Business Processes
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Suggestion
Use Skype for non-sensitive phone calls
Suggestion
I don`t think the 125 years banners were necessary. I think we should have just washed the old ones and
used the extra money to use more salt because not enough salt is used when it snows or is icy and many
people fall on ice.
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Suggestion
Lankenau hospital has a sort of a "Craig`s list" system for office supplies: if you have extra of
something, or need something, just post and see if any other offices or departments have the resources
to meet your needs before you buy any more.
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Suggestion
For those who have permission to travel, cut out the travel agency. I can get more cheaper airfare flights
online without using them. Every ticket has a $36.00 fee we must pay. If I do this online myself, it cuts
$36.00 out of each ticket.
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Suggestion
Take out the trash less inside buildings. I watched someone come throw away a bag of trash that was
only 1/5 full, there were only a few things in the bottom.This would save time and the cost of garbage
bags and disposal.
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Suggestion
Keep the steps open in TUCC after 8 so we can use the steps instead of waiting forever for the
elevators. Seriously, people wanna use the steps so this will keep the use of the elevator low.
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Suggestion
Centralize office supplies. That would eliminate the splurge purchases and also allow the community to
share resources like interoffice envelopes...there are about 300 I/O Envelopes sitting outside of Accounts
Payable alone.
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Suggestion
The volume of designing and printing for over 133 majors within Temple plus printing for all other
departments is very high. The quality and quantity of all print jobs should be investigated. We need to
cutback on glossy, heavy weight stock, bleeds, die cuts and full color jobs. We could save a great deal
by auditing our printing operations.
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Suggestion
My College uses entirely too much paper and financial resources for brochures, flyers, posters and other
printed communication using multicolored, glossy, cardstock paper and printing. This is wasteful. How
many other departments spend this much on printing and PR just because it is what was done in the past?
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Suggestion
i suggest that temple uni sent the accessnet username to applicants via e-mail not by hard-copy mail as
it is now. it will cut costs and save more time.
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Suggestion
Sell used Temple equipment on ebay.com
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Suggestion
Have capability of being able to add to our TU Parking Debit Funds electronically, similiar to Diamond
Dollars. This would cut down on the paperwork, travel time in getting to Parking Servces before 5 pm and
lag time bewteen payment and crediting the account.
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Suggestion
When Temple employees are given exceptions to travel - have them stay at B and B s and take public
transportation to and from airports/ train stations.Other than Faculty and upper administration, when an
exception is given for hiring - hire within or regionally
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Suggestion
Please can we have our W2`s posted on the ess web site just likeour pay stubs? If you can get away with
not mailing hardcopy, there is a savings there! Even if you must mail hardcopy, having W2s posted on
ess would be very convenient, especially past years` ones.
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Suggestion
Don`t buy new "T" flags that can only be used for 1 year
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Suggestion
Towels should not be available at the IBC. Running an industrial sized washer and two industrial sized
dryers all day every day wastes money and energy. Patrons can easily bring their own towels which
would prevent barely used towels from being washed after every use.
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Suggestion
This may be an additional revenue stream. How about Temple owned and operated food vendors in the
TECH center? This place gets tons of traffic and I`m sure students would welcome the addition and part
with their cash on a daily basis as they come and go.
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Suggestion
regarding "In-House Outsourcing" as a means of achieving cost-savings through strategic linkages
between schools and colleges. I was struck, for whatever reason, by the possibility of setting up some
internal system that would function a little like a combination of eBay and Craig's List. Schools or
Colleges that identified places where they could strategically offer services to other schools or colleges
could be encouraged to list these ideas/proposals/opportunities on a common site, ccessible by senior
administration in each school/college in the University. Then other schools/colleges could "bid" for the
services, indicating how they might use them, what savings or benefits they might achieve, and/or what
"compensation" they could offer in return (i.e., some other service that the offering school could use).
The idea would be to find "matches" that would maximize the benefits to the University of the exchange.
The idea would also be to create an ongoing system that would encourage ongoing efforts to find
additional "in-house outsourcing" opportunities. With a little help from someone with computer savvy
(which definitely counts me out), the system could function a little like a game, and could be used to
encourage a friendly competition among deans and other senior administrators as to who is most
successful at utilizing the system, both in finding opportunities to offer and in taking advantage of those
made available by others. The system could be programmed to keep track of projected savings (which
the parties who entered into a "deal" would estimate), and it could periodically announce to all participants
when certain savings goals were reached.
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Suggestion
The University should suspend sponsoring the Sunday brunch at the Pennsylvania Society.
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Suggestion
put tolls on Montgomery Ave.
Suggestion
I think that there should be automatic papertowel dispensers to have less germs sperd.
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Suggestion
too much people waiting on line to get into building before class and guardman check them each, taking so
long to even pass thru. rather than do it manually, just wondered why this university set up some
automatic authentification machine or something at the gate. security is good, but feels like too much,
even if using PC at tech center, library, they require typing ID again and again and it is often bothersome
to me.
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Suggestion
As much as I am found of the Blackberry communication technology, I like to think of it as an evolving
tool for which we can find more economical alternatives for the University. I estimate that there are about
400 Blackberry users in the University and that eliminating the monthly fees associated with the use of
Blackberries can generate savings of about a half million dollars per year. Those that use the Blackberry
mostly for its calendar function can still keep it if the University cancels its monthly fee payments,
because once the minimum contract is over, Verizon would not require that these items be returned. Those
who use the Blackberry for e-mail can choose to transform their Blackberries to become their personal
cell phones and alleviate the University from these monthly fees. Another alternative for those who
depend on these devices is to purchase an IPOD TOUCH for about $299.00, which has calendar
capabilities and also Wireless Internet Access which can be used throughout all Temple University
campuses and any Hot Spot Internet Areas around the world.
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Suggestion
Don`t have set "meal" times where one can only purchase one meal (e.g. "Breakfast," "Brunch," etc.). For
people who miss "Dinner" time from 4:30pm-8pm, they must use Diamond Dollars for their meal even if
they`re late my 15 seconds.We should be able to use more than one meal at a time, rather than waiting
for another arbitrary 4 hour period to pass. Some people just want to use up their meals because they
paid for them.
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Suggestion
library books attained through E-Z borrow should be able to be sent to the HSC campus as well as main.
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Suggestion
My suggestion is that the University change its travel policy to allow employees who are booking air
travel to do so directly rather than be required to use one of the official travel agencies. I think it was
necessary in previous days to control costs to have this regulation before the internet made searching for
competitive airfares so easy. Now most everyone that i know can find at least as good if not better
prices directly from the internet than through the official travel agencies. In most cases, people look
online, find the flights that they wish to make, and then have to contact the travel agency to have them
book the travel. We would save the $25 travel agency booking fee on all tickets. But I think the real cost
savings would be on the actual cost of the tickets. Although some may fear that employees would not be
able to get the best price for their flights, and therefore are better off going to travel agencies. I dont
believe that is the case nowadays. Almost every faculty member and administrator has a limited budget
for travel and I think everyone wants to stretch the limited funds as far as possible, whether these funds
come from "10", "16" or grant funding. In the past, I have not used airlines like Southwest simply because
i didnt want to go through the hassle of obtaining competitive bids and then seeking approval. I think a
change in this poilcy would streamline the efficiency, save time, save needless fees, and actually end up
saving money on the costs of tickets. I would hope that the viability of this suggestion would at least be
explored and perhaps even pilot tested.Thank you for considering this idea.
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Suggestion
The requirement to book through Temple-approved travel agencies is a huge waste of time and money.
Most of us will find our flights online anyway because it is faster and more convenient. We will always
look for good cheaper alternatives to save our funds. By going through these travel agencies, we`re just
spending extra time and getting the exact same ticket with identical fare rules. Even worse, we end up
paying $20 extra per booking (online agencies charge $5, TU approved agencies charge $25 per ticket).
Add up $20 for each trip of a Temple employee and you can calculate the direct cost of this ridiculous
policy.
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Suggestion
Please add morning hours to the IBC (saturday and sunday). This would greatly improve efficiency for
those of us who have to work on weekends.
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Suggestion
There could be library book drop boxes located at various points on campus
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Suggestion
Reduce cell phone use. People have phones on their desks, which makes cell phones redundant. Cell
phones are also more expensive and more susceptible to misuse.
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Suggestion
Either emphasize the prudent use of dry erase markers and chalk (putting caps back on, placing them
where they`re supposed to go) or make instructors get their own.
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Suggestion
Upgrade the mozilla firefox web browser at the ambler learning center computer lab. The old version is out
of date and cannot display the new temple e-mail service properly
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Suggestion
Require all professors to post syllabi on Blackboard, cutting copying costs.Same with course
readings.Charge for non-business local and long-distance telephone calls from offices.
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Suggestion
instead of making every student pay the same fee for health services, give students the option to pay
the flat rate or pay as you go, this way if someone is using SHS often, they will pay for their visits rather
than the students that have never been there.
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Suggestion
Expand Temple promotional sellings: t-shirts, sweatshirts, trinkets, market them to alumni
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Suggestion
Cut back on campus publications. Look for duplication cut from weekly to bi-weekly monthly to quarterly.
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Suggestion
have those preparing large mailsing use mailing labels sorted by building to eliminate overtime in mail
services
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Suggestion
Require all employees to have direct deposit. It will reduce costs associated with printing checks and
mailing them.
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Suggestion
The housing websites are very difficult to use and not helpful.
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Suggestion
Most major universities now have a donation button on their homepage. Temple should add one to
accompany it`s 125 year celebration.
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Suggestion
Stop buying 22 inch monitors when the ones we have work fine
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Suggestion
Sell video games in the school book store so students could buy them with diamond dollars.Instill a
system where people can work in a first come first serve paid by the hour job. for jobs around the
campus.If the pay is good enough it will interest people who just want to work for a small amount of time,
like between classes or something like that.
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Suggestion
If a student has an authorize payer on their account then the authorized payer should also be receiving
emails notifying them of a possible schedule change or that their classes will be dropped if payment isnt
received by a specific date. My authorized payer wasn`t notified thus my classes were dropped and now
this semester is a total wash and waste of money for me
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Suggestion
My suggestion for cost savings has to do with the sending student transcripts to departments within
Temple. when students requests transcripts to be sent to departments within Temple. Academic Records
pay the price of 42 cents stamp to mail the transcript through US Mail. In other words the transcript goes
to an outside company only to come back in to Temple. I realize that the cost of transcript request
generate revenue, but it also causes and expense and does not help efficiency. Maybe this sould be
looked at
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Bicycles
Suggestion
To promote fitness, encourage energy independence, and help alleviate parking problems at Temple, you
could allow us to begin taking advantage of the Bicycle Commuter Act.Starting in 2009, all full-time
employees that regularly use their bicycles to commute to work are eligible to receive $20 every month,
tax-free, from their employers. This is a reimbursement meant to defray expenses related to cyclo-
commuting such as new bike purchases, parts, repair, storage, etc. It is not at a cost to employers: this
expense is to be deducted from federal taxes.For more information, you can go here:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15b.pdfThanks for supporting the bikers!
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CIS
Suggestion
It would be a big help to have all PC`s in Anderson`s main computer lab (on the ground floor) print PDF
files!
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Suggestion
Increase enrollment by making sure that school websites are up-to-date. Prospective students are turned-
off when a school`s website has out-of-date, or inaccurate information. Collaborate with the School of
Communications and Theater to create content for TU`s YouTube channel about different schools:
students get experience and exposure, school gets students attracted by the media content on the site.
Embed those vids in school websites.
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Suggestion
It would be helpful to students to let us use our print allowance to make copies.
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Suggestion
Don`t have blackboard/tumail/ my backpack ect open in a new window or tab. Instead have it open in a
box on this page.
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Suggestion
Google documents is similar to Mybackpack in that it creates a place to store documents that can be
accessed on any computer. Eliminating mybackpack would probably free up energy and resources for
other used or simply cut the cost of running the system.
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Suggestion
Look at adding Google Chrome to the available web browsers. It has some unique features and claims to
faster than internet explorer and mozilla.
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Suggestion
Streamline the mobile phone system for employess that have them. Keep them on one network that way
calls to each other would not cost
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Suggestion
You should allow people who bring in their own laptops to a computer lab like Tuttleman`s to print
wirelessly.
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Suggestion
OWLnet should be available at all times.
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Suggestion
Save money by saving printer ink! If you use EcoFont that has small almost unnoticable holes in your
printed documents you can save so much money on ink! Visit: http://www.ecofont.eu/english.html
Suggestion
Consolidate servers on 8th Floor Wachman
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Contracts
Suggestion
Suspend indoor plant service and bottled water
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Development
Suggestion
Publish the school magazine online!
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Suggestion
Reduce publication costs by not producing and mailing expensive fund-raising pieces to Temple
employee`s homes - instead send the piece via e-mail
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Suggestion
One thing you can do first, is to encourage students to donate money to help Temple after they
graduate...It might help you in the long run
Suggestion
As an employee, I recieve the Temple magazine, Basketball Tickets order forms, requests for the annual
fund and other such things in my mailbox at home.The university could save on postage by sending
these things through campus mail, email or offering a way to opt out of recieving them, which would save
on printing costs.
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Food
Suggestion
have a left overs buffet at the dining halls with discounted entrances every evening so as not to waste
food while at the same time making the most profit off your initial investment for the food. college
students are more than accustomed to eating left overs, and if its from only that days meals then there
is hardly any risk of food poisoning (with the proper storage)
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Suggestion
Some departments order coffee for employees. Discontinue all coffee and tea supplies paid for by the
university.
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Suggestion
Change the meal plan system to points rather than monetary values. This way, it is a lot easier for
students and workers to calculate the costs of meals being purchased. This improves overall efficiency
(no more huge snaking lines of people waiting for cashiers to figure out how much a bagel w/ cream
cheese, banana, cookie, and bottle of milk cost [$6.57]). For example, Northeastern University, which
has a relatively large student population, runs on a point system. Six points constitute a meal. Maybe a
bagel with cream cheese costs 2 points, a banana 1 point, etc. This method is much easier than trying to
add up arbitrary dollar amounts.
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Suggestion
Add more food or make it easier/faster to get food at J and H. Having to wait 15minutes in one line just to
get small portions is not something I enjoy when I go to eat dinner.
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Suggestion
let students serve their own ice cream, therefore you wont need a full time employee to scoup ice cream.
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Suggestion
Bring back the "Owl Cove" in Mitten Hall. Students and employees used to be able to purchase an
inexpensive meal and snacks for breakfast and lunch, socialize, and watch the projection TV during lunch
time. I really miss this place. If I`m not getting a raise for 2009-2010, at least bring back the Owl Cove so
I can have a fun place to eat lunch and relax. This space is severely underutilized and that`s not very
efficient.
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Suggestion
Let employees provide their own coffee and water - eliminate that expense from the University's costs.
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Suggestion
Once upon a time at Temple University we quenched our thirst by drinking from water fountains. Then we
decided "spring water" was better for our overall health. Thus emerged the office "water club", a group of
individuals paid to have spring water delivered to the office, a great concept. We now could drink "spring
water" while at work. Students, faculty and staff still drink "spring water" at Temple, but the "water club" is
a thing of the past. The University pays for students, faculty and staff to drink spring water. The cost of
spring water has risen over the years, last fiscal year the University paid $107,900.00 for water. Though
it may not seem like a large amount in the scheme of things, I think it is significant, we should bring back
the "water club" to save the University money.
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Suggestion
The soda machines at the "sac" usually over pour, because the handle gets jammed.
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Suggestion
In the evening, Temple might consider closing some of the small cafes that are in some of the biuldings,
especially those that have more then one cafe (for example speakman/alter). There is a substantialy less
amount of students who use those facilities at those times and that would cut back on electric, water,
labor, ect. Just a thought ..
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Suggestion
dont print out a receipt at the Student Activitys center everytime a kid buys food, for the most part all
the kids throw them out, they should be printed if the person requests a receipt. it would save paper and
money for the school
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Suggestion
Eliminate or at least reconsider serving food and/or beverages at meetings. If people need to attend a
meeting during meal time, maybe they can bring their own food.That should be for everybody in the
organization, including management.Another suggestion: instead of using bottled water at coolers, install
water purifiers at water fountains.
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Mailing
Suggestion
Stop mailing publications to employee`s homes when they are also being distibuted in the workplace
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Suggestion
Temple magazine that is mailed to staff members, faculty members and current and former students.
While I am now an employee of Temple, I am a graduate of the former Glassboro State College. They
have stopped production of their magazine and mailing it and have resulted to email.
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Suggestion
As much as I look forward to each issue of the Temple Times, decreasing the printed publishing
frequency to two or three special issues a year may save funds. Special convocation and
commencement keepsake issues may still be warranted.
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Suggestion
This is my suggestions. Save money on postage
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Suggestion
The Temple University community receives numerous mailings on a daily basis. Departments should
consider using interoffice mail or hand deliveries whenever possible over Unites States postal services.
There should be a black list of sorts for Temple University fax numbers to cut down or hopefully eliminate
spam/junk faxes.
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Suggestion
Do more things by email, there is no need to print a lot of the stuff you do, like the campus safety report
and other things
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Suggestion
Assuming every staff member, faculty member and student receives Temple Today via email, consider
stopping production of this publication. Personally, I am more apt to read when I first open my email than
to pick up the paper.
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Online
Suggestion
I am so glad you are giving us this opportunity. I come from the business world (Info. Tech. for 30 years)
where cost savings are a way of life. I think the ERP will help some of the paper flow and redundancy
issues. Being in Faculty Affairs, I see some information printed again and again for different awards,
merit determinations, etc. I believe there was talk of the Knowledge Base (used in some of the schools)
being rolled out to the other schools. Maybe there could be some mechanism for storing the C.V.?s and
CATEs in a kind of library. Committee members, Dean?s offices, Provost, and other people could be
given ?permission? to access certain information when their jobs required it. These documents wouldn?t
have to be printed out every time something is submitted to the VP. Faculty could update them through
TUPortal.
Suggestion
Allow invoices to be submitted via email from dept. to AP without having to print out, sign and manually
deliver to AP for processing. As long as the person emailing AP has authority and the email indicates what
cost center the invoice should be paid on. This would eliminate the need to print out invoices and save
paper.
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Suggestion
do not print out departmental announcements that are also emailed (this is in the psychology department
especially)
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Suggestion
Use online training - such as Lynda.com for technology training - it is very cost effective
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Suggestion
Utilize the internet and email more instead of printing materials
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Suggestion
Have good instructions online for things like setting up meal plans, which include not just how to sign up
but what will happen next, all the steps in the process. We had to make at least 10 phone calls for various
things that new students have to do, and that took some paid person`s time. Multiply those calls by
thousands of new students and you will get savings of at least one employee.
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Suggestion
Less meetings and more use of online dissemination of information.
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Suggestion
If employees receive their paychecks through Employee Self Service, why can`t they also received their
W-2 for taxes this way. Temple wouldn`t need to print them, purchase the forms, stamp them, plus
manpower needed to do all of these functions. If an employee needs to print them, they can print it on
their own printer.
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Paper
Suggestion
The University should prohibit the mailing of holiday cards and also prohibit sending holiday cards to
others within the University. If it is thought that any should be sent to others for Development purposes,
those should be sent via electronic mail and not the US mails.
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Suggestion
I would eliminate the "Temple Review" magazine. It should save money and paper. People read news on
line more and more everyday. It`s not what it used to be anymore.
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Suggestion
Make Temple Times available exclusively online
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Purchasing
Suggestion
I dont know the cost of buying hand sanitizer, especially in bulk, but if it`s cheaper maybe you could
provide hand sanitizer in restrooms to cut down on the use of water, paper towels and hand dryers.
Energy and water bills might be lower and less trees will die.
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Recycling
Suggestion
To cut supply costs, re-use pendaflex files and the plastic tabs, re-use manila folders by flipping to the
clean side of the tab, when tossing old materials, save the paper clips, binder clips and any plastic
folders. Re-use the blank side of copy paper in your desk top printer when doing draft memos instead of
using fresh paper. Save the new paper for the final product and for sending out. Consider buying re-fills
for pens instead of new boxes of pens.
Satisfaction
Suggestion
Leave feedback boxes in more places so students may leave messages about their satisfaction with
different services more easily. I think that many people working in administration could be replaced
because they are unfriendly towards students.
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Trash
Suggestion
Got another suggestion for you. I`ve noticed that there is a significant amount of trash on the sidewalks
being picked up by temple faculty everyday. Most of the trash are flyers advertising parties at local
clubs, political literature, businesses (for example: Kaplan test prep), and student run clubs/organizations.
I believe that if you did not allow such groups to hand out flyers (paper that is going to be discarded
anyway) it would drastically cut back on the need for faculty to be picking up trash and anything
involving the destruction or removal of such trash. It would also support the illusion the campus gives off
that it has apparently `gone green`.The one example, The Kaplan Test Prep, is the most recent. The
lovely flyers they handed out to my anatomy class were seen scattered outside of the Anderson Lecture
hall and I saw quite a few while walking across campus. So here we have an outside organization that is
making money off of Temple students while causing a mess that needs to be cleaned up.Howabout a
littering fine to be paid to Temple. Seems like a great way to raise money while saving at the same time.