<html> <body> <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""> First let me explain that for the most part, the work I do for the symphony is more or less volunteer. When I first got here 5 years ago, I was offered the equivalent of one tuning fee to prep the piano. For this I usually wound up spending about 3 or 4 hours. Not wanting to charge the already financially scrapped symphony for more money I decided to "give" them my time. I reasoned that I am getting paid by the university, and the work I did on the piano benefited the university, too.  </blockquote> Wim, Be careful. You salary is being paid from public funds, which means that politics plays a role. Every once in a while someone is liable to start poking around looking to dredge up dirt on someone else, or make a reputation as a "waste vigilante" or some other such posturing. Doing work on State time for an outside organization just doesn't look good - and might even be illegal, no matter how beneficial this outside organization might be and how much you think this benefits the University. As long as your services are not explicitly included in the rental agreement between the university and the orchestra and the extent of such services is not spelled out, you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position. You can donate as much of your own time as you wish to anyone you wish, but you cannot on your own decision donate the time that the University pays for. You should at the very least keep a careful record of time spent, to show that none of the University time went into this donated orchestra work. Israel Stein </body> </html>