Ramping up for Summer Program

Recently completed the AMS Online Ocean Studies Diversity Project Implementation Workshop. It was really interesting.

I've been seriously slacking on writing up a research paper. There's so many damned things that keep getting in my way. I need to get focused this week and crank it out.

Because after this week, the KCC Summer Grant will be in swing. Its a 500k$ grant this year. We have "Purchase Cards" or P-cards, which are Visa debit cards attached to the grant (but with pre-set limits). I recently reached my limit and have had to request that the limit be raised. The Principle Investigator (Dr. Mikalopas) approves, now the Grant Administration Officer has to, and then they have to inform the Research Foundation that they approve. Then it should take effect. The RF told me that it could be ready to go this week.

One of the more difficult aspects of this project that I am anticipating is organizing the students. We'd like for them to start each day off with some sort of common experience, and then segway into smaller groups. At the same time they're going to be pulled out, 6 at a time, to sail on the boat and do work there. This will happen two times each day. I think that we're just going to have to pull out 12 kids at a time, have 6 on the boat, and the other 6 on the ground engaged in an activity and waiting for the boat, as the second half of the day. This seems better than pulling out six kids of 24 in the middle of a class. We shall see.

Trip encumberment

I spoke with Natasha Roth regarding trip reimbursement / encumberment. She stated that I can apply for a trip reimbursement through the Procurement System, and that whenever she does so prior to the trip occuring, she is called by the final approver and told to instead re-do it once the trip is completed. I still will need to fill out an "Application to Attend a Conference" form and have it signed by the Chair. But then afterwards, upon return, I will apply for reimbursement.

Human Resources and Leave Time

This is probably pretty late in the game to be figuring this sort of stuff out. But here it is for my own reference. I accumulate as a FT CLT 1 2/3 days per month sick leave, an can hold up to 160 days. I receive 4 unscheduled Holidays per year that can't be held over, they expire within the year. I also receive 1 1/4 days of annual leave per month, which comes out to 15 days a year. No more than 45 days can be held or carried over a year. A year runs from September 1st through to August 31st. This is per Ms. Rosanne Scalice in HR (6525).