WORKING@DUKE
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CELEBRATE THE STORY
Acclaimed writers coming to Duke for 2006 NC Festival of the Book.
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N EWS YO U CA N U S E
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TALKING WITH KEMEL DAWKINS
An interview with the vice president for Campus Services.
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Vo l u m e 1 , I s s u e 2
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t’s not just a rivalry. It’s The Rivalry. And when the Duke and Carolina men’s basketball teams met March 4 in Cameron Indoor Stadium before a sell-out crowd of 9,314 fans, it wasn’t just the players who had to be prepared. From the manager of concessions, to the volunteers who distributed statistics throughout the game, to the housekeeper who returned to clean Cameron at 3 a.m., scores of people work behind the scenes before and after each match up at Cameron. They may not be Cameron Crazies, but without them, games at Duke would not be the same. “We’ve got so many dedicated people who help make Duke Basketball special,” said Jon Jackson, Assistant Director of Athletics/ Communication and Media Relations. “Many of them aren’t players or coaches and many don’t ever receive recognition. They do it because they’re passionate about Duke and want to be part of our program. They are, and we appreciate them.”
FISCAL FITNESS Financial Fitness Week workshops set for May.
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April 2006
Pop. Pop. Pop-pop. Blevins tossed a popcorn bloom in his mouth. “I could live off the stuff,” he said. Duke basketball fans sure do. For the Duke-Carolina matchup on March 4, Blevins popped 110 pounds of kernels – enough for about 800 personal tubs. As manager of Blue Devil Concessions, Blevins is the game fare guru who sees to it that fans who pack Cameron – and other Duke athletic venues – have plenty of popcorn, water, soda, pizza, nachos, ice cream, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, barbecue and more. “We’re putting on a show just like the team’s putting on a show,” said Blevins, who is 56. He joined Duke in 1993 from Macon, Ga., where he managed a Red Lobster. His first assignment at Duke was helping run a Burger King in the Behind the Scenes ~ continued on page 4
S S S S S S S S
It was 8 a.m. on the day before the Duke-Carolina game, and Ken Blevins was already fast at work inside a garage near Cameron Indoor Stadium, preparing for the biggest college basketball rivalry of the season. Oil sizzled as Blevins poured corn kernels into pans. The kernels hissed. Steam rose from the stainless steel machine.
Ken Blevins, right, manager for Blue Devil Concessions, prepared the popcorn for the Duke-Carolina game with Roy Shambley, assistant concessions manager.
This paper consists of 30% recycled post-consumer fiber.
LOOKING
AHEAD @ DUKE
Newsbriefs Create art from “scrap” at AprilARTSFest
Duke to survey staff who leave
Faculty and staff and their families can
efforts to assess and improve the work environment. A link to the short
create art April 8 when The Scrap
online survey will be sent by email to all staff members who voluntarily
Exchange of Durham trucks all sorts of
resign from Duke. For those who do not have an email account at Duke,
APRIL 13 :: Author Ann Beattie
materials - foam, zippers, paper, fabric,
a copy of the survey will be sent to the individual’s supervisor or depart-
reads and answers questions, 8 p.m., the Rare Book Room of Perkins Library.
nylon, buttons and more – to Quad P on West Campus. From 1 p.m. to
ment Human Resources representative for coordination with the departing
4 p.m., participants can pick out surplus industrial materials and con-
staff member. Participation in the survey is anonymous. Individual
vert them into a piece of artwork to take home. “It’s a fun activity for
responses will only be used in summary with other results to help identify
parents and children to do together,” said Sheila Kerrigan, a coordina-
trends that can be used to evaluate and improve Duke’s work culture.
Duke has implemented a new exit survey process as part of ongoing
MAY 14 :: Commencement,
tor for Duke Performances & the Office of Community Affairs. The
10 a.m., Wallace Wade Stadium.
event is free and part of AprilARTSFest, a five-day festival highlighting
Diversity Newslinks tops 1,000 subscribers
arts activity at Duke.
Diversity Newslinks, a monthly email service that provides timely
MAY 20-25 :: Duke
information related to diversity concerns in health care and higher
Appreciation Week 2006.
Got something to buy or sell? Visit the Trading Post
education, reached more than 1,000 subscribers in February. The
MAY 23 :: North Carolina
Did you know you can buy or sell everything from cars and clothes to
Office for Institutional Equity developed the listserv in 2000 to cover
Peace Officers Memorial, 11 a.m., Duke Chapel. The service honors law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.
houses and child care services on the Trading Post, Duke University’s
a broad range of topics, provide a balance of theory and practical
online classified ad service? Ads may be posted only by anyone with
advice, and receive feedback and suggestions from people in
a Duke NetID. To place an ad on Trading Post or to search for an item
the Duke community. To sign up for Diversity Newslinks, go to
to purchase, go to <http://tradingpost.dukenews.duke.edu/>. Ads run
<www.duke.edu/web/equity/diversityNewslinks.htm> or
for two weeks, but faculty and staff can resubmit ads any number of
call (919) 681-6435 for information.
times. For more information, call (919) 681-4514.
Duke partners with community to improve care Get money to help the environment
For more events, check the university’s online calendar at http://calendar.duke.edu
The Duke University Health System recently published the spring 2006
Do you have an idea to “green” the university?
issue of Partners in Care, an annual report to the community published
Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are encour-
in local newspapers and distributed throughout the Durham community
aged to apply to the Green Grant Fund for financial
and Duke. The report, which is published in English and in Spanish, pro-
support for projects or activities that aim to reduce Duke’s environmental
vides information on how to access free or low-cost health care programs
impact. Executive Vice President Tallman Trask has committed $50,000
such as neighborhood and school based health clinics; the “Just for Us”
to the Green Grant Fund. The money has been used to sponsor confer-
program which provides medical and health care services to homebound
ences, conduct research, provide training, and seed new programs.
senior citizens and adults with disabilities; and the Local Access To
Applicants must show that the use of the funds will result in a reduction
Coordinated Healthcare (LATCH) program which sends care teams
of Duke’s environmental impact. The applications, which are accepted
directly into patients’ homes to provide health information and
on a rolling basis, are available through the Sustainability@Duke
support. The report is available on the health system Web site at
Web site at <http://www.duke.edu/sustainability/news>.
<http://www.dukehealth.org> or call (919) 419-5054 for more information.
Pat Conroy among acclaimed writers coming to Duke for NC Festival of the Book
Festival Features:
he question of whether football or NASCAR is the more quintessential southern sport will be answered when writers Tony Earley (Jim the Boy) and Alice Randall (The Wind Done Gone) meet in conversation during the 2006 NC Festival of the Book. The festival, which will take place on Duke’s West Campus and at several locations in Durham from April 24 to 30, is free and open to the public. About 10,000 people are expected to attend the event. Most of the festival programs will pair writers around a theme or common interest, departing from the more common literary festival format of authors reading from their recently published books. “The theme of the festival is ‘It’s About the Story,’” said Festival director Aaron Greenwald. “But in many cases, it’s really the stories behind the stories - the relationships between writers and how they inspire and learn from one another.” Among the 80 writers are Barbara Kingsolver, Tom Wolfe, Pat Conroy, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Kaye Gibbons.
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Barbara Kingsolver Tom Wolfe Pat Conroy Mary Chapin Carpenter Kaye Gibbons Ann Patchett C.K. Williams Anne Rivers Siddons Pearl Cleage Roy Blount Jr.
Photo by David G. Spielman
and more…
Pat Conroy
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The North Carolina Festival of the Book was established in 1998 and occurs every two years. It is sponsored by the libraries at Duke, North Carolina Central University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. Cynthia Brodhead is the honorary chairman of the 2006 NC Festival of the Book, and this is Duke’s first time presenting the festival. “The festival is an extraordinary opportunity for Duke to invite Durham and the larger Triangle community on to campus for a free, world class celebration of writers and readers,” Greenwald said. Kingsolver, a novelist, essayist and poet who wrote The Poisonwood Bible, is the festival’s keynote speaker. In her talk on April 27 in the Duke Chapel, Kingsolver will discuss writing for social change and establishing the Bellwether Prize, a groundbreaking award that recognizes literature of social change. Young readers will find several festival events planned especially for them. The NBA and WNBA are bringing their “Read to Achieve”
program and several NBA and WNBA stars, formerly Duke and North Carolina players, to the Bryan Center on April 29. Also that day, storytellers will be at the Duke Gardens and Nasher Museum in conjunction with a “Community Open House” co-hosted by the gardens and museum. Other festival programs include Allan Gurganus (The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All) and his former student, Ann Patchett (Bel Canto), discussing what you can and cannot teach a young writer. On April 30, author Kaye Gibbons and singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter will explore the creative process in a conversation moderated by Doug Marlette. (This program is not a concert). —By Ilene Nelson Director of Communications, Duke University Libraries
WANT MORE INFORMATION? Visit www.ncbook.org for a complete list of writers and events, as well as parking information.
Q&A
EXECUTIVE
KEMEL W. DAWKINS : : Vice President for Campus Services
What activities and services comprise Campus Services?
We have 1,700 employees who provide a variety of key services to the university and health system 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s everything from roads to food. It’s everything from managing special events, concerts, and dinners to providing heat and light and security. It covers everything from where you park to where you stay, including the Washington Duke Inn. We also share responsibility for a number of unique facilities such as the Sarah P. Duke Gardens and the Duke Forest.
Where would you like to see Duke in terms of support services in five or 10 years?
I would like to improve our performance such that Campus Services, as a division, is nationally recognized as the best provider of its collection of services at any university in the country. There are individual departments within Campus Services, such as Duke Stores, that are already recognized nationally. The Duke dining program with the many different choices that it provides for students is very creative. The Facilities Management Department has been recognized for several programs that it operates. As we look ahead, one of the big projects on the horizon is the development of Central Campus. This year, a major goal is to develop a master plan for utilities and utility services at Duke. Therefore, we are currently examining the infrastructure needed to provide steam, chilled water and electricity over the next 10 to 20 years. We will examine the needs and put together funding and a plan that will allow us to maintain all of our facilities over time. Another goal is to develop a strategic plan for campus safety and security that includes enhanced use of technology. We will examine safety staffing and deployment as well as the manner in which we coordinate with the city of Durham to provide security on campus and on our borders. Finally, we are also working on a strategic plan for parking and hope to develop some demand management alternatives which would reduce the demand for on-campus parking and transportation.
What is a typical day for you?
The typical day involves a set of staff meetings, probably four or five, plus a number of meetings with departments or other university officials. Time is also spent trying to think strategically about a number of issues such as parking, security and dining, and the direction in which we are moving. I have a significant number of people who directly report to me, so meeting with staff alone consumes a considerable amount of time, and I also devote time to meeting with students and faculty.
You recently hired a new associate vice president (AVP) for Campus Safety and Security and another AVP for Facilities Management. You’re currently recruiting for an AVP for Auxiliary Services. What role do these positions play in helping you achieve your vision for Campus Services?
What Duke has had in the past is a relatively flat organizational structure. Therefore, senior administrators were involved in many day-to-day operational decisions, which
left less time to do the forward-thinking, strategic planning I think we need to raise the level of performance of our entire division. So it’s making sure that we have enough really good people so that we can manage what we are currently doing well, but also devote a significant amount of time to planning ahead and thinking ahead about where we would like to be in five or 10 years. What would surprise people most about Campus Services?
I don’t think people recognize how broad the services are and how even simple things are actually complex in their development. When we work on security, it’s a 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year proposition. We operate and maintain facilities that provide heat, electricity, and cooling. The university and medical center campuses comprise a small city with all of the demands for service and support that a city requires. Additionally, there are a variety of ways in which Campus Services contributes to the Durham community. Everything from food drives to excess equipment donations to financial support of community initiatives. Take the Facilities Management Department, for example. We have participated in the building of playgrounds at a number of schools in the Durham area. It’s wonderful work that helps people who live in our own community.
DAWKINS PROFILE Duties: Oversees construction, engineering, grounds, housekeeping, parking and transportation, real estate, dining, DukeCard, retail and book stores, event management, conference services, mail, police, security and utilities. Joined Duke: 2003. Past Experience: Associate vice president for facilities and acting vice president for finance and administration at Yale University; associate vice president for facilities at Stanford University; director of construction and project management at the University of Pennsylvania; and chief financial officer for Kem-Her Construction Inc. in Philadelphia. Education: Princeton University, A.B. Political Science; University Scholar. Hobbies: Tennis, travel. Seen In His office: Staples Easy Button. “I got it and took it to several of Dr. Tallman Trask’s meetings, and whenever we got to some particularly thorny problem, I would just pull it out of the bag.” Fun Fact: Star Trek fan.
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Behind the Scenes ~ continued from page 1
BY THE NUMBERS Duke-Carolina Men’s Basketball March 4 @ Cameron
9,314 :: Number of fans in attendance
110 pounds :: Weight
of raw corn kernels popped for game
2,500 :: Bottles of water ordered
10 :: Number of
concession stands
29 :: Pages in a single
“game notes” statistics packet
140 :: Traffic cones around Cameron
45 :: Staff to cleanup after the game
60 :: Trash bags for cleanup
3 a.m. :: Time cleanup crew started work
Bryan Center. For the last seven years, he has managed Blue Devil Concessions, a division of Duke Stores. He hires vendors, orders food, stocks inventory and ensures that on game day, Cameron’s ten concession stands have what they need to put on a good show. Imagine planning for a party with 9,000 guests. How does Blevins decide what and how much to order? How many Domino’s Pizzas®? How many Chick-fil-A® sandwiches? How many bottles of Dasani® water? He decides after considering the day and time of the game and carefully studying a computer database of food and beverages sold at past events. On the day of the Duke-Carolina game, one of 29 athletic events in March, Blevins had already worked two lacrosse games and a baseball game. And now, he was closing in on tip-off at Cameron. Clipboard in hand, Blevins lapped the concourse surrounding the court, visiting each concession stand. He made sure the wireless handheld devices that track inventory and accept credit card purchases were operating. He found one concession stand low on ice and flipped open his Nextel and ordered 15 more bags. “I want to get them now, so we can beat the crowd,” he said into his phone. Cameron’s concession stands are staffed by volunteers from community organizations, which receive a percentage of sales from their stands for charitable causes. St. Paul United Methodist Church has worked in Cameron for 30 years. “It’s given us the opportunity to do a lot of benevolent service for the city of Durham,” said Gene Atkinson, whose church has donated proceeds to the Durham Rescue Mission. Near St. Paul’s concession stand, Blevins looked on as the doors of Cameron swung open on the Hall of Honor. Blue Devil fans streamed inside and took their place in food lines. A woman stepped up to a counter. “I’ll take two popcorns.”
S<> > S<> S<> S<> S<> S< S
S
Tony Shipman unzipped his leather binder and pulled out a list of the Duke and Durham police officers working the game and their assignments. He paused, tilted his head and talked into a two-way microphone clipped to his shirt. “Go ahead,” said Shipman, a Duke Police lieutenant, who wore a tiny speaker that fit in his ear. He learned the bus carrying Carolina’s men’s basketball team was running late. It had just pulled away from Chapel Hill to make the eight-mile trek to Cameron and was stuck in
8 :: Miles between
Carolina and Duke campuses
Jean Brooks, right, a Duke Law School employee and volunteer for the Sports Information who helped distribute them to media.
traffic. As Shipman waited for the bus to arrive, a half dozen people stopped and shook his hand or shouted greetings. “Hey, Tony!” they yelled. “What’s up, Ship?” others asked as they passed. Shipman has worked hundreds of basketball games at Cameron during his 25 years with the Duke University Police Department. To some at Duke, he is more recognizable than some of the notables at the game – baseball star Cal Ripken, ESPN announcer Dick Vitale, former Duke basketball standout Jason Williams, and Democratic strategist James Carville. On the day of the game, Shipman started his beat at a Duke lacrosse game at 9:30 a.m. He called it a day well after midnight, once the last fans departed Cameron. In between, he put a few miles on his Rockport shoes, making sure officers were in position and the stadium was secure. Among his duties, he set up traffic cones and calmed irate students outside Cameron who could not get inside because the game was sold out. Over the years on the beat, he has experienced the hilarious, and the bizarre. “Three years ago, with about 28 seconds before the half of the Carolina game, we had a streaker come onto the floor from the student section,” said Shipman, who is 49. “All he had on were his tennis shoes and a smile.” This year, the Carolina bus finally arrived at 7:40 p.m. Shipman directed officers to clear a path for the players and coaches. They walked into Cameron as Duke fans chanted, “Go to hell, Carolina! Go to hell!” Tasked with protecting Carolina Coach Roy Williams, Shipman followed the coach inside the stadium. A die-hard Duke fan, Shipman also must escort the opponent on and off the court. “That’s my job,” he said. “People see my uniform. They know that I’m only working.” As Shipman escorted Coach Williams onto the floor before the game, they chatted about a common problem they both share after spending a lot of time on their feet – how to deal with back and hip pain. “We don’t talk about the game,” Shipman said. “I just wish him good luck.”
S<> > S<> S<> S<> S<> S< S
Duke Police Lt. Tony Shipman, right, escorted Carolina coach Roy Williams, seated, into the stadium and on and off the court.
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Of all the games, not this one, pleaded Jean Brooks as she stood at the copier in an office tucked inside one of Cameron’s long interior corridors. It was half-time. Just before 10 p.m. Reporters on deadline waited nearby in a media room for the first-half box scores, the lifeblood of their stories. But the copier flashed an error Brooks had never seen. She had to go to Plan B.
Department, handed statistic sheets to Duke sophomore Joy Basu, one of eight students
“All right, where’s the nearest key to the business office?” Brooks asked. Soon, she and eight student helpers retreated to the business office and the copying began. Several hundred sheets of statistics providing a breakdown of field goals, blocks, steals and other key game stats zipped out of the backup copier. Students ran the sheets out to radio and TV announcers, to TV trucks outside, to both locker rooms, to the media room, to the scorer’s table, and even to Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s wife in the stands. Welcome to Brooks’ world. As a volunteer for Duke’s Sports Information Department, she is in charge of ensuring that for every home basketball game – men’s and women’s – copies of game statistics, game notes and quotes, play-by-play action or, as she put it, “anything the press needs to write their stories,” are delivered to the right places in lightning speed at half-time and after the game. “They’re like gold,” Luciana Chavez, a reporter for The News & Observer, said of the statistics. Chavez culls the statistics for free-throw and rebound numbers to include in her stories. Brooks’ road from her native Maine to Cameron started when she was an undergraduate at Duke. She was a Cameron Crazie. A true blue, Blue Devil fan who slept in Tent 2 in Krzyzewskiville. After she graduated in 2000, she took a job at Duke Law School, where she is now assistant director of the annual fund. Consider this statistic: Brooks has worked 100 basketball games as a volunteer. “There’s just something about Duke basketball,” said Brooks, who is 27. “It’s hard to stay away.” She sits closer to the action than most spectators on game nights. Her plastic chair is just off center court along Press Row, in front of the bouncing, screaming, painted Crazies and within arm’s length of J.J. Redick and other players. But unlike when she was a Crazie herself, while seated along Press Row, Brooks does not – she cannot – cheer for her favorite team. That’s tough, Brooks said, especially during big games like tonight.
S<> > S<> S<> S<> S<> S< S
S
About 26 hours had passed since the Blue Devils walked off the floor of Cameron for their last home game of the season. Carolina won 83-76. The lights in Cameron were on, and another Duke team had taken the court.
It was 3 a.m. Ruby Murphy and 45 other university housekeepers and utility workers emerged from the early morning darkness shrouding campus to clean the stadium. The screams from the Cameron Crazies had died. Their chants and cheers were replaced by what sounded like a librarian whispering “hush” as men and women pushed their brooms along the upper deck. A dozen other employees plucked trash off the lower level, where students usually stand. Murphy began her work by plugging in a vacuum in the Hall of Honor lobby. A Durham resident and Duke basketball fan, she has worked at the university in different jobs for nearly 10 years. She has three sons who represent the full spectrum of the rivalry – one a Duke fan, one a Carolina fan, and one who doesn’t follow basketball. Murphy has worked the majority of the men’s and women’s basketball games during the last couple of years and has collected Duke memorabilia signed by players and coaches. She knows the rivalry and what to expect after a Duke-Carolina match. “It’s Duke and Carolina, so it’s worse than usual,” she said. “They said it would take about two hours, but I think it will take more than that to clean up this mess.” In the end, the cleaning crew filled and carted away more than 60 trash bags stuffed with popcorn, cups and bottles, an ESPN banner, pizza boxes (including a few cold pepperoni slices), bits of orange peel, the broken handle of a play sword, placards wishing the seniors well, statistic sheets, a happy birthday hat, and even a banana peel.
Duke housekeeper Ruby Murphy cleaned the media room after scores of reporters converged on Cameron for the March 4 game.
“You find everything but money,” said Arnold Sudler, a utility worker, as he picked up two wool hats left on the bleachers. As Sudler cleaned the bleachers, Murphy moved to the media room to restore order to a place that served as ground zero for dozens of media representatives who descended on Cameron to cover the game. “I enjoy my job and the hours, but I don’t think people realize how much we do,” said Murphy, who is 42. “If people could only come out here and see, they would be surprised.” The clean up took about four hours. The crew that began at 3 a.m. returned Cameron to its splendor as most of campus was just waking up.
“
I enjoy my job and the
hours, but I don’t think people realize how much we do. If people
could only come out
here and see, they
would be surprised.” —Ruby Murphy
— By Leanora Minai and Paul Grantham Office of Communication Services
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Have a Question?
GladyouAsked What constitutes “retirement?” Must I meet a certain age and years of service? Or, is it simply when I say, “I’m retiring?”
Each month, Working@Duke selects a question about working at Duke. We’ll research and print the answer. Send us your questions by email at working@duke.edu; by fax at (919) 681-7926 or by campus mail at Working@Duke, Box 90496, 705 Broad St., Durham,NC27708
We talked with Lois Ann Green, director of Benefits, who said that the issue of retirement can be confusing because of the different factors involved. She said that the question of when someone can retire is usually based more on the funds available to support a person after they retire than on his or her specific age. “Most financial planners recommend that you be able to replace about 75 percent of your income when you retire,” Green said. “People can replace this income through sources such as Social Security, personal savings, and an employer’s retirement plan. We offer online calculators on the Human Resources Web site to help people project whether they are saving enough for retirement.” Green explained that there are typically age restrictions for when you can draw upon some of these sources. For instance, the earliest you can begin drawing a reduced benefit from Social Security is age 62. There are also provisions on both of Duke’s retirement plans for when a person can start drawing the benefit. The Internal Revenue Service may impose a penalty for withdrawing funds from a Duke 403(b) account before the age of 592. The Duke pension plan for hourly-paid staff pays a full benefit at age 65 or a reduced
benefit after age 45 with 15 years of service. “Each person has to weigh these varying factors to determine whether they can support themLois Ann Green selves in retirement,” Green said. Another consideration with significant financial implications in retirement is health insurance. There are age and service criteria to become eligible for Duke’s retiree health benefit. “This benefit provides primary health insurance for retirees until they become eligible for Medicare,” Green said. “It’s a valuable benefit at a time when most people really need health insurance and buying coverage independently can be extremely expensive.” Benefits offers a seminar several times a year for faculty and staff approaching retirement age to help them understand their options for retirement and the benefits available to support them. The seminar is offered in May as part of Financial Fitness Week (see story below). You can find more information about Duke’s retirement benefits on the Human Resources Web site at <www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/retirement/>. This site includes a link to the Retirement Manager Web site, which offers access to your personal benefits statement, financial articles, and online calculators to project everything from how much to save to put your child through college to whether you are saving enough now to travel around the world when you retire.
Are you financially fit? LEARN TO BUDGET AND PLAN FOR RETIREMENT DURING FINANCIAL FITNESS WEEK
Fiscal Fitness Te s t
s a baby boomer, Layne Baker had not felt the urgency of planning for her financial future, but she did realize she would not be able to depend on Social Security to support her in retirement. Baker attended Duke’s Financial Fitness Week in 2004, hoping to get educated and to find a path to financial security in retirement. “To achieve my goals for a comfortable retirement, I needed to start thinking about a plan,” said Baker, a program assistant at University Development. “Financial Fitness Week provided an excellent foundation for me to examine the many factors in my own financial planning.” Baker is one of many employees Financial Fitness Week has helped since the program started in 2003. This year’s program is May 8 through May 11 and will include several new workshops offered at the university and health system. During the annual event, employees and their immediate family members can attend free financial planning seminars and speak directly with investment and insurance representatives from Duke’s benefit providers. The workshops are designed for everyone from the beginning investor to those approaching retirement. Last year, 2,000 people attended. “Employee benefits and the economy are constantly changing,” said Lois Ann Green, director of Duke Benefits. “The workshop topics are intended to help staff gauge whether or not they are on track to meet retirement goals and determine if there are other benefits or services offered by Duke which they may want to take advantage of.” To begin her financial planning process, Baker attended workshops during the past two years on achieving balance between debt and savings; reviewing insurance coverage; investing tips and retirement goals; and building a better budget. She said Financial Fitness Week provided her with
A
HOUSING Spend no more than 35 percent of net income on housing. This includes mortgage/rent, utilities, insurance, taxes, and home maintenance.
SAVINGS Save at least 10 percent of income throughout your working life. Ensure you have three to six months income in an emergency fund before you start saving for other goals.
TRANSPORTATION Spend no more than 15 percent of net income on transportation. This includes car payment, auto insurance, tag or license, maintenance, gasoline, and parking.
DEBT Spend no more than 15 percent of net income on all other consumer debt such as student loans, retail installment contracts, credit cards, personal loans, tax debts, and medical debts.
OTHER Spend no more than 25 percent of net income on all other expenses such as food, clothing, entertainment, childcare, medical expenses, tithing/charity, and vacations. Source: Duke University Federal Credit Union
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resources to help her better evaluate her financial situation. “A recurring theme throughout the seminars was the importance of reducing credit card debt,” Baker said. Baker cut up many of her cards and took a new approach to spending. “Now I only charge what I know I can pay off at the end of the month,” Layne Baker said Baker, who has worked at Duke for eight years. “I have a new appreciation for paying with cash instead of with plastic.” Baker said she was impressed by how personable workshop speakers were during sessions. “Each presenter reiterated how we could contact them directly to arrange one-on-one appointments to personalize portfolios or savings decisions.” After a seminar, Baker contacted a carrier to help answer questions about contributions to an IRA and 403(b) and to assist with mortgage refinancing. “One thing I have learned is that financial planning is an ongoing process,” Baker said. “I have many things left I want to do to reach my goals for retirement, but at least I now have the knowledge of what I need to do to get there.” —By Jen Mathot Senior Communications Specialist, Human Resources
WANT MORE INFORMATION? Some workshops require registration. Visit www.hr.duke.edu/financialfitness or call Duke Benefits at (919) 684-5600.
Find fresh strawberries and tomatoes at Duke DUKE FARMERS MARKET OPENS IN APRIL hen Katherine Berezny is not working as a project leader at Duke Clinical Research Institute, she is growing strawberries on a farm. Berezny will be among a dozen farmers and vendors offering fresh fruits, vegetables and baked breads at the 6th annual Duke Farmers Market, which opens April 7 and runs every Friday through June and bi-weekly through September. “This season, we will feature more activities at the market,” said Julie Joyner, manager for LIVE FOR LIFE®, which organizes the event. “We’ll have additional entertainment options and special events which include preparing dishes with exotic fruits native to North Carolina. There will also be demonstrations on gardening, quick and healthy meals and fitness.” The market will be in front of the Medical Center Bookstore and along the walkway between Duke Hospital and the Medical Center. (Beginning May 4 at Durham Regional Hospital, the market will be outside of the Emergency Room). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers the Duke Farmers Market unique among prevention programs offered by employers throughout the nation. In 2004, it was named one of 11 winners of the second annual Innovation in Prevention Awards. “The Farmers Market is just one way we can help employees make smart food choices so they can reach their health goals,” said Jason Horay, health education manager for LIVE FOR LIFE. “There will be a variety of vegetables and fruits available at the market to keep meals interesting.”
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Ellen Dixon-Tulloch, a research specialist at the Engineering Research Center, has been a regular at the market since it opened in 2001. She enjoys the convenience of picking up nursery plants and fresh produce over lunch as an alternative to getting up early Saturday mornings for the first pick at a farmers market near her home. “Fresh food tastes better,” said DixonTulloch, a master gardener. “I like to support local growers, and the quality is so much better.” In addition to produce, some vendors sell lunch items such as salads and empanadas. Musicians also perform as shoppers browse the stands. Berezny, the project leader who harvests strawberries, fulfilled a longtime dream five years ago when she and her family bought 20 acres in Efland. Through trial and error, they found crops that work with the soil. She usually joins the Duke Farmers Market vendors at her Windy Acres stand during her lunch hour. Expect her first strawberries of the season to hit the market in May. As the weeks unfold, strawberries will give way to cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, peas, a variety of beans and a boutique of vegetables such as purple-hull peas. “Sometimes people ask us for special items, and we’ll try to grow them,” Berezny said. “We grow things I don’t eat, because other people like them. It’s custom farming.”
“
local growers, and the quality is so much better.”
— Ellen Dixon-Tulloch
—By Nancy Oates Working@Duke Correspondent
Visit www.hr.duke.edu/eohs/livelife/market.html
Dukehistory for emergency dorm space,” reads the caption on the Archives’ Web site. History professor emeritus Robert F. Durden, who has chronicled the history of Duke University and its founding family, said Duke experienced a housing crunch after the war. “You had The area around the court in Cameron Indoor Stadium the G.I. Bill and was used for bed space around the time of World War II. all the veterans coming back and wanting to use the G.I. Bill to go to college, so you had a huge surge in enrollment,” he said. Construction of the $400,000 Cameron Indoor Stadium began in 1939, the same year World War II started. When the stadium opened nine months later, leaders gathered to marvel, according to Home Court: Fifty Years of Cameron Indoor Stadium. “It is so colossal and so wonderful,” then Chamber of Commerce President Col. Marion B. Fowler said, according to Home Court. “This building will not only be an asset to the university but to the entire community as well.” Photo: Courtesy of Duke Archives
Glenn Miller broadcast his live radio show shortly after the stadium opened in 1940. Frank Sinatra, the Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen all performed in Cameron. And did you know that the stadium concourse – an area of the stadium that surrounds the court – was used for bed space either during or after World War II? Although evidence suggests Cameron doubled as temporary residence space at some point in Duke’s history, historians and archivists aren’t exactly sure when. Tom Harkins, associate university archivist, said it is possible that Cameron was used for bed space during the war, which took place between 1939 and 1945 (the United States entered the war in 1941). “There were military units stationed on campus during the war,” he explained. Duke had a number of defense activities on campus in the early 1940s, which could have necessitated more housing. According to records in the University Archives, the Army Finance School was transferred to Duke’s campus, where it trained finance officers for the U.S. Army. Duke also saw 1,558 trainees from a reserve unit of the Navy’s college training arrive on campus. And a number of special courses were offered such as chemistry of explosives. Cameron also may have been used for temporary living space after the war. An undated, black and white photo in the University Archives shows beds lining the concourse of Cameron. “Oral tradition has it that when enrollment sky-rocketed following World War II, the stadium’s concourse was used
—By Leanora Minai Editor, Working@Duke
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I like the variety of paths and plants, as well as all of the nooks and crannies and little corners you can find throughout the gardens. No matter what season it is, even in the winter, there is always something to see.”
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e mployee spotlight MEET STEVE CATES, CLINIC SERVICE COORDINATOR AND ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTIST
Left: Steve Cates as Elvis tribute artist. Right: Steve Cates on the job at LIVE FOR LIFE.
“
Doctors and nurses
were dancing. It was really neat to see the reaction.” — Steve Cates
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teve Cates has found a way to be king for more than a day. Cates, a clinic service coordinator for LIVE FOR LIFE®, Duke’s employee wellness program, is also an Elvis Presley tribute artist. He performs at the university and travels the state and country imitating the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. He got his big break on Halloween several years ago at Duke University Hospital. “I went through on Halloween dressed in a $32 Elvis suit,” Cates said, laughing. “I just decided to do a few songs. Doctors and nurses were dancing. It was really neat to see the reaction. I ended up doing 60 little concerts in the hospital with a guitar.”
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Cates, who has worked at Duke for 18 years, was soon performing his Elvis tribute during the Duke Farmers Market, where he will appear again this spring. Yes, Cates has visited Graceland. No, he does not lip sync. A graduate of Duke Professional Development Institute’s office staff development program, Cates has volunteered his musical talents during the Farmers Market and Health Arts Network events. He also served as disc jockey during the Employee Appreciation Week Fun Run. When he’s not singing, Cates is greeting employees at the LIVE FOR LIFE clinic in Duke South. He enrolls faculty and staff in Duke Fitness Clubs and sets chair massage appointments. He said he loves his job because it allows him to use his creative outlets at Duke. “It’s a very good fit for me,” he said. Cates recently performed during a Valentine’s Day dinner at Immanuel Baptist Church in Durham. The sanctuary was split in half with tables bedecked in red roses. Guests wore
red outfits and dined on barbecue and banana pudding as golden oldies filled the sanctuary. Dressed in a white jumpsuit trimmed in gold, Cates moved between the tables with a microphone and sang a dozen songs, including Jailhouse Rock. His hair was dyed black, but the long sideburns were real. He handed out Hawaiian leis and kisses for the ladies. “With women, I sing a lot of ballads,” said Cates, who is 42. “If it’s a birthday party for a man, we do a lot more of the faster songs.” The Elvis tributes have grown into more than a hobby. They led Cates to his fiancée, Trish Osborne, whom he met during an Elvis tribute contest in Las Vegas. She is now his tribute business manager. Cates and Osborne will have a special event of their own. “We’re getting married on May 1st,” Cates said, “…Elvis’ wedding day.” —By Eddy Landreth Working@Duke Correspondent