsoring the fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 14 at Durham Regional Hospital; at the Searle Center Oct. 20 and Duke Raleigh Hospital on Oct. 26. During the fairs, employees can also speak with representatives about health benefits Open Enrollment. (The vision screenings are offered only at Searle Center). “The Health Fair is really a one-stop shop to help keep employees healthy and encourage them to make positive lifestyle changes they may have been putting off,” said Libby Gulley, LIVE FOR LIFE nurse manager. Also, if you can’t make a health fair, Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) offers flu shots at no charge with a valid DukeCard. This year’s vaccine protects against three strains of flu, including the 2009 H1N1 virus. For details, visit duke.edu/flu.

Step into autumn with the Duke Pumpkin Run The Duke Pumpkin Run, complete with a Baby and Toddler Costume Dash, is Oct. 23 on Al Buehler Trail. The 2.9-mile run/walk begins at 9 a.m., followed by the baby and toddler dash at 10 a.m. Entertainment includes face painting, a roving magician and more. The run is free, but a voluntary $2 donation per runner benefits Duke’s Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) program. Register at hr.duke.edu/pumpkinrun.

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Computer crook could be a click away Malicious code distributed hen it comes to computer through social networking sites infections, no one is immune. Learn IT@Lunch successfully infects about 10 percent John Board, Duke’s Learn about IT security in the cloud at a seminar Oct. 20. The session of users, making it 10 times more associate CIO, learned the hard way is noon to 1 p.m. in the RENCI conference room in the OIT potent than malware distributed by after his 8-year-old son clicked a Telecommunications Building. For details, visit oit.duke.edu/training. e-mail, according to a 2009 report by popup window, warning that one of Kaspersky Lab, a security software the family’s computers had been Social Networking Security Tips firm. infected with a virus. u Set appropriate privacy and security defaults and choose a Universities make especially “He thought he was doing the complex/unique password. appealing targets. Unlike corporations, right thing, because it looked similar u Be careful installing third-party which often restrict access to social to real alerts from anti-malware applications. networks, put up firewalls and applications,” Board said. “Hackers u Only accept friend requests from implement strict policies to protect are sufficiently slick now that they people you know directly. assets, the academic environment is can trick even savvy people into u Read the privacy policy and terms of more open. clicking on one button. Now that service. Limit personal information you At Duke, “there are no rules machine is toast.” share. against accessing social media or Fortunately, the family’s home u Consider all information and pictures Google Apps from your work network was segmented, so the you post as public. computer,” Franke said. “But you infection was limited to one machine run the risk that you’re exposing – not the computer Board uses for Source: SocialMediaSecurity.com your computer and work data to Duke business. unknown people.” In today’s hyper-connected Duke is continually expanding its methods and tools to increase world, employees face increasingly sophisticated threats from all directions as cybercriminals seek new ways to get their hands on personal information and information security. But as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October, Duke IT analysts remind employees and students to Duke data. Analysts in Duke’s IT Security Office are seeing an increasing number of do their part, too. “Thinking before you click is like driving defensively,” Franke said. infected computers, in large part due to the increasing use of social networks. “We all have to be vigilant.” “With Facebook and LinkedIn, people are using the Internet in ways — By Cara Bonnett they didn’t before, but they’re also exposed in new ways,” said IT analyst Managing editor, News & Information Rachel Franke. “People are using more devices and more applications. Our Office of Information Technology multitasking has scaled up, and the malware is getting better.”

2 Visit security.duke.edu in October to take a digital security quiz.

Open enrollment for health benefits begins Oct. 8 Premium increases less than half the national average magine having a health issue where expenses totaled $1 million. Several cases among those covered by Duke’s health care plans have reached or exceeded that figure. “In those cases, the vast majority of the cost was paid by Duke,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for Human Resources. “That speaks to the value of our health plans.” In 2011, the cost of health insurance for faculty, staff and their families remains affordable with monthly premiums going up between $2 to $5 per month for individual coverage and $12 to $23 per month for family coverage. Faculty and staff can review, enroll or change their coverage for health, dental, vision and reimbursement benefits during the annual open enrollment period, which begins Oct. 8 and runs through Nov. 6. Cavanaugh said that because of modifications to the health plan last year, Duke was able to keep its premium increases well below other employers and peer institutions. “Our premium increases will only be about a third of what most people are experiencing,” he said. “Much of our ability to contain rising costs is the result of incentives we put in place last year for purchasing

maintenance drugs through the mail or at the Duke Pharmacy and encouraging use of generic drugs. We expect those two efforts to save about $5 million this year.” Debbie Morse, a Duke employee for nearly 25 years, said she has always appreciated the value of the health plans for her, her husband and four children. “The cost is pretty minimal compared to what some face without good health care,” said Morse, a family nurse practitioner at the Duke Eye Center. “It gives you a sense of security and peace of mind. It’s a big reason why I’ve stayed here at Duke over the years.” While there are several increases in co-payments next year, there are several notable areas where there will be no changes, including co-pays for prescription drugs, urgent care, specialist care and hospitalization. Among changes next year, Duke will – for the first time in seven years – increase the co-pay for a primary care visit by $5. However, the mental health co-pay will be reduced substantially. These changes address the federal Mental Health Parity Act, which stipulates that the co-pays for mental health be consistent with the plan’s most prevalent co-pay.

In another cost control strategy, the physician network for Duke Select and Duke Basic will be modified. The network will include about 100 fewer non-Duke physicians. Patients currently under treatment with a physician not in the network will be able to request to continue care for a short period with that physician. “Over the years, Duke physicians have expanded their services and locations,” Cavanaugh said. “The network will still include all current primary care physicians and a few community-based providers in specific areas to ensure we have comprehensive coverage in the main areas where our faculty and staff work and live.” Other changes are related to national health care reform and will include allowing children up to age 26 to enroll regardless of student or marital status and eliminating overthe-counter medications as an eligible expense for Health Care Reimbursement Accounts unless prescribed by a physician. Details about 2011 changes, including coverage and costs, are included in a guide being mailed home to eligible faculty and staff.

2011 Health Plan Highlights 䡲 No changes in co-pays for prescription drugs, urgent care, specialist care or hospitalization 䡲 Co-pay for primary care increased by $5 䡲 Modified physician network for Duke Select/ Duke Basic includes all Duke physicians and select community physicians. 䡲 Mental health co-pay reduced from $35 to $20 for Duke Select, Blue Care and Duke Options; to $25 for Duke Basic. 䡲 Speech, physical and occupational therapy co-pay increased $5 for Duke Select

䡲 Monthly premiums for Dental plans range from 63 cents to $6.09, depending on plan and coverage chosen. Participants enrolling in dental coverage who are not covered in 2010 will be considered "late entrants" and will have limited coverage during 2011. 䡲 Monthly premium increase for vision plan of $0.62 for individuals, $1.91 for families 䡲 Vision exam co-pay increases to $30; Co-pay for glasses and contacts remains the same at $15.

2011 Monthly Health Care Premiums Individual

Open Enrollment Tips 䡲 Review “My Health.

My Life.” information packets being mailed home 䡲 Enroll and make changes to medical, dental and vision coverage – and enroll and renew dependent care and health care reimbursement accounts – beginning Oct. 8 䡲 Enroll and make adjustments at Duke@Work – www.hr.duke.edu/ selfservice - or call the Duke Enrollment Service Center at (919) 684-5600 to speak with a customer service representative. Open Enrollment representatives are available at (919) 684-5600 during the following times and days: • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays Oct. 8 Oct. 29 • 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays Nov. 1 Nov. 5

Family

2010

2011

2010

2011

Duke Basic

$23

$25

$225

$237

Duke Select

$60

$63

$355

$373

Blue Care

$99

$104

$444

$467

Duke Options

$95

$100

$438

$460

• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6

3 For open enrollment information, visit hr.duke.edu/enrollment2011

New Life for Old Smith Warehouse renovations bring people together, into the 21st century

After purchasing the Smith Warehouse in 2001, Duke recently completed an $18 million renovation project to the historic building that now houses 17 departments and offices.

he list of downtime activities reads like a day at camp The American Tobacco Company was dissolved in – yoga class, bridge club, arts and crafts. But it’s not 1911, and in 2001, Duke purchased the property from camp; this is how faculty and staff with offices in the Liggett & Myers. Liggett & Myers leased the space until Smith Warehouse spend time together during lunch and 2003 when Facilities became the first Duke department to after work. move into three of the 12 bays. Since then, Facilities has Dee Holland, director of managed the transformation of the professional certificate programs with warehouse as part of an $18 million Continuing Studies, was enthused to renovation plan approved by the hear about the programs when she Board of Trustees in May 2007. To have many moved to Smith Warehouse in July. The renovation project is being different offices and nominated She put her name on a waiting list for for a Durham Golden Leaf departments in one central the yoga class. Award for sustainable properties and “Because of all the open space, location is a microcosm of the will be nominated for the there’s just such a good energy, which internationally-recognized Leadership Duke community – people makes people want to be social and in Energy & Environmental Design with all kinds of skills and create a great place to work,” said (LEED) certification. Holland, who moved from the Erwin The work at Smith Warehouse backgrounds who get to Mill building, less than a mile away. involved gutting the space, building interact with each other to This fall, Duke Facilities new restrooms, staircases and elevators completed a renovation project nearly and installing more than 200 new make a wonderful and 10 years in the making to transform windows. The original floor boards unique workplace.” the century-old brick tobacco were saved to use as railings and steps — Jim Roberts warehouse into a sustainable and throughout newly renovated spaces. Executive Vice Provost, social workspace for academic The 8-feet tall, 300-pound, original Finance and Administration offerings. Covering 200,000-square warehouse shutters now hang as feet, Smith Warehouse houses 17 decorative directories in public Duke departments and offices with entrances of several bays. about 600 employees. Through cool blue to warm red Duke also enhanced the space by transforming schemes and high ceilings, recycled building materials and Maxwell Avenue, a one-fifth-mile stretch along the south new additions like a 300-square feet kitchen, the warehouse side of the warehouse. The dirt area has become a large, and surrounding land has been turned into an office park paved lot with 376 parking spaces, tree coverage and picnic unique to Duke and Durham. area with five tables made from recycled plastics. The picnic “We took a building that was not meant for human space also features a floor of stone slabs from a Facilities’ beings – it was built solely to house tobacco – and turned it surplus yard. into something wonderful,” said Paul Manning, director of Holland, the director of professional certificate Facilities’ project management office. “We’ve taken a 100programs, said she plans to eat lunch at the picnic area year-old building and brought it into the 21st century.” instead of her desk in nice weather. “We know our students Smith Warehouse was built in 1906 by James B. Duke for that take day-long courses will enjoy this area also to get the American Tobacco Company and is part of the National out of the building,” she added. Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. Named after As part of the renovation, Duke also created a bioRobert A.C. Smith, an American Tobacco Company director retention pond near the corner of Maxwell Avenue and in the early 1900s, the building was constructed to house and Campus Drive, where storm water collects and gets cleaned dry as much as 36 million pounds of tobacco a year. before entering the local river basins.

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d Building STEAM PLANT WINS AWARDS

Adem Gusa, assistant director of planning and design for Facilities, inspects a shutter now used for decoration.

Since reopening in January, the East Campus steam plant features 15 state-of- the-art gas boilers. The plant has helped Duke cut its coal consumption by 70 percent, while using natural gas to provide 35 percent more steam to heat academic and medical buildings, sterilize surgical equipment and maintain proper humidity for art and lab research. The plant includes a lobby area that features, for historical purposes, a 27-feet tall boiler from when the plant originally opened in the late 1920s. Duke Facilities recently received the Tower Award for Historic Preservation, the Brick Design Award and the Merit Award for design excellence from the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its work on the East Campus steam plant.

The bays of Smith Warehouse are individually color-coded.

p Five tables made of recycled plastics sit on the south side of the building.

The Career Services office has a space that includes seating for visitors and 18 interview rooms.

A local artist painted murals on the side of Smith Warehouse that replicate original art from the early 1900s.

“Storm water and proper treatment of storm water is a big issue in Durham and North Carolina, we wanted to make sure that we were doing our part to help,” said Manning, the director of Facilities’ project management. A primary driver of the renovation has been enhancing academic offerings of departments at Smith Warehouse. Anne Lyford, assistant director for the Career Center’s external relations, moved from the Flowers Building to Smith Warehouse last December. The new space is bigger and expanded the center’s capabilities by increasing the interview rooms from six to 18. Two teleconference rooms also were installed. “These changes are going to enhance the way students engage with career counselors and connect with employers in a way we never accomplished before,” Lyford said. “Employers who come here are often traveling from all over the country, and to be able to provide them with this kind of space and even a lounge and kitchen is a big deal as part of our customer service.”

Jim Roberts, executive vice provost for finance and administration, said renovating Smith Warehouse has allowed Duke to upgrade services and create better-used space. For example, when Duke Library Technical Services moved to the warehouse in 2008, it allowed for The Link, a teaching and study center, to be created on the ground floor of Perkins Library. “We have so many dynamic programs, it’s important to always look at ways to best use all the space we have to enhance not just our departments, but the Duke community as well,” Roberts said. “To have many different offices and departments in one central location is a microcosm of the Duke community – people with all kinds of skills and backgrounds who get to interact with each other to make a wonderful and unique workplace.” — By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Communication Services

The open space of Smith Warehouse allows for social groups, like a weekly yoga class.

LEARNING ON THE JOB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

2007, it expanded to cover tuition at any institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that has a physical presence in North Carolina. “There are so many great educational institutions in our area, from community colleges to graduate schools, each with its own focus,” said Sylvester Hackney, associate director of Duke Benefits. “The expanded tuition program makes a huge range of courses and schedules affordable for our employees.”

Collegial Support

Lisa Wright, a financial analyst in the School of Medicine, is midway through an 18-month bachelor’s degree in business administration at Mount Olive College in Research Triangle Park.

Employee Tuition Assistance Program 2009 By the Numbers $1.4 million Tuition costs paid by Duke

Most evenings, Wright retreats to her quiet bedroom for a few hours of studying. “I couldn’t have done this when my two girls were young,” she said. “Now they are independent, and I have more time.” When Wright graduates in December 2011, Duke’s assistance will have covered more than half of her $16,000 degree. She said the program has given her new skills and insights on everything from writing correspondence to managing people. “This is not just an investment in Lisa,” said Kathy Tobin, Wright’s supervisor in the Division of Cellular Therapy at Duke. “This is also an investment in our program.”

The popularity of tuition assistance is evident in the Duke Police Department, where Tuten, the recruiter and background investigator, is one of seven employees who had used the program in the past year. While she received her bachelor’s degree last December, Tuten isn’t ready to celebrate by hanging the diploma on her office wall. “I’m never one to be satisfied with where I am,” she said. “Now I’m looking closely at Duke’s Pathology Assistant program because I’m ready to push myself to the next level.” She’s also become an evangelist for returning to school. She encouraged Officer Tracy Lane to use Duke’s financial assistance to finish the final courses for a bachelor’s degree and supported her supervisor, Captain Sara-Jane Raines, in pursuing an advanced degree in public safety leadership. “She played the devil’s advocate with me,” Raines said. “I’d say I didn’t have enough time or money, and she’d say, ‘if you really want it, you should make it a priority.’ ” — By Marsha A. Green Senior Writer, Office of Communication Services

Learning at Duke

$53,253 Average salary of participants 713 Staff and faculty enrolled 77% Female participants 50% Bi-weekly paid employees 39.07 Average age of participants

David Eck left a stressful career in TV production in 2005 and moved to Durham to be closer to family. Shortly after, he began work as a staff specialist at the Nasher Museum of Art, where he helps manage student workers. Last year, he read an article in Working@Duke about Duke’s employee tuition Student Solveig Viste, left, and David Eck, right, staff specialist at the Nasher Museum of Art, attend class. Eck is using the employee tuition benefit to pursue a graduate degree in Duke’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program. assistance program. He also had a conversation with a colleague who was graduating from Duke’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program. Eck, who has a bachelor’s degree in communications, realized a master’s degree might help him develop his career ! Discuss professional development with your at Duke. He noticed that many jobs he might aspire to, supervisor to determine courses related to your including program coordinator, required more experience current job or continued career growth at Duke. or an advanced degree. ! Download the Employee Tuition Assistance “With my mid-life career switch, I don’t have the years Program application at hr.duke.edu/forms. of experience, but I figured I could get the advanced ! Complete and return the application by mail or degree,” he said. “The evening classes for MALS and the fax before the first day of each class to request tuition benefit made it easier and more affordable.” reimbursement. Eck began the MALS program in the spring, focusing ! If approved, Duke Benefits will send an e-mail on history, and has combined museum work with academic with your eligibility confirmation and courses. For his “Age of Empire” history class, he reimbursement request form. investigated how British museums interpreted the abolishment of the slave trade in 1807 through what they ! Within 60 days of completing each class, send to included in exhibitions celebrating the bicentennial of the Duke Benefits a copy of the e-mail confirmation, event. “It was very satisfying to be engaged in academic proof of a “C” or better in coursework and a research about museums,” Eck said. reimbursement request form completed by the Eck is among 127 students currently using the tuition school attended. assistance program to pay for classes at Duke. A few years ! Get more details at hr.duke.edu/tuition. ago, the tuition benefit was only eligible at Duke, but in

Tips for Tuition Reimbursement

38 Institutions 8.02 Average service years of participants

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Going green, one paint stroke at a time Brian Williams, a painter with Facilities Management, inspects newly refinished shelving. Along with co-worker Todd Allen, Williams has worked to transform Duke's Paint Shop with more sustainable paints and practices.

Duke’s Paint Shop becomes more sustainable ost household paints can have thousands of chemicals and hundreds of toxins, but at Duke, two painters in Facilities Management are working to transform the paint inventory to safer and sustainable options. Four years ago, Todd Allen and Brian Williams decided to update the Paint Shop’s inventory by using new kinds of low or non-toxic paint and disposing of materials past shelf life. The shop has become an example of a new way to work more safely and sustainably. And their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. This year, Allen and Williams received the Environmental Impact Award from Duke’s Environmental Management Action Committee, which is comprised of students, faculty and staff. Each year, the award goes to a Duke employee or group making pioneering contributions to Duke’s sustainability efforts. “Todd and Brian turned their shop around and not only are leaders in environmentalism, but are leaders in their field because they’ve taken the time to be at the forefront of sustainable changes,” said Arwen Buchholz, chair of the committee and program coordinator for Recycling and Waste Reduction. In the past four years, Allen and Williams worked with Duke’s Occupational and Environmental Safety Office (OESO) to dispose of more than 1,100 gallons of oil-based and latex paint and 330 gallons of thinners through disposal processes like incineration. Overall, they reduced the paint inventory by half and replaced old paint with new-age, low- or no-toxin paint. They also perform annual inventory checks to get rid of materials that could grow more hazardous with age. “Todd and Brian have made a great effort to clean house and get us all the stuff they know they don’t want or won’t need again,” said Kathleen Ingram, a safety and health specialist with OESO. Allen and Williams, who have worked at Duke since 2007 and 2006, respectively, only use paint with low or no volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are

By the Numbers

Paint and materials disposed of by the Paint Shop since November 2006

640 gallons Oil-based paint carbon-containing compounds that enter the air and can cause common reactions people get from paint, like breathing problems, nausea or headache. Per liter, all paint used by Facilities has zero or 50 grams of VOCs. Common household paint can have up to eight times that level. The Paint Shop is also using eco-friendly methods to clean tools. Instead of washing paint brushes in a sink, Allen and Williams use a special pump that uses water and environmentally-safe powders to turn paint into a sludge-like substance. Instead of going down the drain, the sludge is placed in a 55-gallon drum that gets incinerated. The shop also has a machine that cleans spray guns with chemicals, but has a pump and top that don’t release hazardous materials into the air. “We’re definitely more environmentally-conscious people now because of all the work we’ve put into this,” said Allen, the painter with Facilities. “To excel at your job, you should try to keep tabs on your industry and conform to the latest standards. For us, that means trying to become more environmentally-friendly.”

462 gallons Latex paint

330 gallons Thinners

200+ gallons Various hazardous chemicals from Facilities departments

— By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Communication Services

7 Visit duke.edu/sustainability

WORKING@ DUKE

HOW TO REACH US Editor: Leanora Minai

dialogue@Duke

(919) 681-4533

“How do you keep your computer safe at work or at home?”

leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534

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One of the first things we do in our office is install McAfee anti-virus software on new computers at Duke. It’s important to make sure to do a virus scan on your computer at least once a week. I have mine scanned twice a week, actually. If you have a wireless router, it’s important to have a password so people can’t access your network.”

paul.grantham@duke.edu Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado

Karen Campbell Information technology support analyst, Fuqua Technical Support Center 2 years at Duke

Photography: Bryan Roth and Marsha Green of the Office of Communication Services and Duke University Photography.

Working@Duke is published monthly by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and suggestions for future story topics.

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For one, I don’t install a lot of programs on my computer and when pop-ups come up, I never click on them. I also avoid certain types of downloads. If you’re downloading music from websites, that’s where you can get viruses.”

David Clark Transit operator, Transportation 9 years at Duke

Please write us at

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Working@Duke, Box 90496, 705 Broad St., Durham, NC 27708 Call us at (919) 684-4345. Send faxes to (919) 681-7926.

Got a story idea?

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I have a Mac at home so that avoids most viruses. I also avoid clicking on pop-up windows or weird Facebook links that don’t look safe.”

or Call

681-4533

Kate Collins Library assistant, Access and Delivery Services 11 months at Duke

— By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Communication Services

October at the Gothic Oct. 28, 7 p.m. International Mystery Book Club discusses “The Skull Mantra” by Eliot Pattison. This is a mystery based in Tibet. Purchase the book from The Gothic Bookshop during October and receive a 30 percent discount.

Join the Facebook fan page for Working@Duke at facebook.com/workingatduke

Daily discounts at Duke’s Gothic Bookshop K

urt Cumiskey seldom leaves the Gothic Bookshop empty handed. “I often go in with one book in mind and come out with that and something else as well,” said Cumiskey, a development associate for Perkins Library. “It is all good stuff. There is no fluff, and the staff give great advice on what to read.” Cumiskey enjoys the ongoing shop discounts: 10 percent off paperbacks, 20 percent off hardbacks and 30 percent off the “staff picks” table at the front of the store. The Gothic, located in the Bryan Center on West Campus, has been an independent bookstore at Duke since 1956. The three full-time staff members – all book lovers – thrive on the challenge of ensuring that somewhere among roughly 32,000 books, there is something for everyone. “We order new books every day, so we can be very nimble in

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responding to our customers,” said Bill Verner, bookshop assistant at the Gothic. “If we know someone is interested in 18th century naval warfare, we’ll make sure there’s a book about it on the shelf.” That personal touch, and a love of reading, brings Willie Jennings to the bookstore at least twice a month. A professor of theology in the Divinity School, he browses staff Willie Jennings, professor of theology in the Divinity School, browses the shelves at Duke’s Gothic Bookshop. picks, religion, African-American history, psychology and sociology Armchair sleuths, led by World and and fiction. Despite packed book shelves in his graduate student Cynthia Greenleehome and office, Jennings always finds Donnell, gather on the last Thursday of the month from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to more to intrigue him. “I’ve grown immensely by having the Gothic here,” unravel a mystery from a new country. Cumiskey, the Perkins Library he said. “It reminds me why I am a development associate, said a scholar and why I am at Duke.” The back of the bookstore – a step combination of good reads, interesting away from the door into Joe Van Gogh events and helpful staff makes Gothic a draw. ”It is one of those things that coffee shop – has a collection of makes the experience of working on comfortable chairs. Here, Duke community members read, study or, as campus so nice,” he said. is the case with Gothic manager Kathy — By Marsha A. Green World, host a weekly noon-time dropSenior Writer, Office of in knitting club. The International Communication Services Mystery Book Club also meets here.

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