The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
(Vol. 21 No. 15)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
Legislative session is moving along, as I am certain you are well aware through the various news and information sources on some of the higher profile bills being moved around in committees. I do want to make you all aware of Senate Bill 171 Short Title: "Elections; municipalities and special districts; spring to fall; other changes". This Bill would move all elections, including Extension District elections from Spring to Fall. It is early in the process for this bill, and I would encourage especially letting Extension District Board members be aware of this proposed bill. At this time, the bill is still in committee and could undergo change before coming out of committee. You more likely may hear or read about it with respect to city and school board elections. But, do be aware that the bill does include Extension District election procedures.
Safety First!! Texting and driving is very dangerous, along with being illegal. Doing email and driving is even worse. Just calling, answering, and talking on cell phones while driving results in increased risks through distracted driving. Before you find yourself tempted to use your smart phone while driving, please follow this link and scroll down through all the information. You need to know the risk that you are about to put yourself into by these distractions. More importantly, you need to know you are putting others at risk, like passengers in your vehicle, not to mention your family, friends, and colleagues who love you dearly!!
So why am I putting this into my Tuesday message?? Because I am aware of a case where a passenger/colleague was subjected to a driver who was very distracted with texting, emailing, and talking on the phone, AND this is one of YOUR CO-WORKERS. I value you, your passengers, and your lives too much. Please, please, please, keep your distracted driving to an absolute minimum! Pull off the road to make your phone calls. And, if you are riding with someone who is driving distracted, tell them to pull over and you will drive! Don't believe it will never happen to you.
Drive safely, and have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
INDIRECT COST CHARGES FOR EXTRAMURAL FUNDED PROJECTS
For those of you who are involved in submitting grants and contracts through the Kansas State University Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, you may be aware of some policy updates with respect to indirect cost recovery on extramural funded grants and contracts. In a recent K-State Today article, President Kirk Schulz and Vice President for Research Karen Burg outlined the updated policies for indirect cost recovery and why it is important to abide with these policies now and moving forward at Kansas State University. I wanted you to be aware of this explanation, and encourage you to follow this link to read more about it. It is a necessary way in which Kansas State University pays some of the costs that are necessary in administering these awards and providing the necessary infrastructure to carry out the work. We recognize it to be a controversial topic and encourage feedback. Please use discretion in putting anything out through social media, as it spins off into misinformation and can be inappropriately damaging to the reputation of Kansas State University, for which we are all an integral part.
If you have questions, comments, concerns, please direct those to Dr. Ernie Minton, Associate Dean/Associate Director for Research within the College of Agriculture and KSRE, or to myself. --Daryl Buchholz dbuchhol@ksu.edu
TAKE YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS
America Saves Week, February 23-28, 2015, is the perfect time to review your finances, set your savings goals for the year, and automate your savings. Join thousands of others across the United States who are pledging to pay down debt, save money, and take financial action during America Saves Week.
Not sure what to save for or how to get started? Join a special simultaneous Google Hangout and Twitter chat on Tuesday, February 24, at 2 p.m. CT to celebrate America Saves Week and kick off the America Saves Financial Challenge. The chat is sponsored by the eXtension Financial Security for All Community of Practice. To participate:
- Insert #eXASchat into the text box that pops up so you can tweet easily and view the live Twitter stream
- Create valuable content (those who participate will be placed in a drawing for gift cards)
- Have fun with and learn from others who are interested in saving money!
Continue to challenge yourself to save money by participating in the 2015 America Saves Week Financial Challenge. This free five-week program, open to anyone who enrolls online, runs from Sunday, February 22, through Saturday, March 28, 2015. Learn more about it at http://bit.ly/MoneyChallenge2015.
Set a goal. Make a plan.Save automatically. --Elizabeth Kiss for the Family Resource Management PFT, dekiss4@ksu.edu
KANSAS WATER REGIONAL GOAL LEADERSHIP TEAMS
Recently the teams
met for their orientation session to begin the water supply goal setting
process.
In December 2014, Regional Goal
Leadership Teams consisting of nine to eleven individuals per region were identified
by the Kansas Water Authority (KWA) to represent the 14 planning areas for
Kansas. To begin the eight month process, orientation meetings were held
recently by each of the Regional Goal Leadership Teams appointed to address
water supply goals for each region and deemed successful.
The role of each team is to
participate in a public scoping process in their region, develop and draft water
supply goals for their region based on public input and available resource
condition information. To assist with the process, trained facilitators from
Kansas State University Research and Extension, as well as the Institute for
Civic Discourse and Democracy, will be helping with the goal
development. “On behalf of the KWA we appreciate
the dedication of all the individuals across our state who want to address our
water supply issues,” said KWA Chair Gary Harshberger. “I agree wholeheartedly
with the guiding principle of the Water Vision that locally driven solutions at
the grass roots level have the highest opportunity for long term
success.”
Public meetings will be held for each
region to hear input from stakeholders and citizens to assist with drafting the
goals for the future water supply needs in each region. Recommended water supply
goals should seek to implement the following Vision statement:
Kansans act on a shared commitment to
have the water resources necessary to support the state’s social, economic and
natural resource needs for current and future generations.
“We appreciate the opportunity to
serve in this capacity,” said Gregg Hadley, K-State Research and Extension
Assistant Director for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Community Development.
“The KSRE mission is to help Kansans balance use and protection of natural
resources today and into the future, making this a good partnership during this
eight month process.”
The Teams will present the proposed
draft regional water supply goals to the KWA in May 2015. The KWA will provide
advice towards further development of the regional goals with final goals to be
approved by the Authority in August 2015.
For more information
on the upcoming public meetings to be held in March, to review the timeline for
the goal setting process, or read the final version of the Long-Term Vision for
the Future of Water Supply in Kansas, visit www.kwo.org. --Trudy Rice trice@ksu.edu and Elaine Edwards elainee@ksu.edu
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