Board approves one-time pay adjustmentOn Tuesday, SPC’s Board of Trustees approved a one-time pay adjustment for all budgeted employees that will be included in the Oct. 9 paychecks. The pay adjustment applies to all budgeted employees who were actively employed as of July 1, 2009. The adjustment consists of 2 percent of an employee’s annual base salary. Over the last few years, in the face of dwindling financial support and declining state funding per student, the college has worked diligently to maintain a strong budget. Enrollment for this term is at a record level – up 12 percent among two-year students, 24 percent among four-year students and 13 percent overall. That unprecedented increase in enrollment has generated additional revenue. “Many in the college family have worked so hard to serve our burgeoning population in these trying economic times. We want to share our budgeting success with you,” said SPC President Carl M. Kuttler Jr. “As always, we appreciate all that you do to meet the educational needs of our students.” New faculty graduation attendance policy
Effective this fall, faculty members will be able to sign up for December graduations as an alternative to May ceremonies. Summer graduations will become a faculty option next year. SPC President Carl M. Kuttler Jr. agreed to the new policy, which will allow faculty members to celebrate with students in their particular programs. Also, it will allow flexibility for those who have commitments during the break between spring and summer terms. The new policy also will include faculty processionals in full regalia at all SPC graduations. The Faculty Senate President will send out a collegewide e-mail that will contain links to slots reserved for full-time faculty members. This year, the e-mail will be sent in the fall term for the December graduation. Sign-ups will be filled on a first-come – first-served basis. Those who do not secure slots for the July or December graduations will be required to participate in the following May graduation. Attendance will be monitored; anyone who signs up for one of the earlier slots but who does not participate will be required to march in the May ceremony.
|
Faculty members who are required to participate in May graduations soon will be able to decide which graduation to attend.
Starting Monday, SPC will offer a five-week Personal Training Certification course at St. Petersburg/Gibbs’ Wellness Center.
Stop and breathe! That is the best thing to do in stressful times when a million tasks are pulling you in different directions. You are not alone; everyone deals with it. The ways we complicate our lives dictate our stress levels. A little preparation and focus will get you through the rough times and into the clear without a minute to waste.  |
Wellness Coordinator Explore the SPC Wellness blog for additional wellness articles. |
Tankless water heaters
Conventional water heaters require a great amount of time and energy to warm. Tankless water heaters provide instant, unlimited access to hot water. In fact, when installed at each hot water faucet, tankless water heaters can be up to 40% more energy efficient than conventional water heaters and run at 99% efficiency (brand new conventional heaters are at 80%).
Tankless water heaters, also called instantaneous, continuous flow, inline, flash, on-demand or instant-on water heaters, have been gaining popularity in recent years. They instantly heat water as it flows through the unit. Smaller tankless heaters usually are installed at each point-of-use, while one larger model may provide all the hot water for an entire house. These heaters can be up to 40% more energy efficient than conventional water heaters.
Point-of-use, tankless water heaters are installed where water is being used, so water is almost instantly hot, saving water since it is wasted after turning on a faucet while waiting for it to heat. This is due to the fact that the cold water in the pipes between the faucet and the water heater needs to be flushed out first. No hot water is left in the pipes after the water is shut off, saving more water and energy than centrally installed tankless water heaters.
Historically, point-of-use water heaters were electric, typically more expensive and less efficient than gas. A gas tankless water heater can cut approximately 30% of a homeowner’s energy usage.
Advantages of tankless water heaters
- Since water is heated only when needed, there is no hot water storage. With a tank, water is continuously kept hot even if it never gets used.
- Although flow rate determines the amount of hot water generated at one time, an unlimited supply of hot water is available.
- There is no stored water, so there is no risk of water damage from a leaking tank.
- Most tankless water heaters can be mounted on a wall.
Disadvantages of tankless water heaters
- Installing a tankless system comes at an increased cost ($800 to $1,150 vs. $300 to $500 for conventional heaters), especially when installed in retro-fits.
- Practical tankless water heaters are limited to gas and electricity. This disqualifies renewable energy sources such as solar because of the storage tank requirement.
- Tankless electric heaters, when installed in a large numbers of homes, can create demand management problems for electrical utilities. Because hot water use tends to peak at certain times of the day, it can cause short spikes in the demand for electricity.
- There is a short delay between the time the water begins to flow and when the heater activates the heating elements/gas burner. Turning a hot water faucet on and off repeatedly can result in periods of hot water, then cold.
- In a tankless water heater, the faster the flow, the less time the water spends being heated.
- Tankless water heaters only heat water on demand; when installed far away from a faucet, the wait time for hot water increases.
To participate in the Sustainable | SPC initiative, visit www.spcollege.edu/sustainability or call Jason Green at 341-3283.
 |
Sustainability Coordinator Explore our Sustainability Web site or our Sustainability blog for additional articles. |
Onward & Upward
Tarpon Springs Mathematics Instructor Lakshminarayan Rajaram attended a Presidential Reception on the 50th Anniversary of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE), in conjunction with the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Sept. 7-12 in Munich, Germany.
The conference was co-sponsored by the International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering, of which Rajaram is a member.
The World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering is held every three years. It describes itself as “the world’s leading forum for presenting the results of current scientific work as well as major innovations in health-related technologies to an international audience.”
SPC TV
Here is the broadcast schedule for the original cultural programs recorded by SPC for broadcast on the college station. SPC-TV can be seen on Bright House 620, Knology 19 and Verizon 47 in Pinellas County.
NEW – The Music Center Presents : Faculty Recital - WATCH THE VIDEO: (30 min.)
Or watch it on SPC TV: Sunday at 3:30 p.m.; Thursday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a .m. For details on other Department of Music events, visit the Department of Music Web site.
» The Music Center Presents: SPC Summer Chorus
Sunday at 4 p.m.; Tuesday at 8 p.m. and Friday at 8 p.m.
» A Night at the Palladium: La Traviata Opera
Sunday at 11 a.m.; Wednesday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m.
For details on other Palladium events, visit the Palladium Web site.
» Frontline: Behind the Lines
Sunday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 9 p.m.
For details on other Palladium events, visit the Palladium Web site.
» The Music Center Presents: Rebecca Penneys
Monday at 9 p.m.
For details on other Department of Music events, visit the Department of Music Web site.