Business Services Update |
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July 16, 2013,
Volume 60, No.1 |
Penn’s Business Services Division (BSD) provides the leadership, business practices, facilities, and services needed to develop and maintain a hospitable, fiscally responsible, customer-friendly campus environment. Our mission is to provide high-quality service in a fiscally-responsible manner and our vision is to continually set the standard within each of our operating units. Please take note of the following updates to some of our services as well as promotions benefiting the Penn community in the upcoming year.
—Marie Witt, Vice President, Business Services
Penn’s Children’s Center
Penn Children’s Center (PCC) accepts applications year-round for infants, toddlers and children of preschool age. Enrollment for all ages is subject to space availability.
PCC, located in the Left Bank complex at 3160 Chestnut Street, serves children ages 12 weeks through five years. PCC has been re-accredited with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and has earned the highest quality rating of 4-STARS under the State’s Keystone Stars Child Care Quality Initiative. Assisted rates are available to regular University employees who meet eligibility requirements, subject to space availability and funding. (These rates are not available to UPHS employees.) Part-time slots and sibling discounts are also available. Please contact Penn Children’s Center at (215) 898-5268 for additional information or to arrange a tour. You can also visit the Center’s website at www.upenn.edu/childcare
PCC Rates for 2013-2014
Effective Monday, July 1, 2013
PENN CHILDREN’S CENTER |
PENN |
REGULAR |
ASSISTED A |
ASSISTED B |
FY14 Regular Rate Schedule (enrolled after 7/1/2012) |
INFANTS |
5 Days |
$419 |
$448 |
$255 |
$306 |
4 Days |
$364 |
$389 |
$217 |
$260 |
3 Days |
$306 |
$328 |
$184 |
$220 |
2 Days |
$214 |
$229 |
$130 |
$153 |
TODDLERS |
5 Days |
$379 |
$406 |
$226 |
$271 |
4 Days |
$333 |
$356 |
$197 |
$234 |
3 Days |
$276 |
$296 |
$164 |
$199 |
2 Days |
$192 |
$205 |
$111 |
$134 |
PRESCHOOL |
5 Days |
$308 |
$330 |
$189 |
$224 |
4 Days |
$267 |
$286 |
$173 |
$193 |
3 Days |
$233 |
$250 |
$140 |
$165 |
2 Days |
$169 |
$181 |
$95 |
$116 |
Tuition Fees are in effect from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014
Penn Rate is available to Penn faculty, staff, students and UPHS employees.
Assisted A Rates are for Penn faculty and staff only with combined family income below $55,000/year.
Assisted B Rates are for Penn faculty and staff only with combined family income below $65,000/year.
Assisted rates are available only to regular University (not UPHS) faculty and staff meeting eligibility requirements. Subject to space and funding.
Ben’s Attic: Significant Enhancements
Purchasing Services is pleased to announce major improvements to Ben’s Attic. These enhancements have been made possible through a Green Fund Grant and are based on feedback and surveys conducted last spring. Ben’s Attic, Penn’s online exchange for surplus property, now features new procedural and functional enhancements, all designed to make Ben’s Attic the place to shop and repurpose the University’s surplus supplies and equipment in an easy and sustainable way, supporting the University’s Climate Action Plan.
Highlights of these enhancements include:
Redefined User Roles—The role of Buyer/Seller has been created and is open to all faculty and staff members with a PennKey. Buyers/Sellers have the ability to suggest listings and make purchases; however, they will be required to enter the name of their Business Administrator when performing the listing or purchasing functions. This role replaces the Group Administrator, all of whom are automatically registered as Buyers/Sellers in this new version.
New Item Categories and Search Functionality—The categories of “All” and “New” have been added to the Listings Category Page. This removes the uncertainty of how items are categorized, and highlights new additions. The search functionality on this page also has been upgraded to allow you to search across all categories at once, rather than one category at a time.
Item Information—In order to facilitate the exchange of information between the Seller and potential Buyers, the Item Listing Detail Information Page now displays the name, phone number, and email address of the Seller. The Item Listing Summary Page now highlights all items listed for free by displaying them in the color green.
Listing Management—Sellers now have the ability to edit any information pertaining to their own listing as well the ability to delete it if necessary or to repurpose the item outside of Ben’s Attic. After 90 days unsold items are dropped from the Current Listings Page, but may be relisted by the System Administrator upon request.
Updated training material can be found on Ben’s Attic, https://upenn.unl.edu/. If you should have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact BENATTIC@exchange.upenn.edu.
Penn Bookstore Renovations and Relocations of the PennCard Center and Computer Connection
The Penn Bookstore is undergoing renovations this summer. Among the changes will be the relocation of the PennCard office and Computer Connection, both of which will occupy the section currently housing music and DVDs on the second floor. With these moves, members of the Penn Community will now be able to purchase books, supplies and branded merchandise, get passport photos taken, buy stamps, use a notary and have their technology needs met all under one roof.
Next to the café on the second floor, a new multipurpose study space will be added with new desks, chairs and USB-equipped outlets. The space will be designed so it can transform into a presentation room with seating for 50 people and appropriate multimedia equipment for events such as faculty author lectures and book signings.
The first floor will undergo changes including the relocation of spirit wear to the front of the building. While the book section will be reorganized, the priority will be to preserve the existing number of titles, in particular maintaining categories that are of academic interest, and highlighting those by Penn faculty authors. In addition, Wi-Fi service will be amplified and food options will be expanded and more centralized in the café section.
Renovations have been taking place since June 3 and will continue until early August in preparation for the fall semester. During the renovations some areas may be restricted due to construction. For the convenience of the campus community, however, the project was planned such that operating hours for Bookstore, PennCard and the Computer Connection will remain normal. Renovations should be completed mid-August, with both relocated organizations with no interruption of services in the interim.
Commuter Programs for Penn Commuters
Penn encourages the use of public transportation and provides SEPTA monthly TransPasses and TrailPasses through payroll deduction at a 10 percent discount on a pre-tax basis up to $245 per month. Full-time Penn faculty and staff are eligible.
For those employees who participate in the Online Commuter Program, effective, July 1, 2013, the following rates reflect SEPTA’s first increase since 2010. SEPTA’s modifications to Regional Rail Zones can be found at www.septa.org/fares/new/index.html. To make changes or review your Online Commuter Program account, please go to www.upenn.edu/penncommuter
Zone |
SEPTA Retail Cost for a Monthly Pass |
Penn Monthly Payroll Deduction1 |
Penn Weekly Payroll Deduction1 |
City TransPass |
$91.00 |
$82.13 |
$20.53 |
Zone 1 TrailPass |
$101.00 |
$91.15 |
$22.79 |
Zone 2 TrailPass |
$135.00 |
$121.84 |
$30.46 |
Zone 3 TrailPass |
$163.00 |
$147.11 |
$36.78 |
Anywhere TrailPass |
$191.00 |
$172.38 |
$43.09 |
1 Reflective of SEPTA’s five percent discount; Penn’s five percent subsidy; on a pre- tax basis up to $245.
Other Commuting Options
As a means of both cost savings and participating in Penn’s Sustainable Transportation Initiative, which contributes to the efforts of the Green Campus Partnership, Penn Parking provides the following alternatives to driving alone to campus:
• Transit cost-savings program,
• Pre-tax commuter parking,
• Vanpool development and support,
• Carpool parking discounts, and
• Occasional parking discounts.
Details about these programs are available on our website at www.upenn.edu/penncommuter
Event Parking Arrangements
If you plan to host an event on campus and will need parking for your guests, please send an email to the Parking Office, parking@upenn.edu, to make arrangements in advance to ensure that parking will be available.
The staff members in the departments of Transportation and Parking wish to express their thanks and appreciation for the support of the Penn community over the past year and look forward to serving your needs going forward.
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations for Penn Parking Patrons
Two fully operational Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations, operated by the Blink Network, have been installed in Penn Parking’s Law Surface Lot. Establishing an account with the Blink Network at https://www.blinknetwork.com is required to take advantage of this offering.
All permit holders assigned to the Law Lot are welcome to use the stations at any time. If you have an electric vehicle and are not currently assigned to the Law Lot, we welcome you to contact Parking Services at parking@upenn.edu to discuss relocating. Access to the Law Lot is via the north side of Chestnut Street, east of 34th Street and can be found on the Penn Parking Map at www.upenn.edu/parking, under “Where to Park.”
Permit holders from other locations are also welcome to use the charging stations during the hours of 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday-Friday and at anytime on the weekends (important note: a valid parking hangtag must be displayed).
We encourage patrons to utilize the charging stations in ways that optimize the availability for all users. The stations are available on a “first-come/first-served” basis and are intended to be “top-off” locations rather than for primary charging. As such we request that a maximum 4-hour time limit for EV charging be observed. Adhering to these practices will be helpful, ensuring a positive experience for all users.
Computer Connection Technology Sale
Penn faculty, staff and students are eligible to take advantage of significant educational discounts on Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft products, plus special offers on a number of other computer options, during the Penn Computer Connection’s Back-to-School Sale, happening throughout the summer. For more information, visit the Computer Connection showroom at the Penn Bookstore or view the online catalog at http://cms.business-services.upenn.edu/computerstore/
Penn Hotel Rates for FY 2014
The Penn Rates (available for rooms booked using a Penn Budget Code) as of July 1, 2013 are as follows:
• Hilton Inn at Penn: $243
• Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel: $194
FY14 Mail Services Program
Penn Mail Services thanks its patrons for utilizing its services and would like to announce important changes to the offerings it currently provides to the University community.
Presort Mail Program
Beginning on Monday, August 5, 2013, Penn Mail Services will expand the presort mail program. This service enhancement will help Schools and Centers hold their postage costs at levels previously in effect while implementing a system that will accelerate the delivery of mail to its final destination.
Traditionally Penn Mail Services has limited its presort process to large envelopes. Going forward, to further expedite mail delivery and to maintain costs on behalf of University clients, more of Penn’s domestic regular size mail will be presorted.
Effective August 5, 2013, all outgoing US Mail will default to a presorting process. However, Penn Mail Services recognizes that there are instances in which the departments may require an alternate process. Schools and Centers will be issued revised Mail Authorization Cards (MAC). Departments can indicate alternative preferences on the card. Mail Services plans to distribute these revised forms in late July.
Presorted mail rates will experience no increase; fees will remain at the current 12%. This 12% rate has held steady for over ten years. A 2% rate increase (from 12 to 14%) will apply for departments electing options other than presort.
Large Intramural Mail Program
In most instances, Penn Mail Services operates the University’s intramural or inter-campus mail at no charge to Schools and Centers. The increasing costs associated with handling large piece counts makes it necessary for us to establish a new Large-Volume Intramural Mail rate structure.
Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, mailings of 100 pieces or greater will be assessed a per-piece fee of 15 cents. A discounted rate is available to users who place large standing orders of at least 60,000 annual pieces per year with Mail Services. Those customers who believe they may qualify for the large volume discount are encouraged to contact Mail Services using the email listed below.
Penn Mail Services recognizes that certain departments have historically taken advantage of a rate structure associated with mailings of 2,500 pieces or more. The new 100-piece threshold will apply for those customers as well; however, the rate increase will be phased in over a three year period: FY14: 10 cents/piece; FY15: 12 cents/piece; and FY16: 15 cents/piece.
For more information about the presort mail and large intramural mail programs and any other questions you may have, please visit www.upenn.edu/mail or contact Penn Mail Services at mailsrvs@exchange.upenn.edu
—Darren Hagerman, Assistant Director of Mail Services
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