�ٺ���Ƶ

The spring break lull has fallen over campus — everywhere except for the Memorial Union, where construction crews are filling in for the absent students.

In fact, will be around for 18 months, .

In the meantime, the bookstore has relocated to two temporary spaces: textbooks and most school supplies are in The Pavilion (upper level, north end), and apparel, gifts, trade books and basic school supplies are in the MU’s east wing.

Both locations will be closed Friday (March 27, the César Chávez holiday) and Saturday (March 28), and the east wing store will also be closed Sunday (March 29). The textbook store in The Pavilion will have special Sunday hours, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., the day before the first day of instruction for spring quarter.

The Coffee House side of the Memorial Union is unaffected by the renovation. However, you’ll have to enter from the south or west sides, and you can’t walk north-south through the MU.

“During construction there will not be a path of travel through the Memorial Union,” officials wrote on . “The construction fence will start at the concrete seat wall at the front edge of the MU north plaza. This means all pedestrian traffic that would normally walk through the MU will need to walk east or west around the MU.”

The Memorial Union tower and second-floor meeting rooms also remain open. The tower can be accessed from the stairwells located at the east and west ends of the building.

Ombuds Office offers help with conflict resolution

The Office of the Ombuds offers workshops and brown bags for employees interested in developing skills in the areas of communication and conflict resolution. The programs are offered on the Davis and Sacramento campuses.

“The Ombuds Office has observed that most conflict arising on campus appears to stem from the difficulty supervisors, managers and staff have in communicating, particularly when conflict occurs,” said Susan Park director. “What may start off as a small misunderstanding can spiral out of control, with both parties feeling that the other person just doesn’t ‘get it’ and is being disrespectful.

“We believe our training may help provide tools to get work relationships back on track.” 

A news release listed the following:

• One-hour brown bags on assessing conflict and considering next steps
• 1½-hour workshops on listening skills
• Three-hour workshops on conflict resolution tools
• 1½-day workshops for supervisors, on the topic of managing conflict resolution

Rita Callahan, associate ombuds, leads the trainings. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the area of conflict resolution.

More information is available online.

Emeritus President Peltason dies at 91

Jack W. Peltason, emeritus UC president, UC Irvine chancellor and political science professor, died March 21 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 91.

He served as president of the UC system from 1992 to 1995, a period marked by bleak budget circumstances — somewhat relieved when he reached a multiyear funding compact with then-Gov. Pete Wilson and authorized the first of three early retirement programs for UC faculty and staff.

Also during his tenure, the Board of Regents voted to end UC affirmative action practices. He met the challenge by strengthening outreach efforts across the system.

He was involved in the opening of UC Irvine, left to serve as chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and returned in 1984 as Irvine’s second chancellor. In between Illinois and Irvine, he served as president of the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C.

UC President Janet Napolitano presented the President’s Medal to Peltason last year.