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Biweeklies set to get bonuses m
In order to help its biweekly employees through a one-time, three-week paycheck gap, Duke is giving them an extra week’s worth of pay in early March.
Jordan Bazinsky
Christopher Dieterich
Jim Dupree
Jasmin French
By GREG PESSIN The Chronicle
In a startling recognition of a pending administrative decision’s impact on the University and Health System’s 30,000 biweekly paid employees, Duke officials announced Friday that they will issue $7.8 million worth of bonus checks March 2. Each regular biweekly employee who works at least 20 hours per week will receive an extra week’s pay March 2 —in other words, biweekly employees will receive 53 weeks’ pay during 2001. Duke’s current payroll system allows only five working days between the end of the pay week and the pay date, as opposed to the industry standard of eight to 10. As a result of the rush, about 200 employees receive miscalculated payments each pay period. A new computer payroll system, which will go live this summer, demands a longer lag period. Human Resources administrators decided to add one week to the lag time, which will force a one-time three-week gap in pay checks between Feb. 16 and March 9. On March 2, when biweekly employees would have received their normal payment, they will receive the equivalent of pay for one week’s worth of work as extra compensation to help them through the transition. See BONUSES on page 4
m Travis Gayles
Kate Heath
Jim Lazarus
Robert Leonard
David Nigro
Priya Ramaswami ROSS
MONTANTE/THE CHRONICLE
Young Trustee pool narrows to 10 ByAMBIKA KUMAR The Chronicle
The job of the Young Trustee Nominating Committee, chaired by junior Sean Young, has been a bit more difficult this year— Young announced this weekend that the group has narrowed the 11-member Young Trustee applicant pool to 10 finalists. Last year, after the committee received only eight applications, it made no first-round cuts. Applications for one of the
most prestigious and important merit Legislature will select one undergraduate positions jumped undergraduate Feb. 12 for a this year following a publicity three-year term on the Board of Trustees. push by Young. “It was a problem in past Here are the candidates, in alyears. People who weren’t student phabetical order; leaders weren’t in the know,” Senior Jordan Bazinsky, a Young said. “I just put up flyers public policy major, is president of on West and sent out... e-mails to DSG and has served as chair of as many student groups as I East Campus Council and an adcould.” viser for the Undergraduate JudiThe committee will narrow the cial Board. “There’s a lot of change list to three candidates Feb. 2, for the better that could be made and the Duke Student GovemSee YOUNG TRUSTEES on page 5 •
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Liggett Group considers developing old tobacco buildings By SARAH McGILL The Chronicle
Just last spring, plans for a massive redevelopment of the American Tobacco campus had the city’s leaders forecasting the revival of downtown Durham and lining up to back the project with aiding infrastructure. Now, the Liggett Group is quietly considering designs to convert eight downtown buildings into a mixture of shops, offices and apartments—an 835,000 square foot development rivaling American Tobacco’s in size. Liggett, the major cigarette manufacturer that completed its relocation from the Bull City to Mebane, N.C., last year, has hired architect Edwin Belk for the project, said CEO Ron Bernstein. Belk—the creative force that transformed old tobacco and mill edifices into what are now Brightleaf Square, Erwin Square and West Village—has already created a preliminary master plan for the campus, outlining potential uses for each of the buildings. The development could provide a much-needed link between the Brightleaf area and the city’s civic arts district, said Bill Kalkof, who directs the local nonprofit group Downtown Durham, Inc. Mayor Nick Tennyson agreed. “The Liggett property could provide a tremendous connection for our activity centers.” he said. “The redevelopment could put a bridge in there that could be very helpful.” Belk’s plan calls for the following: The research building on Main Street would provide laboratory space; The old headquarters on Main Street would be refurbished for office space; The Cobb and O’Brien warehouses directly south See TOBACCO on page 4 •
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THIS DOWNTOWN WAREHOUSE, located on Main Street, is one of several in the Liggett Group’s complex that could be redeveloped into residential, office and retail space.
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2 Administrators consider laptop requirement, page 3