A Message from the Executive Vice President & COO
Planning is so much a part of what we do, it is in our division name. We plan for the expansion and changing landscape of our university; we have plans that address specific problems; we plan for all types of university events; we have a Strategic Plan and a Master Plan, but the most important plans we have are contingency plans.
Contingency plans fall under the “what if” category. All of our groups are involved in contingency planning to some extent or another. We no doubt have made contingency plans in our own lives.
Contingency is about preparation. None of us was prepared for what this last year brought, but the fact is, we are never fully prepared for any crisis or disruption that occurs because we don’t know ahead of time the extent to which it will affect us. We may know a storm is coming, but we do not know until it arrives if trees and power lines will topple, or if the storm will narrowly miss us. Nonetheless, we make contingency plans before the storm hits.
Unlike a storm which eventually leaves, our current circumstances have lasted over a year now, and planning for all of the “what ifs” have changed constantly due to the enormous amount of uncertainty, especially as this situation unfolded.
All of our groups have been extremely instrumental in making plans to get the university reopened and keeping it as safe as possible for everyone involved, but I particularly want to mention our Environmental Health and Safety (REHS) group. They have been working tirelessly with colleagues across the university to keep the university safe and functioning for those still on campus, and planning for the safest possible return for the rest of us. They have had to consider all types of scenarios, as well as solve problems, procure necessities, and plan for the “what ifs” in the midst of this pandemic. Just a few of the many extra responsibilities that they have dealt with this past year are highlighted in this newsletter.
Mark McLane and his group of REHS professionals deserve our thanks and support, as we continue to work our way through these unusual times. Their work is very instrumental to our university and our eventual return. My thanks to them and to all of you who have aided their efforts in some way.
Providing Relief to the Most Vulnerable
As part of one of the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Disaster Medical System’s Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs), Jeffrey Issler may be deployed at any time to provide medical care and assistance during disasters, public health emergencies, and even large scale national security events. Issler, an Emergency Management Specialist in IP&O’s Office of Emergency Management, has been busy the past year in COVID relief efforts. Issler’s most recent deployment in January took him to a vulnerable community in Las Vegas where a high rate of COVID cases, combined with a low vaccination rate, required a helping hand.
“The initiative was to get monoclonal antibody treatments to this community,” explained Issler who is the Deputy Team Commander of his DMAT team, DMAT NY-4.
Monoclonal antibodies are given to patients directly through infusion. Different than a vaccine, which provides immunity by exposing the person to a weakened or dead form of the virus, the antibody treatment gives the body the antibodies it needs to protect itself. The treatments are thought to help high risk patients who have been recently diagnosed with COVID-19 recover faster and avoid hospitalization.
“We set up a clinic focused on giving the antibody to a community of mostly senior citizens with co-morbidities like COPD and heart disease,” Issler said. The treatment takes two hours; one hour for the infusion, and one hour post infusion to observe the patient for any sort of allergic reaction or side effect. “We were able to do about 10 patients a day. We had some challenges. Las Vegas was unusually cold. It was about 40 degrees. We were trying to keep the tent warm as well as providing blankets to the elderly people waiting.”
Issler was originally being deployed to the Presidential Inauguration to provide any needed medical support there, but was instead sent to Las Vegas. “It was my first time in Vegas, and I could not enjoy it,” he quipped.
Truth be told, however, for Issler the trip was very uplifting. At the start of the pandemic, Issler was deployed to repatriate and quarantine American citizens on cruise ships that had experienced severe outbreaks. His next mission had a shift in focus from quarantine and containment to helping meet surge demands in U.S. hospitals. “At that time the hospitals were being flooded, and we were having a hard time getting ahead of the disease. Unlike those missions, this one had a sense of hope. We’ve been through hell, and the fact that we are able to do something pro-active is cathartic,” he said.
Issler is optimistic about the future, as well. “My hope is that we are in the home stretch. It seems therapeutics and vaccines are really helping.”
A Life of Service and Love for Rutgers
Charles Douglas may well be the longest serving per diem employee at Rutgers. Even if he isn’t, he has certainly been around a long time, starting as a student in 1984, then as a volunteer, and then as a part time employee. He is still here, helping out at events and sports activities and enjoying it thoroughly.
Douglas came to Rutgers New Brunswick in 1984 as a student studying Criminal Justice. He had been a volunteer EMS in his home town, and when he found out Rutgers had a volunteer EMS squad he decided to join. There was an extra incentive, as well. “In those days you were guaranteed housing for serving as a volunteer EMS. They housed us in Nichols Apartments for EMS and Fire Department personnel.” Douglas explained that while EMS was voluntary, Rutgers staffed one full-time truck and two full-time firemen at that time. The rest were volunteers.
Three years into his studies and volunteer activities, his mother became ill, and Douglas was forced to leave college to care for her. “I came back when I could to volunteer,” he said. “I always loved coming. I went to Roselle Catholic High School, and that really built my character, but volunteer work also built my character.”
Douglas then joined the Navy, and four years later he took a job with the City of Elizabeth Police Department EMS Division and then the Elizabeth Fire department-EMS Division. “I found out that by this time, Rutgers EMS unit had paid positions,” he said. With that, Douglas was back at Rutgers part time. “With 12 hour rotating shifts at the Fire Department, I was able to continue work at Rutgers a couple of days a week,” he explained.
Still active military when 9-11 happened, Douglas was reactivated and received 9-11 related assignments. Over the years, between jobs and military service, Douglas always found himself back at Rutgers doing his per diem EMS work.
“I’ve been around so long, and so many people know me, they treat me like a fulltime employee,” Douglas said. He retired from the Elizabeth Fire Department after 26-1/2 years, and from the Navy after 22-1/2 years. Asked if he has plans to retire from Rutgers, Douglas said that he has a daughter in graduate school at Seton Hall, and will want to continue to work to help her.
“I enjoy working here so much, and I enjoy the students. I call them my kids. They are like my own.”
The Victory Statue Braves A Winter Storm
HVAC Filtration Keeps Office Air Running Clean
Editor’s note: As Rutgers University begins to repopulate its campuses and buildings, questions arise about indoor air quality. Our Facilities Operations group provides information about the role of HVAC systems and the routine maintenance that keeps these systems operating well. As always, everyone should take the usual precautions when returning to Rutgers: Wear a mask, Watch your distance, and Wash your hands.
One of the most basic and original conceived purposes of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) air filters was to protect the heating and cooling equipment from trapping particles that would interfere with airflow and the heat exchanging ability of the heating or cooling apparatus, i.e., coils used in HVAC Units. Over time, air filtration systems were required to address indoor air quality via elimination of indoor air pollutant levels to protect people from pollutants associated with allergies, influenza and other ailments. Programs like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and others were instrumental toward influencing filter manufacturers to produce filters that required the filter media to remove smaller and smaller particulates that contributed toward poor indoor air quality.
One of the most important, routine preventive maintenance procedures that is performed by Facilities Operations is the replacement of air filters for the removal of contaminants from outdoor and recirculated air, as contaminants can be produced inside the building as well as through the outdoor air being introduced to the occupied space through the HVAC Unit.
The scale of efficiency utilized to report a filter’s ability to capture particles in the HVAC systems is the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Filter efficiencies for air handling units typically range from MERV 1 though MERV 16. The higher the MERV rating the better the filter is at trapping smaller, specific types of particulates which are measured in microns – one millionth of a meter. Filters are selected for the types of contaminants they are supposed to remove. The lower MERV rating is typically for residential and light commercial equipment while the higher MERV rating is typical for laboratories, healthcare, procedure rooms and other specific uses. Some of the higher MERV rating filters have pre-filters that prolong the arresting capability of the final filters by trapping larger particulates in the pre-filters and smaller particulates in the final filters, thus extending the more expensive filters life.
Facilities Operations performs routine maintenance on our air handling equipment, which includes filter changes, on a quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis. Depending on the type of equipment, the filters are inspected and filters may be replaced quarterly, if needed. For larger units with pre-filters, they can typically be replaced every three to six months, and final filters changed six months after the pre-filters are changed. For larger systems without pre-filters, the filters are replaced every six months. This is a general rule based on equipment history. HVAC units with 100% outside air will require more filter changes than a unit with 30% outside air and 70% recirculated air, as the recirculated air had already been filtered.
The true frequency for replacing air filters is to evaluate the initial filter resistance and final filter resistance of any particular filter. The measurement is done with a magnehelic gauge that senses the pressure drop across the filter. The final resistance of the loaded filter is supplied by the filter manufacturer. This is the most accurate and objective way to determine the time to change the air filters. Our newer buildings and systems have these gauges. Facilities Operations is in the process of inventorying our air handling units to determine where we need to install magnehelic gauges to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness. This will give us a more quantitative unit of measure for our Preventive Maintenance Program.
Our Mechanical Maintenance group has been on campus throughout the past year performing filter changes, coil cleaning, all electric motor, fan, and damper maintenance on the air handling units as preventive maintenance. These are truly another group of IP&O’s unsung heroes who are working hard to ensure we are ready to return to Rutgers.
RUPD’s Matthew Gulsby Promoted to Captain
Executive Director of Public Safety, Kenneth Cop released the following announcement:
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Lt. Matthew Gulsby to the position of Captain in the New Brunswick Division of the Rutgers University Police Department. His promotion is effective Monday, January 4, 2021. Captain Gulsby will have direct oversight of police patrol operations, the Community Policing Unit, the RUPD-NB OEM liaison, and will collaborate with the management of the investigations unit and security operations at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
Captain Gulsby has proven to be a valuable member of the leadership team and has become a trusted partner across many university departments as well as within the division. He has taken on progressively more responsibility as he rose through the ranks of the RUPD and has been instrumental to the coordination and success of countless high-profile university events. It was evident from the feedback received from the Community Interview Panel members that he made a very good impression on them and represented the department well. They believe that he is ready to take the next step in his long-standing career with the RUPD and that his 27 year law enforcement career has strongly prepared him for this important leadership role.
Captain Gulsby’s versatility in various areas of the department, including but not limited to his leadership role in patrol as well as his experience in the Office of Emergency Management, does make him a well-rounded candidate with a lot of valuable institutional knowledge that will serve him well in this new role. I have absolute confidence in his ability to excel in his role as Captain and look forward to working with him to further improve the professional image of the Rutgers University Police Department.
I thank everyone that was involved in the process and trust that you will all join me in congratulating Captain Gulsby and supporting him as he assumes his new role within our organization.
Thank you,
Kenneth Cop, Executive Director of Public Safety
IP&O’s Nick Taylor at the Helm for COVID App Development
In February 2020, as it was becoming clear that the COVID virus would seriously impact the United States, Nick Taylor, IP&O’s IT Application Developer, and Alex Ruiz, IP&O’s Associate Director Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety (REHS) and University Safety Officer, began discussing what steps they would have to take and what applications would have to be developed to help the university deal with the events to come. Taylor would write his first COVID application, a university-wide symptom tracker, in March 2020.
“We had a similar application up and running for the bio-safety group, but Alex and I knew we had to modify it to serve the entire university,” Taylor said. In May 2020, things really kicked into high gear for Taylor, as COVID testing became available and applications had to be developed to make testing sites as automated and touchless as possible, while allowing for the appropriate people to be able to access the test results.
Taylor, who writes his own applications, has a knack for finding technology driven solutions to problems. Since May 2020, he has been actively developing an application which allows Rutgers affiliated individuals to import test results from three vendors for review by the appropriate Student Health and Occupational Health employees. Patients use the site Taylor developed to complete online questionnaires which are used to create printable requisition forms as well as electronic requisition forms sent directly to the vendor evaluating the tests.
“Because students frequently do not have access to printers, I developed a touchless kiosk printer concept to help address this issue with the printable requisition forms,” Taylor explained. “Testing sites can setup a computer with an attached printer and magnetic stripe card reader. People then swipe their ID at the kiosk station and a QR code appears on the computer screen. They scan the QR code with their smart phone and login in with their NetID. They answer a question or two and click ‘Submit’. Within one to three seconds, the requisition form will automatically print from the attached printer on the kiosk station and then reset for the next user.”
In order to minimize the amount of work for Student Health and Occupational Health, Taylor set up the system so that negative results are sent directly to the person who submitted the test. Otherwise they would have to be sorted through by Student and/or Occupational Health.
For those groups, the work has been highly valuable. “Nick Taylor has done an incredible feat putting together a system which allows us to optimize the data coming in from multiple sources, simplifying the COVID testing system and allowing us to track COVID results for students, staff, and faculty across the entire Rutgers University. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his patient and skillful expertise,” said Cathryn Heath, MD, Medical Director, Rutgers Student Health Services.
Milind Shah, MD, Director Rutgers Occupational Health Department added, “Nick has been an excellent partner for Occupational Health over the years. His technical support and coding expertise has been critical to ensure the success of many employee health and regulatory compliance programs such as COVID Testing, Accident Reporting and Workers Compensation, Respirator Medical Clearance, the Institutional Biosafety Committee, and many others. He is very responsive, has a tireless work ethic, and is incredibly good at what he does. He is truly an unsung hero at Rutgers!”
Taylor also developed QR Codes for the test kits. “During the summer and early fall, barcoded NetIDs were generated and attached to kits. The kit had to be given to the correct person so scanning a barcode to link a person to a test kit made the process for non in-person testing more accurate, as well as faster,” he said. In-person testing can use Rutgers ID card swipes.
Printing barcoded NetIDs required having a list ahead of time and being vigilant when distributing the test kits. When the decision was made to start testing people weekly, in addition to the use of vending machines, a better way had to be developed. “I developed the QR code method for linking people to test kits,” Taylor said. At the REHS test kit assembly area, each test kit is scanned and affixed with a shipping label containing the QR Code. As of February 1, there have been approximately 100,000 QR Code labels generated.
“QR Codes have become the preferred method for testing kits because it forces the person to complete all required forms and uses the more accurate CAS authentication for linking a person to a test kit. People without the ability to use QR Codes must go to an in-person site to be tested and cannot use the vending machines,” Taylor added.
Ruiz and his group at REHS share the data feeds Taylor provides with other Rutgers entities. ORED, for example, has two-way data sharing. REHS will add people to the "Approved People" list based on names provided by ORED. ORED can retrieve compliance information concerning researchers.
Taylor also created a data sharing mechanism with the SRX system used by RBHS in New Brunswick for tracking some medical information. SRX can retrieve testing information about their employees and/or students. In addition, the feeds he developed for the vending machines informs the vending machine system which Rutgers employees or students are permitted to obtain a test kit from a vending machine.
Taylor also developed the iframes containing the data tables and charts for the Rutgers Coronavirus Testing Program Dashboard https://coronavirus.rutgers.edu/health-and-safety/testing-program-dashboard/. A weekly data source is then provided to IP&O’s Communications group where the IP&O server receives the updates.
“As our testing program grew, so did the demands on Nick's IT skills and creativity," said Noa'a Shimoni MD MPH, Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Family Medicine. “Simple problem solving wasn't going to cut it. Nick was creating processes for drive-thru clinics, for scanning tests in and out, for uploading test results from outside our system, for touchless printing, for connecting test kits to individuals through QR codes, for searching for and reassigning individuals from one Rutgers unit to another, and for endless types of reports. We kept asking for features that would make our process smoother and our reports easier. Nick was always so gracious, going far beyond writing code. He conceptualized flow in a testing center he's never been to and invented solutions to streamline and simplify our Rutgers-wide operation - not an easy task with our myriad systems.”
Currently Taylor is working on a vaccine portion of the app. This will help determine eligibility for receiving the vaccine. He is also developing a tool for organizing and staffing vaccine events.
“Nick has brought an exceptional work ethic to our COVID-19 pandemic response,” said Vicente Gracias, Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and Vice President for Health Affairs, Rutgers University. “We could not have succeeded without him, he literally, wizard like, allows us to peer into the heart of the beast with his database magic,” added Gracias, who is also Professor, Department of Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
A 2000 graduate of Georgia Tech, Taylor received a degree in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering. He was a natural fit to do radiation safety work for REHS. He started to develop apps as a way to figure out how to add more efficiency to his work. “It was all self-taught,” he said. In 2017, he received a Masters of Information Technology from the Rutgers Business School.
“He is the magic that has made this all possible,” said Ruiz of Taylor. “The apps he has developed and the databases he maintains are invaluable to a successful testing and vaccinating environment at Rutgers. His data provides the information for the weekly transmission and positivity rates. He has provided outstanding tools for the university as we begin our return to Rutgers.” Ruiz added, “Nick is also responsible for the interface for all the COVID training records for employees and students, even affiliates like RU Foundation, and he built the interface with our testing system and RU Connect to enable the vending machines to authorize users.”
“Nick is modest, and many likely don’t realize the outsized impact of the work he has shouldered this past year. The systems he has built allow the university to provide key services to our community members, collect data that informs critical decisions, and offer transparent reporting on our progress with the public,” added Jennifer St. Pierre, Director Strategic and Campus Communications.
Planning and Collaboration Key for REHS
“Everyone steps up,” said Mark McLane of his staff during this unprecedented year of COVID-19. McLane, Executive Director, of IP&O’s Rutgers Environmental, Health and Safety (REHS) group and his team, in addition to their regular duties, sit on numerous university committees, respond to COVID-related regulatory complaints and inspections, and develop and implement COVID training for numerous groups, schools, and units, throughout the university. In addition, multiple activities have included conducting over 5,000 respiratory fit tests, site assessments, managing PPE donations and developing PPEs, reviewing contingency plans, reviewing disinfectant products, and much more.
“It really starts with planning and collaboration,” explained McLane. “Working with other groups in our division and groups throughout the university is key.”
One area of planning that had to be addressed was the question of how to manage students who test positive. Dormitory living can be challenging to mitigating the spread of COVID, and REHS had to develop protocols to address this. “We worked with Residence Life, Student Affairs, Student Health, and Recreation Services, as well as other groups in our division to identify where students should isolate and how to transport them,” McLane said.
Once apartments were identified as a place for students to quarantine or isolate, a determination had to be made as to how to transport students who do not have their own cars.
“There are a lot of moving parts here,” said McLane. “ In addition to identifying the quarantine or isolation location, we have to move the positive student out as quickly as possible as part of our mitigation strategy. We need to protect our employees who are transporting the student, and disinfect the vehicle after each use.”
A handful of REHS employees are handling the transportation in addition to their regular jobs, which can make for very long days. “We transport students each day,” McLane added, while cautioning that this does not necessarily mean the students are sick. The positive tests often come with no symptoms very mild symptoms. Student Health follows up with the students regarding any medical needs.
Currently, all employees and students who are on campus regularly are tested weekly. Quarantine and/or isolation periods while usually about ten days, depend on the last known exposure, range of symptoms, or the date of the most recent test.
“We know how to protect ourselves,” said McLane. “Respirators are key. We basically use the same level of protection required for health care workers. The vans, which are provided by our colleagues at Recreation Services, are thoroughly disinfected after each use.”
Because it is so spread out, the New Brunswick Campus poses more of a challenge than Newark and Camden. “In Newark and Camden, positive students can easily walk to another dorm or portion of a dorm set aside for quarantine,” McLane said. “New Brunswick is large and spread out and requires transporting the students.”
The following staff members, along with McLane, are all participating in student relocation: Peter Skeels, Rebecca Serrano, Bob Cappabianca, Leo Trooskin, Pat McDermott, Maureen Modica, and Neil Gyuris. A special thanks goes out to this staff.
We will provide updates on other REHS activities in the next newsletter.
IP&O Racks Up Three Awards for Historic Preservation
Three distinct Rutgers University capital projects have garnered the New Jersey Historic Preservation Award, which recognizes “exemplary and innovative projects and publications that contribute significantly to advancing the field of historic preservation and that produce livable communities in New Jersey”.
Of particular note, the recently completed Honors Living-Learning Community at Rutgers University- Newark is being recognized for the team’s Archeological Resource Management. Thomas Boland, IP&O’s Director, Project Services, explained that initial research on the project site indicated that the Halsey Street Methodist Cemetery and its affiliated church once occupied the area. “We did our due diligence and hired an archeological firm to investigate what might be underground, which would inform the proper course of action,” Boland explained. “During the first phase of the archeological survey the team identified human remains.”
This was followed by phase 2 and 3 archaeological efforts. In all, the multi-phase archeological investigation took two years to complete and yielded over 300 sets of human remains and 52 boxes of artifacts.
“The church and cemetery were there in the mid-1800s, and they stopped using the site in 1890. In 1920, some of the bodies from the cemetery were exhumed and moved to another cemetery,” Boland explained.
The complex dig resulted in a two-volume, 700-page report along with digital photos and detailed burial recordation sheets. The artifacts from the cemetery and adjoining homes numbered over 20,000. All of the remains were taken to Hollywood Cemetery in Union and re-interred there.
“The artifacts were from the cemetery and the privies that existed behind the houses that once stood there. We uncovered china and silverware, and a total of 52 boxes of artifacts,” Boland explained. Privies, or out-houses, were also used to dump trash in days before trash hauling became the norm. They are often a source of interesting finds during digs.
With a Rutgers-owned 391 bed dormitory and parking garage on the site, there should be no further concerns that anything or anyone’s remains remain below the building. “The project team explored every direction and beyond the boundaries of the church and cemetery. Extraordinary steps were taken not only to ensure that all remains were found and removed, but to treat the remains with appropriate dignity and respect,” stated Dave Schulz, Vice President and University Architect. "We see this award recognizing the complexity of the project and the high level of stewardship and respect for human remains."
Alumni Center
Also in Newark and another project Boland oversaw, is the Rutgers University- Newark Alumni Center. It is being recognized for Historic Preservation.
Located in Newark’s James Street Commons Historic District, 72 Washington Street was built by Newark architect William Halsey Wood. The Queen Anne style building was constructed around 1885 as a residence and office for Dr. Joseph Fewsmith, a prominent Newark doctor.
“At some time in the 1940s the building changed hands, and over the years, became run down,” Boland said. Rutgers purchased it and did an extensive renovation, restoration, and addition.
“The marble floors and original spiral staircase were restored and the addition to the building makes it accessible to anyone with mobility issues,” said Boland.
Prior to this, the Rutgers Newark Alumni Association was housed in three different buildings on the Newark campus. This building allowed for consolidation while preserving another part of Newark’s history.
“Rutgers can be proud of our contributions to the City of Newark, while at the same time expanding opportunities for local disenfranchised students and our diverse and world renowned Newark alumni,” said Nicholas Fabbroni, Assistant Vice President, University Facilities Project Services.
New Jersey Hall
The New Jersey Hall roof restoration which was highlighted in a past newsletter, restored much of the historic building’s roofing and metalwork including gutters, cornices, shingles, and slate. New Jersey Hall, located on the College Avenue Campus, was constructed in 1889 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. IP&O employees Susan Ryan, Sean Roche, and Chris Hack oversaw the renovations.
The Annual Awards ceremony recognizing all of these projects was held virtually this year, on February 19.
Congratulations to all IP&O employees involved in these projects!
KUDOS
Motorpool Kudos!
Hi Mike/Vinnie,
Wanted to say thank you for your team’s service during the snow storm. Ron and his team at the Motorpool were great!
They helped us with our equipment and truck needs without hesitation. They are an integral part of our snow removal operations University wide.
Thanks, James Erdogdu, MPA, Assistant Director, Grounds Operations
Good Move! Kudos to Jim Palermo, Trammelle Dobbins, and Mark Mills
Jim, Pete and Mike,
Everything went smoothly today. Jimmy, Mel and Mark did a wonderful job. They rearranged one of the offices at Environmental Sciences Building to accommodate the new desk that was moved.
They also moved a very long cabinet for me that was in the entrance way of Old Blake front entrance.
It received numerous fire code violations due to the egress issue. They gladly agreed to move it for me even though it wasn’t on the list I sent you.
Like always they are wonderful to work with and I can’t thank them enough for all their hard work.
Take care and stay safe, Camille J. Cennamo, Program Coordinator I
More Materials Handling Kudos!
Good morning my friend:
Professor Caprio’s credenza was delivered and he just wanted me to let you know how wonderful your guys were with the whole process..but I already knew that!
Take good care, have a safe, Merry Christmas.
Thanks, Patti Shaw, Senior Department Administrator
Golf Course Kudos
I was so happy to rediscover the Rutgers golf course this year. Thank you for remaining vigilant in providing a safe environment all year, even when other courses either barely paid lip service to the accommodations or were openly hostile toward them.
The golf course is pure joy to walk, and it seems maybe there have been some really nice design improvements especially on back nine in my 15-20 years away (or my memory is faulty). I look forward to adding Rutgers to my regular rotation in 2021, thanks to great pace of play and friendly people (playing partners and your staff), and knowing your operations always placed health and safety over cramming a tee sheet.
If there is any sort of alumni membership or anything to allow for earlier tee time bookings, and/or friendly competitions I’d love to find out more.
Happy holidays, Ron Varrial
Kudos to Jim Campoli, Tom Scanlon, and Zachary Henry:
Thanks to you (Jim Campoli) and your team’s (Tom and Zach) constant dedication and hard work in supporting the animal care and use program. What will we do without your leadership?
Happy Holidays! - Sumanth
Great Job, Jenny Aguirre!
To Whom it may concern:
I am writing to express my gratitude for Mrs. Jenny Aguirre. She is a very good driver who has good work ethics, and always willing to accommodate and help all passengers especially those with disabilities. I do highly recommend you keeping her among your team, and always hiring people like her.
Best regards, Samer Daher, Post-doctoral fellow
To whom it may concern:
I just wanted to thank the Rutgers Newark campus connect bus service, especially driver Jenny Aguirre for providing excellent service during the snow storm of February 1. Greatly appreciated!
Michael Gochuico