AROUND UB

Marcela Espinoza, student employee in the Office of Disability Services, is carried down a flight of stairs in the Academic Center by Public Safety Officer Jason Kunz (left) and Sgt. Russ Kemp in a recent demonstration of the Evac+ chair. The chairs have been placed in a number of UB buildings to assist disabled persons in the event of an emergency evacuation.

UB Establishes New Protocols for Emergencies

Three specially designed evacuation chairs for disabled persons have been purchased by the University and placed in strategic locations in the Academic Center, the Robert G. Merrick School of Business and the School of Law. The chairs, manufactured by Evac+ Chair Corp., are designed to transport a person down flights of stairs in an emergency with the help of someone in front of and behind the chair. Public Safety officers routinely train in order to operate the chairs safely, according to Sam Tress, chief of Public Safety, and Jacque Truelove, director of the Office of Disability Services.

The chairs, which feature a set of flexible rollers that act as a slide on stairs, are more reliable than a wheelchair or other assistance devices because they are lighter and don’t require an elevator. Taking an elevator in a fire or other emergency can have disastrous consequences, Tress said, because of the potential for a power outage and the possibility that the doors could open onto a floor engulfed in fire.

“Staying out of an elevator in an emergency is a high priority,” Tress said.

In addition to the chairs, the University is establishing several “rescue assistance areas,” where persons in need of assistance can seek refuge in the event of a fire or other emergency. These areas, usually on stair landings in all UB buildings, are reliable places to wait for rescue personnel to seek out people for evacuation. The idea is to give rescuers a reliable place where they can find and to help those who need assistance negotiating stairs in an emergency.

“Any building on our campus has several occupied rooms during the day or night,” Tress said. “If there is an emergency, considerable time could be saved if our personnel, firefighters and police knew where to look for anybody who needs help exiting.”

Tress advised students and personnel to follow established procedures for exiting a building during an emergency—look for a fire exit sign, take the stairs, stay out of elevators, etc. —but to consider the refuge areas as a fallback in any given situation.

“These areas don’t supersede standard safety procedures,” he said. “But they do provide us with another way of helping disabled people leave a building quickly and safely.” 

As for the chairs, the University intends to purchase more and place them in other buildings, Truelove said. The Langsdale Library will be equipped with a chair soon.

“We plan to have at least two in the new Student Center, and we’re looking at other locations to make sure our disabled-student population is covered,” Truelove said.

Rebecca Spence from the Office of Human Resources and David Galvin of SkillSoft go through a demonstration of SkillSoft's capabilities during the learning tool's campuswide introduction on Feb. 22.

SkillSoft Learning Tool Draws Employees

SkillSoft, UB’s new e-learning program free to all UB faculty and staff, made its debut on Feb. 22 with training sessions and a Q&A with a representative from the “cyber school.” The Office of Human Resources organized the event, which took place in the the William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center.

More than 75 employees attended the launch, which featured how-to labs in Room 015. Employees witnessed a real-time demonstration of the portal tool, which allows individuals to sign up for an extensive array of classes on topics ranging from information technology to leadership and management and even personal safety. Classes can be taken at the employee’s own pace and are available from any PC. Various credits are available and can be applied to the employee’s recognized skill set.

David Galvin, representative for SkillSoft, pointed out that the courseware not only can be used to broaden an employee’s abilities, but also provides a quick brush-up on everyday tools like PowerPoint.

“You might have a PowerPoint presentation that afternoon, and need a quick reminder of how to run something in the software,” Galvin said. “You can go into SkillSoft in the morning and take a quick course that will answer all your questions.”

Rebecca Spence, associate director of the Office of Human Resources, pointed out the time- and labor-saving aspect of the brush-up feature.

“That in and of itself makes it a great benefit,” Spence said. “At times, we’ve all had to rely on our fellow employees to help us understand something like PowerPoint, and now we don’t have to pull them away from their tasks in order to answer a question.”

Employees will be able to take job-related training during work hours with supervisor approval, or training of their choice from home or elsewhere. It’s up to the enrollee to decide the pace of learning. SkillSoft also provides online access to books, real-world simulations, seminars, workshops and mentoring. Certificates are available upon the successful completion of courses.

In a note to employees, UB President Robert L. Bogomolny said the SkillSoft program “exemplifies many of the institution’s core values. But one in particular comes to mind: access. As stated in the University’s Strategic Plan, ‘All members have the opportunity to further their hopes and dreams.’”

Mt. Washington Driving Range Opens April 1

UB’s Mt. Washington Golf Driving Range will open for the season on Friday, April 1. Located just off Northern Parkway at 2101 W. Rogers Ave., the range will be available Mondays through Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in April. In May, daily hours will be extended until 7 p.m.; in June, July and August, daily hours will be extended until 8 p.m. Starting in September, daily hours will revert back to a 7 p.m. closing. At the end of the season, in October, the range will close at 6 p.m. Opening hours remain the same throughout the season.  

The Mt. Washington range offers 18 available tee boxes and reasonable prices. Large buckets of balls (approximately 80) cost $7, while smaller buckets (approximately 40 balls) are $5. Frequent Golfer Cards (cash or most major credit cards accepted) entitle golfers to a savings of $14 (12 large buckets of balls for the price of 10), and lessons with a golf pro can be arranged by appointment.

For more information, call the Mt. Washington Golf Driving Range at 410.664.2824 or visit www.ubalt.edu/auxserv/Drivingrange.html.