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     "A trip of a thousand miles begins with a trip to the ATM. "
                                                                  - Anonymous

Things You Need To Know:

Save the Date!
EpiCH Party on the Patio!
When: Thursday, August 14, Noon til ...
Where: WBOB patio and lawn
It's summer and time for a picnic, lawn games and fellowship. Join the EpiCH community, that would be students, staff, and faculty, for a break and some fun!

We are looking for a group of enthusiastic gamers to plan some outdoor yard games (maybe even some tournaments), like Bocce Ball, Croquet etc. Contact Ginger Hughes today to help start the planning!
  • Watch your e-mail and EpiCH News for more info!

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Have you tried the EpiCH Bike?
Just in case you didn't know, EpiCH has two bicycles available for students, staff and faculty to use. A fun and healthy solution to a reduced shuttle schedule and beautiful summer weather is available for those who need to commute to other parts of the University Campus. These bikes are available for check out by staff, students and faculty. The
bikes are easily adjustable, have baskets, bike locks and helmets, and are located in
the bike racks on the mid-level of the WBOB parking ramp.

You can check out a bike, on a first come, first served basis, at the reception desk. You will be asked to show your University ID and to sign a liability waiver. The expectation is that the bikes will be returned within 3 hours. For more information please contact Ginger Hughes at 6-9397.

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Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increased
Effective 7/1/08, the mileage reimbursement rate was raised to 58.5¢ per mile.
  • Read more

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EFS: What Changed (or not) for Non-Financial Users
If you're not a "financial" person, find out what did and did not change with the EFS conversion. If you have any questions, find an accountant and ask away!
  • What's Changing (or not) for Non-Financial Users
  • EFS Home Page

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Division News:

New Administrative Support Services Web Section!
Check out the updated and re-vamped Administrative Support Services section of the EpiCH web site. We've streamlined and re-organized the information so it should be even easier to find what you need, when you need it.
   •  EpiCH Admin Support Section

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Green Tips
In 2004, the U of M Board of Regent’s created a policy on sustainability and energy efficiency for the University. In an effort to contribute to the U’s commitment to sustainability, the EpiCH Green Team was formed and is composed of EpiCH and ECRC staff, students and faculty. Their goal is to:
   - conserve physical and fiscal resources by sharing sustainability information with the
      Division
   - answering any conservation questions
   - recommending practices and policies
   - and providing a forum for individuals to recommend and pursue conservation efforts.

Follow and join EpiCH’s conservation and sustainability efforts through the EpiCH Green Team blog and summer newsletter. This month's emphasis is on paper conservation.
  • Visit the EpiCH Green Team blog
     Look for their summer newsletter and future meeting information

  • Learn more about the U's policy on Sustainability and Energy Efficiency:
      http://environment.umn.edu/index.html

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Tom's Music and Movie Picks
Ever wondered what the name of that great song was that you heard while riding in the EpiCH Shuttle with Tom King? Find out what Tom is listening to - and what movies he recommends.
 • Music & Movie Recommendations

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Student News:

Students Blogging from the Field
Find out what your fellow students are doing during their field experiences. From India, to Kenya, to Mobile Alabama to a distant Malaysian island, EpiCH and other SPH students are learning and making changes in and to the world.
  • Read the blogs

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Congratulations!
Maia Seitz, a 2005 graduate of the MPH Nutrition program and 2006 graduate of the UMN Master's in Health Journalism program, was recently published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. She conducted her research for the article with Mary Story and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

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Events & Conferences:

Web of Science vs. Google Scholar Smackdown
When: Wednesday, July 16, Noon - 1:00 PM
Where: Room 555, Diehl Hall
Your professor or boss has just asked you to find an article on a particular topic. "It's either in JAMA or New England Journal of Medicine," he tells you, and is pretty sure it's by either Smith or Jones. Where do you go to find the article? This class will compare Google Scholar and Web of Science to determine which is better for tracking down incomplete or incorrect citations. Learn to identify how often a publication has been cited, trace how research on a topic has evolved, and even track who has cited your publications. Learn how to search for books, articles and other sources cited in bibliographies and works cited lists. This class has a health sciences focus. Class is free, and feel free to bring your lunch!
 • Register: http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/workshops
 • More information: http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/workshops

Green Team @ EpiCH
When: Tuesday, July 15th, Noon-1:00pm
Where: 310 WBOB
Join other EpiCH people concerned with conservation of resources. Check their blog for more information about the group and what they're looking to accomplish.
  • Green Team Blog

The 2008 Public Health Institute, North Dakota
When: July 28-August 7
Where: Bismark, North Dakota
These courses are designed to improve the capacity of frontline public health workers and other health and human service professionals responding to public health threats. Content emphasizes theory to practice with opportunities for intensive, interactive classroom sessions, discussion and case studies. Courses are presented in a convenient two-day workshop format and faculty are nationally-recognized experts.
• Read more and register

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Save the date

Sixth National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations
When: September 21-24
Where: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Campus
The theme for the conference will be " Partnerships for the future: Supporting practitioners and advancing the field through innovation, policy and research."
Starting with a look at the national and global trends in health care and immigration, the conference will use plenary sessions, workshops and moderated dialogues with conference participants to: 
     • Address the needs and concerns that affect day-to-day practice of culturally
       appropriate care at the clinical, organizational and community level
    • Develop a vision for advancing the field
    • Continue the integration of cultural competence/disparity reduction in mainstream
        health care priorities.
    • For more information: http://www.diversityrxconference.org/

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Challenges and Tensions in International Research Collaborations
When: October 2 & 3, 2008
Where: University of Minnesota
International collaboration in scientific research is expanding rapidly and range from informal research partnerships, to large-scale, multi-institutional ventures. Those who collaborate across national borders often encounter complications due to fundamental differences in the way science is done in different countries. This conference will focus on issues that arise with international collaborations, in particular problems stemming from cross-national differences in the organization and funding of science, cultural perspectives, the training of students and research personnel, and legal and policy systems.
  • Conference details

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Faculty & Staff News

CS/BU Staff of the Month: Beverly Bate-Boyle

Commenting On and Grading Student Writing:
     A two-day seminar for TAs and course supervisors
When: Tuesday, August 26- Wednesday August 27, 1:00-4:00pm
Where: Nicholson 35
In this two-day pre-fall seminar, teaching assistants and their supervising instructors will have opportunities to...
  - consider writing processes from student writers' vantage points
  - discuss course-appropriate, discipline-specific writing criteria
  - practice writing comments that encourage revision
  - create assignment-specific grading schemes that ensure fair assessment
  - increase commenting and grading efficiency
  - hear about response techniques used by a panel of award-winning instructors
  • Register: http://www2.cla.umn.edu/rsvp/c4wtasem/

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Medical/Personal Leave Policy for Faculty and Academic P&A Under Review
Several new provisions, clarifications and documentation specifications are currently under review. The considered unpaid-personal-leaves policy includes language to align with Minnesota law allowing leaves for victims of certain crimes as well as a change in the maximum number of days that may be taken per year by individuals with appointments of less than 50 percent time or an appointment term of less than nine months. Policy drafts are available for viewing, comments, and questions until July 14.
  • Read more: Policy Review

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Media Mentions

Who Said What During June?
Find out more

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Tech Tips & News

Safety First!
How safe is your password?  The Password Meter website lets you type your current password on screen and then gives it a score evaluating how secure it is.  A great way to test the strength of a new password and improve your on-line security for free. www.passwordmeter.com

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Anti-Phishing Software Deployed
OIT’s Internet Services has deployed a more aggressive anti-phishing software on the central mail servers for all inbound e-mail. While the software is detecting more than 1,000 additional phishing messages daily, OIT warns that the enhancement still has a hard time detecting "spear" phishing -- look-alike e-mails appearing to come from central U of M e-mail administration, often asking for your Internet ID and password. If you receive any messages of this sort, you should report them to abuse@umn.edu for investigation, and then delete them. When reporting these e-mails, you should include the full e-mail headers, especially the "Reply-To:" and "Received:" fields.

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Just for Fun!

Nail some Jello to the wall...
"The aptitude to innovate interactively leads to the ability to incentivize virtually. Going forward, the ability to architect intra-mega-wirelessly will lead to the capability to brand proactively."

If you understand the preceding sentences, read no further. If you feel even the slightest bit of frustration trying to grasp their meaning... the following links are for you!
  • 2008 Office Speak as defined by Wikipedia - is that a conflict of interest?
  • BBC - 50 Office Speak Phrases To Hate - it's a world epidemic!
  • BBC - Boss Speak Bingo! (pdf)

So, what would be on an EpiCH Speak Bingo card?

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Download a PDF of last month's EpiCH News
EpiCH News June, 2008

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