Author: Brynn Boyer

We are creatures of habit.  Fifteen or so years ago when offices first began using e-mail, you may have found yourself printing out every single one that you would send and receive.  Was it really necessary to print out that “Thank you for my birthday card!” e-mail from your co-worker?  At the time with e-mail being so new, maybe many of us DID think it was necessary!  Hopefully you still do not take printing out e-mails to that extreme, but if you took a moment to think about it, is it necessary to print out the e-mails that you do on a regular basis?  Maybe there are some annual projects that involve always printing out the correspondence between involved parties so that you have it as a reference for the future.  But is there another way to manage that in order to reduce the amount of printing that you do?

One suggestion that might be useful is to utilize the Folder feature in MS Outlook to store correspondence.  Hopefully you already do this as it’s an excellent way to stay organized.  But if you are not utilizing the Folder feature in Outlook, it is very easy to do.  Simply go to the Help feature in Outlook and browse “How to create a Folder” to get started.  Once you get familiar with using folders in Outlook, you will likely start to think of more and more ways to reduce the amount of e-mails that you normally print out.  Another great aspect of using folders is that if you’re checking your e-mail from home using EagleNet, you will be able to access your folders to pull up information that you might need while away from the office.  Much more convenient than having to wait to get back to the office to browse through a binder or stack of papers with that information printed out.  In addition to e-mails, also consider (if applicable) saving documents, presentations, and projects on your office’s shared drive as opposed to printing them out.  Always remember that not everything should be saved electronically — refer to the UMW policy regarding the Electronic Storage of Highly Sensitive Data as there are specific restrictions regarding how and when data can be electronically stored.

If you have any suggestions for things we can all do differently each day to create more sustainable environments, please feel free to leave a comment or email me the idea to be featured in a future Tip of the Week.

The PCS Action Group members for the “Office Sustainability Tip of the Week” are Kevin Caffrey, Elizabeth Sanders, Robert Louzek, and Dre Anthes.

Last week’s Tip of the Week: Donations.

Mark your calendars for the next blood drive at the Stafford campus — Wednesday, April 10 from 1 to 7 p.m.

If you are interested in donating, please email Kevin Caffrey (kcaffrey@umw.edu) with one or two preferred times that you would like to donate.  You can choose any time in increments of 15 minutes from 1-6:45 p.m.

For this drive, anyone who donates blood automatically will have a chance to win a movie treat basket with a Regal Cinema gift card and treats associated with watching a movie at home.

Associate Professors of Psychology Miriam Liss and Holly Schiffrin’s study “Helping or Hovering? The Effects of Helicopter Parenting on College Students’ Well-Being” examines the impact over-controlling parents have on college students.

The study, published in Springer’s Journal of Child and Family Studies, shows that college students who have “helicopter parents” are more likely to be depressed and less satisfied with their lives. This type of parenting negatively affects students’ well-being by infringing on their need to feel both autonomous and competent.

Articles and segments about the study have appeared in national and international outlets, including Reuters, CBS, WTOP, and The Daily Mail (U.K.).

Associate Professor of Psychology Mindy Erchull, Haley Miles-McLean ’13, Katherine A. Geary ’12 and Taryn Tashner ’12 also contributed to the study.

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the university’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, spoke recently about the prospects for President Obama’s second term as part of the “2013 American Leadership Program: Inaugural Visions,” a nation-wide cable program broadcast from George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The program aired on public and educational television channels around the country.

In addition, Farnsworth has been interviewed recently by several news outlets for stories relating to Obama’s State of the Union speech and his second term, including Businessweek, CTV Television News of Canada, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Inside Higher Education,  NewsChannel 8 DC, and area radio stations WFVA and WFLS.

The UMW club tennis team won the Team Sportmanship Award at the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Tennis On Campus Sectionals, held at Old Dominion University Feb. 2 to 3. The UMW team, one of 14 teams at the tournament, lost to Virginia Commonwealth University in the semi-final round of the silver bracket. Tournament staff recognized UMW’s team with the award and a gift card to Tennis Warehouse.