Abandoned bikes to be removed from campus beginning Nov. 1
The University of Michigan Grounds Department is gearing up to remove abandoned bicycles from the bike racks on the Ann Arbor campus beginning Nov. 1. Brightly colored tags will be placed on bikes that show signs of abandonment, such as bent rims, rusted or broken chains, deteriorated tires or frozen brakes, cables or shifters. Each tag and bike will be photographed and have its location, model, color, serial number and registration documented, if available. This information will be provided to the U-M Police Department. Tagged bikes left on campus after Nov. 15 will be considered abandoned and will be removed by the Grounds Department. Bicycle owners who want to retrieve their bikes should contact the U-M Grounds Department at 734-763-5539. All collected bicycles will be donated to a local nonprofit to be refurbished and donated to Michigan schools. The program, which launched in 2016, has since removed over 1,000 abandoned bicycles campus to make room in the bike racks.
Annual Blood Battle with Ohio State underway through Nov. 24
This year’s Blood Battle against Ohio State University, in which schools compete to see which one can generate more blood donations, runs through Nov. 24. Whether one has never donated blood before or donates every year, consider donating for Blood Battle to be a part of the fight to save lives across the state and country. To make an appointment to donate, visit bloodbattle.org and click “Donate” on the homepage, or click “Schedule” for a list of blood drives on or near campus. Donors also can visit the American Red Cross’s website, redcrossblood.org, and insert the sponsor code “goblue.” Due to COVID-19, appointments are strongly recommended and walk-ins will only be permitted as space permits. All presenting donors will receive a Blood Battle T-shirt and coupon for Washtenaw Dairy while supplies last. Donors will also be entered into a raffle for gift cards to local businesses and other prizes.
Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship applications open through November
The Center for Academic Innovation is seeking faculty to participate in the 2022 Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship Program. The program brings together an interdisciplinary, intergenerational group of faculty members interested in building community and learning skills from each other and campus experts to effectively engage the public in the university’s work. The fellowship is open to faculty on the Ann Arbor campus, and the application deadline is Dec. 1. The center partners with several faculty and organizational units throughout U-M in offering the fellowship each year. There are two phases: a five-week intensive Studio Experience, and a second phase where faculty interested in a large-scale public engagement project can apply for project support of up to $10,000 and in-kind support from the center and partner campus units. For more information, to apply, or to see a schedule of informational virtual coffee hours, visit ai.umich.edu/pe-faculty-fellowship/. Email questions to peff.admin@umich.edu.
Process for migrating files from U-M Box to Dropbox enters grace period
The scheduled Box-to-Dropbox migration window has closed. The Information and Technology Services Self-Service Migration tool will remain available until Nov. 14, as a grace period. Instead of individuals being able to schedule a migration date for their U-M Box files and folders, the tool will assign one. Any data remaining in U-M Box after Nov. 14 will be archived briefly before being scheduled for deletion. Archived data can be retrieved only through the disaster-recovery process, which is expensive and time-consuming and does not provide any collaborations, share history, previous versions or metadata, and some file types are unable to be recovered. Individuals or their units will be responsible for covering any costs associated with retrieving archived data. Deleted U-M Box data cannot be recovered in any form. More information is available at its.umich.edu/computing/backup-storage/box-retirement-project.
Anti-Racist Digital Research Initiative offers funding, support for projects
The Anti-Racist Digital Research Initiative is a mini-grant program that supports early-stage digital scholarship projects that advance anti-racism and social justice in the humanities, arts, and humanistic social sciences. Projects can take a broad range of forms, from collecting community interviews to providing access to data in interesting ways, such as digital maps or collections. The program provides limited startup funding to help develop digital research project prototypes; planning support for the entire lifecycle of a project, from concept creation through planning for preservation; access to library and technical expertise; technical support. Awards are for one year of funding and a maximum of $5,000. Learn more about the grants and how to apply. The initiative is a combined effort of the U-M Library, LSA Technology Services, and National Center for Institutional Diversity’s Anti-Racism Collaborative.
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
