Board of Regents to meet June 15 in University Hall
The Board of Regents is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. June 15 at University Hall in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building. Members of the public will also be able to watch a livestream of the meeting at umich.edu/watch/, but those wishing to make comments during the meeting must attend in person. An agenda will be posted at noon June 12 at regents.umich.edu/meetings/agendas/. To offer public comment at the meeting, sign up before 9 a.m. June 14 at regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/form. People with disabilities who need assistance should contact the Office of the Vice President and Secretary of the University in advance at 734-763-8194. For more information, go to regents.umich.edu.
Garden celebrates 10 years of little trees making a big impact
The Bonsai and Penjing Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens is celebrating its 10th year in June with a month-long celebration, including workshops, demonstrations and family-friendly activities. Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum’s Bonsai collection actually began in 1977 and was formally established as the Bonsai and Penjing Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens in 2013. Since then, the collection has grown to become one of the premier collections of Bonsai and Penjing in North America. Learn more about the Bonsai and Penjing Garden’s celebration events at mbgna.umich.edu/little-trees-big-impact-event/.
Registered nurse Jamie Eidsath elected to police panel
Jamie Eidsath, registered nurse with U-M Health, was elected to represent bargained-for staff on the U-M Police Department Oversight Committee for a two-year term beginning June 2023. The oversight committee receives and makes recommendations regarding grievances against any police officer deputized by the university. The committee includes two students, two faculty members and two staff members who are elected by their peers. More information on the committee is available at hr.umich.edu/pdoc.
University, Skilled Trades Union reach tentative contract agreement
The University of Michigan and the U-M Skilled Trades Union reached a tentative agreement on a new contract covering about 500 U-M employees on all three campuses late last month. The tentative agreement includes wage increases over the four-year contract term. Additional details are pending the outcome of a ratification vote by union members. The union includes such employees as electricians, plumbers and carpenters. The current four-year contract was set to expire May 31. Union members will vote on the new agreement in the coming weeks.
Michigan Dining awarded for sustainability efforts, creative catering
Michigan Dining has earned the National Association of College & University Food Services’ gold award in outreach and education for its comprehensive campus sustainability and social responsibility efforts, and the bronze Loyal E. Horton Dining Award for innovation in event catering. MDining earned a gold award for its work with the U-M Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus through initiatives like carbon labeling and “Sustainable Mondays.” Launched in January 2022, carbon labels now appear on residential dining hall, retail and catering menu signage to encourage and educate the U-M community to make sustainable food choices. The “Sustainable Mondays” initiative — where chefs replaced red meat with lower-emission proteins, like poultry or plant-based proteins, across the nine residential dining halls — could help reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions. The Loyal E. Horton Dining Award came in the catering special event category for MDining’s 2022 Culinary Council Chefs’ Summit event, an annual, multiday event that brings chefs from across the country to Ann Arbor to receive hands-on training from MDining’s certified executive chefs.
More older adults use patient portals; access, attitudes vary
Far more older adults these days log on to secure websites or apps to connect with their health information or have a virtual health care appointment, compared with five years ago, a new poll shows. Overall, 78% of people aged 50 to 80 have used at least one patient portal, up from 51% in a poll taken five years ago, according to findings from the U-M National Poll on Healthy Aging. Of those with portal access, 55% had used it in the past month, and 49% have accounts on more than one portal. But the poll also reveals major disparities, with some groups of older adults less likely to use patient portals, or more likely to have concerns about them. Older adults with annual household incomes below $60,000, and those who are Black or Hispanic, have lower rates of portal use, and were less likely to say they’re comfortable using a portal. Among older adults who use online portals, the poll shows many still prefer phone calls for some tasks like scheduling appointments or asking a medical question. Portal users in general said they prefer the portal to the phone when it comes to tasks such as getting test results and requesting refills of their prescriptions. Read more about the study online.
— Compiled by James Iseler and Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
