Alcalá View 2001 18.4

·~- .. •/ .. ~/YfJ1tr 1J~t ... HEALTH AND DEPENDENT CARE: Health and Dependent Care reimbursement claims for services in 2001 should be submitted to human resources by Dec. 14. Meeting this deadline will assist the department's conversion to the Oracle payroll system. Thank you for your cooperation. TUITION REMISSION : Full-time students who are applying for acceptance in Fall 2002 and who qualify for financial aid must apply for aid on or before the February and March financial aid deadlines. These deadlines also apply to students who have not yet been accepted to USO. Additional information about financial aid requirements and deadlines will be sent via campus mail in late January. SPACE-AVAILABLE TUITION REMISSION: With Intersession beginning Jan. 2, 2002, now is the time to fill out space-available applications for spouses or dependents who wish to attend. Space-available application forms are available in the human resources office, Maher Hall, Room 101 . MEDICAL TIP OF THE MONTH : When your HMO primary physician refers you to a specialist, ask for the referral number. It will be helpful if, for some reason, you are billed for the services. MEDICAL SUBSIDY: USO medical subsidy benefits have changed. Do you have medical coverage for your dependents through USO? Is your family income less than $30,000 annually? If the answer is yes to both questions, you may be eligible for subsidy benefits. Apply now! Subsidy application forms are available in the human resources office. - Vicki Coscia The human resources department wishes to thank Hsiao-Ping Feng Neal, of academic computing, for helping prevent a campus-wide e-mail "snafu." She worked from home on a Saturday to assist members of the human resources department who say, ''Thank you, Hsiao-Ping, for going above and beyond the call of USO duty." -- - --- ---------- /( you or someone you know deserves to be put "In the Spotlight," send an e-mail to Krystn Shrieve at kshrieve@sandiego.edu or calf her at ext. 4934. Deterring an E-Mail Debacle

Security Tightened on Campus Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., public safety officials have hired additional staff, increased the presence of public safety officers and added new procedures to make campus more secure.

Discussions have been held with students living in residence halls about how to stay safe, and officers have increased their presence in those areas. In the wake of recent anthrax scares, Barnett researched the issue with the Centers for Disease Control, the United States Postal Service and his contacts in law enforcement to create procedures for handling mail. The guidelines, sent to all faculty and staff via e-mail, warn people to be wary of mail that feels heavy, contains what might feel like a powdery substance, arrives without return addresses or with excessive postage, contains poorly handwritten or typed addresses with common words misspelled, or has restrictive markings such as "confidential" or "personal." Employees who receive suspicious mail should not ignore the threat. Call public safety at ext. 2222 and make sure others do not go near the mail. "All situations are treated as if they are real anthrax threats until they are properly evaluated," Barnett says, adding that the stiffer security measures will continue as long as necessary. "When we increase security, it's done at the cost of some personal freedoms," Barnett says. "It's a trade-off, but there's a balance. The measures we've put in place make the campus safer and have the added benefit of deterring other problems such as theft or vandalism. Overall disruption is minimal and the response has been positive."

The Public Safety Department has placed officers at campus entrances and is staffing the entrance kiosks around the clock. Video cameras installed at the kiosks several months ago are monitored 24 hours a day. "There's no reason to believe that USO is a potential target or at risk," says Larry Barnett, director of public safety. "At the same time, it's prudent to put these additional security measures in place." To prevent a breach of security, Barnett cannot discuss the specific measures that have been adopted, but says he has evaluated the entire campus in terms of possible threats and tailored responses to individual areas. Visitors entering campus during the day are now verified with the person with whom they are meeting on campus. Those who come to campus after 10 p.m. without a USO parking permit or identification card are logged in, and copies of their driver's licenses are recorded. The Jenny Craig Pavilion now prohibits coolers, backpacks, briefcases and large bags in the arena. Purses and diaper bags are subject to search, and patrons are encouraged to arrive early and allow for possible delays when entering the venue.