Ground Broken for Student Housing on Southwest Side of Campus

Ground Broken for Student Housing on Southwest Side of Campus
From left: Dr. Calvin Jamison, Dr. Inga Musselman, President ad interim Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, Student Government president Akshitha Padigela, Dr. Gene Fitch, vice president for Student Affairs, and Matt Grief, associate vice president for Student Affairs, break ground for two new student housing complexes on campus.

An official groundbreaking last month marked the beginning of work on Student Housing Phases VI and VII. The two apartment-style complexes are expected to provide a total of 800 new beds on campus for fall 2017.

Phase VI will be 206,000 square feet and include a mix of efficiency, one-, and two-bedroom apartments, as well as an open multipurpose space, a common laundry facility, office space for support staff, an outdoor recreation facility and a surface parking lot for 150 vehicles. It will be directly south of Loop Road Southwest and the new Phase VII.

Phase VII will be 127,000 square feet and feature one-, two- and four-bedroom configurations with internal corridors, an open multipurpose space, offices for support staff, laundry facilities, secure bike storage, bike racks and outdoor recreation areas. It will be on the north side of Loop Road Southwest at Waterview Parkway.

Visit the Pardon Our Progress website for additional updates on these and other projects on campus.

Sign Up for the Corporate Challenge

Frankie Branham
Registration is open for the 2016 Richardson Corporate Challenge, an annual Olympic-style competition that begins Aug. 12 and raises money for Special Olympics Texas. All benefits-eligible employees and their spouses may participate in events ranging from tennis and kickball to darts and bowling. Visit the Wellness website to download the sign-up sheet and list of events.

In an effort to increase UT Dallas donations, participants will be asked to contribute $5 per T-shirt. Payment can be made at the Office of Administration (AD 2.410), or online through the UT Dallas Corporate Challenge donation page. For the online option, click the “Support UT Dallas” link in the top center of the page, and list your name rather than “anonymous” to ensure your T-shirt payment can be recorded. One-time donations also can be made through the same link. All proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Texas.

Benefits Enrollment Begins July 15; Info Fair Set for July 18

During the annual benefits enrollment period — Friday, July 15, to Sunday, July 31 — you will be able to:

  • Make changes to your benefits
  • Enroll or re-enroll in UT FLEX (employees only; enrollment does not automatically renew)
  • Add or remove dependents from your coverage plan
Plan Changes for 2016-17
Highlights of the Plan Year 2016-2017 benefit changes have been announced. Visit the benefits website for more details. The UT System Office of Employee Benefits also will feature the changes in the A Matter of Health newsletter in early July. Please monitor your University email account for this information and for campus-specific details.

Enrollment Email
An email containing a summary of your coverage and a link to the annual enrollment website will be sent to all benefits-eligible employees by Friday, July 15. After you receive the email, log in to MyUTBenefits and follow the on-screen instructions to make your selections. You will receive an email confirming your changes in approximately 24 hours. If you don’t receive it, contact the benefits services staff in the UT Dallas Office of Human Resources at [email protected]. Enrollment must be completed before midnight on Sunday, July 31.

Benefits Fair
Faculty and staff members are invited to learn more about their benefit options at a Benefits Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 18, in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms (SU 2.602).

Dual Benefits Enrollment
Dual benefits enrollment may be required for employees who experienced a life event change, are new hires or become newly eligible for benefits between July 1, 2016, and Aug. 31, 2016. If you fall into one of these categories, please contact a Benefits Administrator to complete your enrollment.

For assistance or more information, email the benefits services staff in the Office of Human Resources.

Library Workshops Focus on Tools for Personal Finance, Citations

McDermott Library will hold workshops for staff and faculty this month in MC2.524. Please register.

  • Feed the Pig: Saving and Investing Resources at McDermott, 11:30 a.m., Monday, July 11 — Learn about all of the many resources at McDermott Library for personal finance, and try your luck at winning a savings bank in the shape of a pig.
  • Cite Like An Expert, 2 p.m., Tuesday, July 12 — Learn about RefWorks, a web-based citation management tool provided by the library. The workshop covers setting up an account, exporting citations from research databases, managing citations, creating bibliographies and more.

For more information and other upcoming workshops, go to the library website.

Reminders

Green Zone Class Scheduled for July 15
The Veteran Services Center will hold a Green Zone training session on Friday, July 15. The session will be from 9 a.m. to noon in JSOM 12.402. Space is limited, and registration is required. The Green Zone program is designed to establish a University network of staff and faculty members to encourage a military-friendly campus culture. Email Archie Nettles or call the Veteran Services Center at 972-883-4916 for more information.

Staff Council to Meet July 13
The Staff Council holds its regular meetings on the second Wednesday of each month. The next meeting will be at 9 a.m. July 13 in JSOM 1.517.

UT Dallas Ethics and Compliance Hotline Is Available 24/7
The Ethics and Compliance Hotline is a confidential and non-retaliatory way to report noncompliance or unethical behavior outside the normal chain of command. To learn more, visit the Ethics and Compliance Hotline website. All reports made to the hotline are investigated.

University Offers ADA Accessibility Resources
UT Dallas has a range of resources to help anyone facing challenges moving around our growing campus. Visit UT Dallas’ ADA site or email [email protected].

Office of Research Seminars and Events

Center for Teaching and Learning Workshop