Northside Celebrates Dedication, Breaks Ground on Next Phase

Northside Ribbon Cutting

A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for Northside Phase I and a groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of the mixed-use development were held last month just north of campus across Synergy Park Boulevard.

Northside retailers, including the recently opened Jimmy John’s and Delish Bubble Tea, provided samples and giveaways for students, faculty, staff and community members. Representatives from Chopped, American Tap Room and Northside Drafthouse, which are coming soon, also participated in the festivities.

Northside Phase 1 is fully leased for fall 2017. The second phase, scheduled for completion in fall 2018, will offer an additional 6,600 square feet of retail space and 275 housing units with 900 beds. The design will extend the central spine of the development farther north to the location of a proposed Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) station for the Cotton Belt Rail Line.

Benefits Enrollment Begins July 15; Info Fair Set for July 17

My UT Benefits

During the annual benefits enrollment period — Saturday, July 15, to Monday, 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.

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 Saturday, 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 the confirmation email, contact UT Dallas Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services at [email protected] for help.

Enrollment must be completed before midnight on Monday, July 31.

The UT System Office of Employee Benefits will announce any changes to the FY 17-18 benefits plans in the A Matter Of Health newsletter in early July. Please monitor your University email account for this information and for campus-specific details.

For assistance or more information, contact the UT Dallas Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services staff via email at [email protected]. Benefits-eligible employees may also attend the UT Dallas Benefits Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 17, in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms (SU 2.602) to learn more.

New Student Success Initiative Seeks Name

An initiative aimed at boosting first-year students’ engagement and academic success needs a name, and students, staff, faculty and alumni are invited to help. The five-year quality enhancement plan, which will be implemented in fall 2018, will target undergraduate first-time-in-college students, new undergraduate transfer students, new graduate students and new international students. Recommendations can be submitted at qep.utdallas.edu. A winner will be selected by the QEP Marketing Committee. Read More.

Facilities Management Has New Online Tool for Work Requests

The new Facilities Management website now offers tools that allows users to make a work request and report a problem online. Simply log on with your NetID and password and fill in the appropriate online form as prompted. Once the form is submitted, Facilities Management will send a confirmation of receipt and contact you with any questions. Note: Facilities Management and its departments will be closed Friday, May 19, for an internal workday to perform safety checks, maintenance and inventory updates. If an emergency arises, it will be addressed promptly. All other requests will be resolved the following business day.

Summer Meal Memberships Available

Dining Hall West

Dining Services is offering a Faculty and Staff Summer Meal Membership, which includes any 10 meals in Dining Hall West from May 25 to Aug. 8 for $85, plus tax. Memberships can be purchased at utdallas.edu/dining and are loaded directly to your Comet Card within one business day of purchase. Additional memberships can be purchased if you run out of swipes, and multiple swipes can be used at each visit if you want to pay for a colleague or guest.

With the membership, the average cost per meal is $8.50, which saves $1 to $3 per meal, depending on the service time. After intersession hours, Dining Hall West will serve breakfast from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. daily. In addition, Spirit Fridays will continue throughout the summer with lunch for $5 plus tax if you wear orange and green.

New SPN Fitness Classes to Begin This Week

During May, the SPN Wellness Center will be piloting two new classes.

A Zumba class will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, and a yoga class will be held from 6 to 7 a.m. on Thursdays. Both will be in the SPN multipurpose room.

View the full May fitness class schedule. For questions or feedback, please email [email protected].

Mindful Eating Lunch-and-Learn on May 25

What are you hungry for

The Office of Administration and the Employee Wellness Committee will host What Are You Hungry For? A Mindful Eating Exercise from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 25, in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms (SU 2.602).

The session will be led by Angela Lovell from Nutrition Therapy and Wellness. Please RSVP to [email protected] by Thursday, May 18, to reserve your lunch.

Save the Date: BrainHealth Lunch-and-Learn

The Center for BrainHealth and the UT Dallas Benefits team will host a lunch-and-learn on how to optimize brain performance from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms (SU 2.602).

Dr. Diana Purvis Jaffin and Dee O’Neil with the Center for BrainHealth will discuss how sleep, nutrition and physical activity influence brain health and cognitive function. Please RSVP, as space is limited.

Reminders

Register for Innovation and Technology Summit on May 16
The Office of Information Technology will host the second annual Innovation and Technology Summit on Tuesday, May 16, in Hoblitzelle Hall. The focus of the summit is research, teaching, learning and tech support at UT Dallas. Space is limited, so register today. For more information, call 972-883-6678 or email [email protected].

Discount Available for Coding Camps
The Center for Computer Science Education & Outreach will offer more than 100 weeklong summer coding camps starting Monday, June 5, for children in grades 1-12. The center will offer the camps at a few offsite locations. The cost for full-day camps is $300 per week. Half-day camps cost $150 per week. Immediate family members of UT Dallas faculty, staff and students can use the promotional code UTDFAMILY during registration for a 40 percent discount. For more information, email [email protected].

International Travel Wellness Lunch-and-Learn
Faculty and staff who travel abroad on University business are invited to attend a Travel Wellness Lunch-and-Learn from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, May 19, in the Student Union Faculty and Staff Dining Room. Representatives from the Benefits Office, the Employee Assistance Program, and the International Center Risk and Safety Office will discuss assistance and benefits available to employees while they travel. Complete the RSVP form to attend and reserve your lunch. Seating is limited.

Take the Preparedness Pledge
As part of America’s PrepareAthon, faculty, staff and students are encouraged to take the Preparedness Pledge to do one thing to better prepare yourself for all hazards. When you take the pledge you will be entered to win a NOAA Weather Radio. The winner will be chosen at random and announced at the end of the month.

New Online Delivery Map
Faculty and staff members ordering deliveries to campus should direct vendors to the new online delivery map. The map offers recommended driving routes and parking areas for delivery drivers, as well as areas where driving is prohibited. Vehicles must have a company logo, decal or car topper and have emergency flashers on when parked in the designated loading zones, 10-minute parking, service vehicle, or visitor parking areas notated on the map. Parking in non-designated areas may result in citations, booting or towing.

Office of Research Seminars and Events

 

About This Newsletter

Intercom is the official University-wide newsletter for UT Dallas faculty and staff members. This periodic publication is designed to provide University employees with important information necessary for the workplace, as well as community news that supports the University's mission. Guidelines about content and submissions can be found here or contact Marc Johnson at [email protected] or ext. 4996.