4 7

HEALTH BENEFITS NEW LIFE AFTER SUSTAINABLE DUKE

3
ENROLLMENT RENOVATION Facilities Management
It’s time to review, enroll The historic Smith is transforming the
or change coverage for Warehouse and paint inventory to
health benefits and surrounding land are sustainable options.
reimbursement account turned into an academic Two employees are
plans. Open enrollment office park unique to recognized for the
begins Oct. 8. Duke and Durham. effort.

N EWS YO U CA N U S E :: Vo l u m e 5 , I s s u e 8 :: October 2010

Learning
On The
Job
INCREASING NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES ARE PARTICIPATING IN DUKE’S TUITION BENEFIT

harity Tuten’s dream of a bachelor’s degree in biology was derailed a A balancing act

C decade ago by her grandmother’s death. She left college in her senior
year to help her grandfather, then moved to Durham to be with her
mother while her father was deployed in Iraq.
“I’m the oldest child,” said Tuten, now 29. “I just kept moving to help
out the family.”
In 2004, she joined Duke and soon after, her dream was back on
track. She transferred credits from Winston-Salem State University to
North Carolina Central University, applied for tuition assistance from
Duke and returned to the classroom.
“As soon as my supervisor told me that Duke would help pay for
college, I knew I just had to take advantage of this
benefit,” said Tuten, a recruiter and background
Duke
Lisa
in
Wright,
1985 as
a
a
financial
secretary
analyst in the School of Medicine, started at
after receiving an associate’s degree in fashion
merchandising from Alamance Community College. For many years
through different jobs at Duke, she had no desire to return to school.
“I got married, had kids, kept working and was fine,” she said.
Then one of her supervisors challenged her to broaden her horizons.
“He saw I was interested in departmental finances and started including
me in budget discussions, business manager meetings and other projects,”
Wright said. “But I realized that even with 20 years of experience, I
couldn’t get a business manager position unless I got a bachelor’s degree.”
In 2006, Wright began taking one business class each
semester at Alamance Community College but grew

“
investigator for the Duke University Police frustrated with the slow progress. “I didn’t want to spend
Department.
It is a valuable 10 years finishing a degree,” she said.
Tuten is in good company. The number of investment in A friend told her about accelerated programs at
employees participating in Duke’s Employee Tuition our workforce. People Mount Olive College in Research Triangle Park. She
Assistance Program has increased from 320 in 2006 applied and is now midway through an 18-month
who are motivated to bachelor’s degree in business administration, where each
to 713 in 2009. Last year, Duke reimbursed
employees nearly $1.4 million in tuition for career- learn are the type of class lasts five weeks.
related courses at accredited North Carolina schools. people we want at Duke.” The challenge is balancing work, home and school.
Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for Human On a recent Tuesday, Wright flexed her hours and left
— Kyle Cavanaugh
Resources at Duke, said the benefit provides Duke at 4:30 p.m. to beat the traffic to RTP. She stopped
Vice President,
individuals with opportunities to improve skills for a hamburger and Diet Coke before joining 15 classmates
Duke Human Resources
for current and future jobs and helps Duke retain for a review of a take-home test on power in the workplace
employees. “It is a valuable investment in our for their Organizational Behavior class.
workforce,” he said. “People who are motivated As class began at 6 p.m., she settled in at a long table
to learn are the type of people we want at Duke.” in the front, took notes and participated in a class discussion on corporate
The tuition assistance benefit is available to staff and faculty cultures. When class ended four hours later, Wright tossed her textbook
who work at least 30 hours each week and have two or more years of and PowerPoint handouts in her car and settled in for the 45-mile drive
continuous service. Each year, employees can receive up to $5,250 for up home to Cedar Grove.
to nine courses approved as part of their professional development plan. “It’s exhausting, but I like the accelerated format,” she said. “I figure
In return, employees commit to remaining at Duke for two years after I can do anything for a short time.”
receiving reimbursement.

Photo: Seven Duke Police employees have used the tuition assistance benefit in the past year. >> See LEARNING ON THE JOB, PAGE 6
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 This paper consists of 30% recycled
2009, 2007 Bronze Medal, Print Internal Audience Tabloids/Newsletters post-consumer fiber. Please recycle after reading.
 Editor’s
Note
LEANORA MINAI
Leanora.Minai@duke.edu
I
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.
Computer crook could be a click away
hen it comes to computer
W infections, no one is immune.
John Board, Duke’s
associate CIO, learned the hard way
after his 8-year-old son clicked a
popup window, warning that one of
the family’s computers had been
infected with a virus.
“He thought he was doing the
right thing, because it looked similar
to real alerts from anti-malware
applications,” Board said. “Hackers
are sufficiently slick now that they
can trick even savvy people into
clicking on one button. Now that
machine is toast.”
Fortunately, the family’s home
network was segmented, so the
infection was limited to one machine
– not the computer Board uses for
Duke business.
In today’s hyper-connected
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
Duke data.
Analysts in Duke’s IT Security Office are seeing an increasing number of do their part, too.
infected computers, in large part due to the increasing use of social networks.
“With Facebook and LinkedIn, people are using the Internet in ways
they didn’t before, but they’re also exposed in new ways,” said IT analyst
Rachel Franke. “People are using more devices and more applications. Our
multitasking has scaled up, and the malware is getting better.”
2
Newsbriefs
Protect yourself, your family
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 If you’re missing the conversation on Facebook, we’ll
Nov. 19, employees can enroll or increase coverage without filling out post a few snippets here each month – but please join
lengthy medical questionnaires. Employees already enrolled will
automatically get the new rates.
and jump in at facebook.com/workingatduke.
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.
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.
Letters to the Editor must include name and contact information.
E-mail letters to working@duke.edu or mail them to Working@Duke
Editor, Box 90496, Durham, NC 27708. Fax letters to
(919) 681-7926. Please keep length to no more than 200 words.
Malicious code distributed
Learn IT@Lunch
Learn about IT security in the cloud at a seminar Oct. 20. The session
is noon to 1 p.m. in the RENCI conference room in the OIT
through social networking sites
successfully infects about 10 percent
of users, making it 10 times more
Telecommunications Building. For details, visit oit.duke.edu/training. potent than malware distributed by
e-mail, according to a 2009 report by
Social Networking Security Tips Kaspersky Lab, a security software
firm.
u Set appropriate privacy and security defaults and choose a
complex/unique password.
Universities make especially
appealing targets. Unlike corporations,
u Be careful installing third-party
which often restrict access to social
applications.
networks, put up firewalls and
u Only accept friend requests from implement strict policies to protect
people you know directly.
assets, the academic environment is
u Read the privacy policy and terms of more open.
service. Limit personal information you
share.
At Duke, “there are no rules
against accessing social media or
u Consider all information and pictures
Google Apps from your work
you post as public.
computer,” Franke said. “But you
Source: SocialMediaSecurity.com run the risk that you’re exposing
your computer and work data to
unknown people.”
Duke is continually expanding its methods and tools to increase
Month in October, Duke IT analysts remind employees and students to
“Thinking before you click is like driving defensively,” Franke said.
“We all have to be vigilant.”
— By Cara Bonnett
Managing editor, News & Information
Office of Information Technology
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 maintenance drugs through the mail In another cost control strategy,

I expenses totaled $1 million. Several

cases among those covered by
Duke’s health care plans have reached
or at the Duke Pharmacy and
encouraging use of generic drugs. We
expect those two efforts to save about
the physician network for Duke
Select and Duke Basic will be
modified. The network will include
or exceeded that figure. $5 million this year.” about 100 fewer non-Duke
“In those cases, the vast majority Debbie Morse, a Duke employee physicians. Patients currently under
of the cost was paid by Duke,” said for nearly 25 years, said she has treatment with a physician not in the
Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for always appreciated the value of the network will be able to request to
Human Resources. “That speaks to health plans for her, her husband and continue care for a short period with
the value of our health plans.”
In 2011, the cost of health
four children.
“The cost is pretty minimal
that physician.
“Over the years, Duke physicians Open
insurance for faculty, staff and their
families remains affordable with
compared to what some face without
good health care,” said Morse, a
have expanded their services and
locations,” Cavanaugh said. “The
Enrollment
monthly premiums going up between
$2 to $5 per month for individual
family nurse practitioner at the Duke
Eye Center. “It gives you a sense of
network will still include all current
primary care physicians and a few
Tips
coverage and $12 to $23 per month security and peace of mind. It’s a big community-based providers in
䡲 Review “My Health.
for family coverage. Faculty and staff reason why I’ve stayed here at Duke specific areas to ensure we have
can review, enroll or change their over the years.” comprehensive coverage in the main My Life.” information
coverage for health, dental, vision and While there are several increases areas where our faculty and staff work packets being mailed
reimbursement benefits during the in co-payments next year, there are and live.” home
annual open enrollment period, several notable areas where there will Other changes are related to 䡲 Enroll and make
which begins Oct. 8 and runs be no changes, including co-pays for national health care reform and will
through Nov. 6. prescription drugs, urgent care, include allowing children up to age
changes to medical,
Cavanaugh said that because of specialist care and hospitalization. 26 to enroll regardless of student or dental and vision
modifications to the health plan last Among changes next year, Duke marital status and eliminating over- coverage – and enroll
year, Duke was able to keep its will – for the first time in seven years the-counter medications as an eligible and renew dependent
premium increases well below other – increase the co-pay for a primary expense for Health Care care and health care
employers and peer institutions. care visit by $5. However, the mental Reimbursement Accounts unless reimbursement
“Our premium increases will health co-pay will be reduced prescribed by a physician.
accounts – beginning
only be about a third of what most substantially. These changes address Details about 2011 changes,
people are experiencing,” he said. the federal Mental Health Parity Act, including coverage and costs, are Oct. 8
“Much of our ability to contain rising which stipulates that the co-pays for included in a guide being mailed 䡲 Enroll and make
costs is the result of incentives we put mental health be consistent with the home to eligible faculty and staff. adjustments at
in place last year for purchasing plan’s most prevalent co-pay. Duke@Work –
www.hr.duke.edu/
selfservice - or call
the Duke Enrollment
2011 Health Plan Highlights Service Center at (919)
684-5600 to speak
with a customer service
䡲 No changes in co-pays for prescription drugs, 䡲 Monthly premiums for Dental plans range from
urgent care, specialist care or hospitalization 63 cents to $6.09, depending on plan and representative.
䡲 Co-pay for primary care increased by $5 coverage chosen. Participants enrolling in dental Open Enrollment
coverage who are not covered in 2010 will be representatives are
䡲 Modified physician network for Duke Select/ considered "late entrants" and will have limited
Duke Basic includes all Duke physicians and available at (919)
coverage during 2011.
select community physicians. 684-5600 during the
䡲 Monthly premium increase for vision plan of
䡲 Mental health co-pay reduced from $35 to $20 $0.62 for individuals, $1.91 for families following times and
for Duke Select, Blue Care and Duke Options; days:
to $25 for Duke Basic. 䡲 Vision exam co-pay increases to $30; Co-pay for
glasses and contacts remains the same at $15. • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
䡲 Speech, physical and occupational therapy
co-pay increased $5 for Duke Select weekdays Oct. 8 -
Oct. 29

2011 Monthly Health Care Premiums • 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

weekdays Nov. 1 -
Nov. 5
Individual Family
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2010 2011 2010 2011
Saturday, Nov. 6
Duke Basic $23 $25 $225 $237
Duke Select $60 $63 $355 $373
Blue Care $99 $104 $444 $467
Duke Options $95 $100 $438 $460

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

he list of downtime activities reads like a day at camp The American Tobacco Company was dissolved in

Smith Warehouse in
2001, Duke recently
completed an $18 million
renovation project to the
historic building that now
houses 17 departments
and offices.
T
– yoga class, bridge club, arts and crafts. But it’s not
camp; this is how faculty and staff with offices in the
Smith Warehouse spend time together during lunch and
after work.
Dee Holland, director of
professional certificate programs with
1911, and in 2001, Duke purchased the property from
Liggett & Myers. Liggett & Myers leased the space until
2003 when Facilities became the first Duke department to
move into three of the 12 bays. Since then, Facilities has
managed the transformation of the
warehouse as part of an $18 million

“
Continuing Studies, was enthused to renovation plan approved by the
hear about the programs when she To have many Board of Trustees in May 2007.
moved to Smith Warehouse in July. The renovation project is being
She put her name on a waiting list for
different offices and nominated for a Durham Golden Leaf
the yoga class. departments in one central 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
makes people want to be social and Duke community – people in Energy & Environmental Design
create a great place to work,” said with all kinds of skills and (LEED) certification.
Holland, who moved from the Erwin backgrounds who get to The work at Smith Warehouse
Mill building, less than a mile away. involved gutting the space, building
This fall, Duke Facilities interact with each other to new restrooms, staircases and elevators
completed a renovation project nearly make a wonderful and and installing more than 200 new
10 years in the making to transform windows. The original floor boards
the century-old brick tobacco
unique workplace.” were saved to use as railings and steps
warehouse into a sustainable and — Jim Roberts throughout newly renovated spaces.
social workspace for academic Executive Vice Provost, The 8-feet tall, 300-pound, original
offerings. Covering 200,000-square Finance and Administration 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 100- programs, 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 bio-
Robert 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.
4
d Building
p Adem Gusa, assistant director of planning and
design for Facilities, inspects a shutter now
used for decoration.
p The bays of Smith Warehouse are individually
color-coded.
p The Career Services office has a
space that includes seating for
visitors and 18 interview rooms.
p 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.”
STEAM PLANT WINS AWARDS
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.
p Five tables made of recycled
plastics sit on the south side
of the building.
t The open space of
Smith Warehouse
allows for social
groups, like a weekly
yoga class.
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
5
 LEARNING ON THE JOB 2007, it expanded to cover tuition at any institution
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 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
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
Lisa Wright, a financial said. “Now I’m looking closely at Duke’s Pathology
analyst in the School of Assistant program because I’m ready to push myself to the
Medicine, is midway
through an 18-month
next level.”
bachelor’s degree in She’s also become an evangelist for returning to school.
business administration She encouraged Officer Tracy Lane to use Duke’s financial
at Mount Olive College in
Research Triangle Park.
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.
Most evenings, Wright retreats to her quiet bedroom “She played the devil’s advocate with me,” Raines said.
for a few hours of studying. “I couldn’t have done this “I’d say I didn’t have enough time or money, and she’d say,
when my two girls were young,” she said. “Now they are ‘if you really want it, you should make it a priority.’ ”
independent, and I have more time.”
When Wright graduates in December 2011, Duke’s — By Marsha A. Green
Senior Writer, Office of Communication Services
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
Employee Tuition writing correspondence to
managing people.
Assistance Program “This is not just an
investment in Lisa,” said
2009 By the Kathy Tobin, Wright’s
Numbers supervisor in the Division
of Cellular Therapy at Duke.
$1.4 million “This is also an investment
Tuition costs paid in our program.”
by Duke
Learning
$53,253 at Duke
Average salary David Eck left a stressful
of participants career in TV production in
2005 and moved to Durham
713
to be closer to family. Shortly
Staff and faculty after, he began work as a staff
enrolled specialist at the Nasher
77% Museum of Art, where he
helps manage student workers.
Female participants
Last year, he read an
50% article in Working@Duke
Bi-weekly paid 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.
employees assistance program. He also
had a conversation with a
39.07 colleague who was graduating from Duke’s Master of Arts
Average age in Liberal Studies (MALS) program.
of participants Eck, who has a bachelor’s degree in communications, Tips for Tuition Reimbursement
realized a master’s degree might help him develop his career ! Discuss professional development with your
38 at Duke. He noticed that many jobs he might aspire to, supervisor to determine courses related to your
Institutions including program coordinator, required more experience current job or continued career growth at Duke.
or an advanced degree. ! Download the Employee Tuition Assistance
8.02 “With my mid-life career switch, I don’t have the years Program application at hr.duke.edu/forms.
Average service of experience, but I figured I could get the advanced
years of degree,” he said. “The evening classes for MALS and the ! Complete and return the application by mail or
tuition benefit made it easier and more affordable.” fax before the first day of each class to request
participants
Eck began the MALS program in the spring, focusing reimbursement.
on history, and has combined museum work with academic ! If approved, Duke Benefits will send an e-mail
courses. For his “Age of Empire” history class, he with your eligibility confirmation and
investigated how British museums interpreted the reimbursement request form.
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
6
Sustainable uke
YO U R S O U R C E F O R G R E E N N E W S AT D U K E

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
By the
M chemicals and hundreds of toxins, but at Duke,
two painters in Facilities Management are working
to transform the paint inventory to safer and sustainable Numbers
options.
Four years ago, Todd Allen and Brian Williams Paint and materials
decided to update the Paint Shop’s inventory by using
new kinds of low or non-toxic paint and disposing of
disposed of by the
materials past shelf life. The shop has become an example Paint Shop since
of a new way to work more safely and sustainably. November 2006
And their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. This year,
Allen and Williams received the Environmental Impact 640 gallons
Award from Duke’s Environmental Management Action
Committee, which is comprised of students, faculty and Oil-based paint
staff. Each year, the award goes to a Duke employee or
group making pioneering contributions to Duke’s
carbon-containing compounds that enter the air and 462 gallons
sustainability efforts. Latex paint
can cause common reactions people get from paint, like
“Todd and Brian turned their shop around and not
breathing problems, nausea or headache. Per liter, all
only are leaders in environmentalism, but are leaders in
paint used by Facilities has zero or 50 grams of VOCs. 330 gallons
their field because they’ve taken the time to be at the
Common household paint can have up to eight times
forefront of sustainable changes,” said Arwen Buchholz,
that level.
Thinners
chair of the committee and program coordinator for
The Paint Shop is also using eco-friendly methods to
Recycling and Waste Reduction.
In the past four years, Allen and Williams worked
clean tools. Instead of washing paint brushes in a sink, 200+ gallons
Allen and Williams use a special pump that uses water Various hazardous
with Duke’s Occupational and Environmental Safety
and environmentally-safe powders to turn paint into a
Office (OESO) to dispose of more than 1,100 gallons of
sludge-like substance. Instead of going down the drain,
chemicals from
oil-based and latex paint and 330 gallons of thinners Facilities departments
the sludge is placed in a 55-gallon drum that gets
through disposal processes like incineration. Overall, they
incinerated. The shop also has a machine that cleans spray
reduced the paint inventory by half and replaced old paint
guns with chemicals, but has a pump and top that don’t
with new-age, low- or no-toxin paint. They also perform
release hazardous materials into the air.
annual inventory checks to get rid of materials that could
“We’re definitely more environmentally-conscious
grow more hazardous with age.
people now because of all the work we’ve put into this,”
“Todd and Brian have made a great effort to clean
said Allen, the painter with Facilities. “To excel at your
house and get us all the stuff they know they don’t want
job, you should try to keep tabs on your industry and
or won’t need again,” said Kathleen Ingram, a safety and
conform to the latest standards. For us, that means trying
health specialist with OESO.
to become more environmentally-friendly.”
Allen and Williams, who have worked at Duke since
2007 and 2006, respectively, only use paint with low or — By Bryan Roth
Writer, Office of Communication Services
no volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are
7
Visit duke.edu/sustainability
WORKING@ DUKE
HOW TO REACH US
Editor: Leanora Minai
(919) 681-4533
leanora.minai@duke.edu
Assistant Vice President:
Paul S. Grantham
(919) 681-4534
paul.grantham@duke.edu
Graphic Design & Layout:
Paul Figuerado
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.
Please write us at
working@duke.edu or
Working@Duke, Box 90496,
705 Broad St., Durham, NC 27708
Call us at (919) 684-4345.
Send faxes to (919) 681-7926.
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.
For the Gothic Bookshop hours
of operations, newsletter
and specials, visit
www.gothicbookshop.duke.edu
D U K E T O D AY
dialogue@Duke
“How do you keep your computer safe at work
or at home?”
“
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.”
Karen Campbell
Information technology support analyst,
Fuqua Technical Support Center
Got a
2 years at Duke
“ story
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.”
idea?
David Clark
Transit operator, Transportation
9 years at Duke
Write
working@duke.edu
“
I have a Mac at home so that avoids most viruses. I also
avoid clicking on pop-up windows or weird Facebook
or Call
links that don’t look safe.” 681-4533
Kate Collins
Library assistant, Access and Delivery Services
11 months at Duke
Join the Facebook fan
page for Working@Duke at
— By Bryan Roth facebook.com/workingatduke
Writer, Office of Communication Services
Daily discounts at
Duke’s Gothic Bookshop
urt Cumiskey seldom leaves the responding to our customers,” said
K Gothic Bookshop empty handed.
“I often go in with one book in
mind and come out with that and
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
something else as well,” said Cumiskey,
a development associate for Perkins book about it on the shelf.”
That personal touch, and a love
Library. “It is all good stuff. There is
no fluff, and the staff give great advice of reading, brings Willie Jennings to
on what to read.” the bookstore at least twice a month.
A professor of theology in the
Cumiskey enjoys the ongoing
shop discounts: 10 percent off Divinity School, he browses staff Willie Jennings, professor of theology in the Divinity
paperbacks, 20 percent off hardbacks picks, religion, African-American School, browses the shelves at Duke’s Gothic Bookshop.
and 30 percent off the “staff picks” history, psychology and sociology
table at the front of the store. and fiction. Armchair sleuths, led by World and
Despite packed book shelves in his graduate student Cynthia Greenlee-
The Gothic, located in the Bryan
Center on West Campus, has been an home and office, Jennings always finds Donnell, gather on the last Thursday
independent bookstore at Duke since more to intrigue him. “I’ve grown of the month from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to
1956. The three full-time staff immensely by having the Gothic here,” unravel a mystery from a new country.
members – all book lovers – thrive on he said. “It reminds me why I am a Cumiskey, the Perkins Library
development associate, said a
the challenge of ensuring that scholar and why I am at Duke.”
The back of the bookstore – a step combination of good reads, interesting
somewhere among roughly 32,000
books, there is something for everyone. away from the door into Joe Van Gogh events and helpful staff makes Gothic
“We order new books every coffee shop – has a collection of a draw. ”It is one of those things that
day, so we can be very nimble in comfortable chairs. Here, Duke makes the experience of working on
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 drop- Senior Writer, Office of
in knitting club. The International Communication Services
Mystery Book Club also meets here.
For daily news and information, visit
duke.edu/today