comment on looking for part time RSO

[michele.smith@amd.com]

I apologize.  I forgot to say, I was posting this for someone else.  Please
reply to Rikki B. Schwartz (rbschwar@oakland.edu) of Oakland University.
She is not on the list, so it is better to reply to directly to her. 
Thanks for your help.


In our continuing efforts to explore a "Laboratory Compliance Manager", we
are faced with the very real and immediate need to replace our current
RSO.  You may remember that our proposed Lab Compliance Manager (LCM)
would be 1/3 RSO, 1/3 biosafety officer and 1/3 chemical hygiene officer.
However, our RSO leaves OU in less than 18 months, so we must begin to
"search" for a new RSO, regardless of the status of an LCM position.  Our
department RSO was (before he became our RSO) a PhD in the department of
chemistry, who occasionally lectured for labs, but technically performed
more administrative work than anything else.  Chemistry and EH&S then
decided to "divide" this individual up:  30 hours/week chemistry (for
which he reports to the Chemistry Lab Manager); 10 hours/week RSO (for
which he reports to myself).  And it worked as well as can be expected
overall.

NOW..we need a new 10 hour/week RSO, and we're just not sure where to
"find" one.  Possibilities we have thought of are as follows:

1) Find an existing faculty member (with a health physics or chemistry
background and radiation safety experience/training) at OU who is
willing/able to take on an additional 10 hours/week as our RSO (for a
small salary increase).  We already know that our chances of finding a
suitable (not to mention willing) internal candidate in this regard are
zero to none.

2) Hire a permanent part-time (10 hr/week) individual (from the
"outside") with the academic credentials and rad safety
training/experience, and add him/her to the EH&S staff.  But, who on earth
would want to take a 10 hr/week job on a permanent or semi-permanent
basis??

3) Hire an RSO "consultant" to do the work (ok, I know it's completely out
of the question, but my VP will have wanted me to explore all possible
options).

4) Find an academic department who needs a lecturer, and hire a
"lecturer/RSO".

5) ???????

What haven't I thought of?  What has everyone else done when faced with
this dilemma at your schools?

"Sister schools" please reply.  We are a relatively small school (14,500
FTE).  We have a broad scope license, but our isotopes are simply not
monumental in scope or volume.

Thanks in advance.  Rik



Rikki B. Schwartz
Director, EH&S
Oakland University
Rochester, MI 48309-4401
Phone (248) 370-4196
Fax (248) 370-4376
e-mail rbschwar@oakland.edu