Former UT Dallas Librarian Pat Rudkin Dies at 77

Patricia Rudkin

Patricia Rudkin, a longtime library assistant for the University, passed away June 4 in Tyler at the age of 77.

Rudkin worked at the Eugene McDermott Library from 1981 to 2001, and was one of the first recipients of the Ethel Ward-McLemore Award for Library Excellence in 1989. She was also an avid gardener and a wonderful cook who cherished her time with her grandchildren.

“Mom had a quiet disposition and an extremely kind heart,” her son Steve said. “She loved to read and loved her job in the McDermott Library. Dad said that when she was at the McLemore Award ceremony, she was the first person called to the stage. She sheepishly asked what they needed her to do, not realizing that she was being given the award. It meant a lot to her; we found the award pin as we were going through her things.”

She was survived by Rob Rudkin, her husband of 56 years.

Workers’ Compensation Team Here to Help

The Department of Environmental Health and Safety has a new workers’ compensation team. David Liner, Courtney Shaw and Annette Rogers will be handling workers’ compensation claims for the University, and are available to meet with departments to provide training and answer questions. For more information, visit the workers’ compensation webpage, reach out to the team individually, or email [email protected].

Summer Pop-Up Library Series

The Eugene McDermott Library supports a series of summer pop-up sessions. Catch the following upcoming events:

  • “RefWorks! Introduction and Beyond,” Thursday, June 22, at 2 p.m. (MC 2.524)
  • “Women’s Studies Primary Sources,” Tuesday, June 27, at 11 a.m. (SSB 4.300)
  • “Take a Bite Out of Mango Languages,” Tuesday, July 11, at 2 p.m. (Library Lobby)
  • “What is Fair Use?” Wednesday, July 12, at 11 a.m. (Library Lobby)

Check out the library’s events schedule for more information.

Booster Fueling Service Offers Summer Special

Booster Fuels is offering a summer special. The first 1,000 people to use the promo code SUMMERLOVING will receive $5 off their first fill-up. For more information about the fueling service, visit the Parking and Transportation site.

DART Seeks Input on Comet Cruiser Service

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is conducting its quarterly survey for the Comet Cruiser bus service this week. DART staff will be collecting data on the buses and at various stops along the routes on the following days:

Wednesday, June 21, from noon to 4 p.m.
Thursday, June 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday, June 23, and Sunday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Save the Date: Annual Benefits Enrollment Begins July 15

My UT Benefits Logo

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.

Plan Changes for 2017-18
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.

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 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.

Benefits Fair
Benefits-eligible employees are invited to learn more about their options at a Benefits Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 17, in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms (SU 2.602).

Dual Benefits Enrollment
Dual benefits enrollment may be required for employees who experience a life event change (i.e. marriage, divorce, birth of a child, etc.), are new hires or become newly eligible for benefits between July 1, 2017, and Aug. 31, 2017. If you fall into one of these categories, read the information online and contact a Benefits Administrator to complete your enrollment.

For assistance or more information, contact the UT Dallas Office of Human Resources - Benefits Services staff via email at [email protected].

Reminders

UT Dallas is a Tobacco-Free Campus
UT Dallas celebrated becoming a tobacco-free campus with a Breathe Easy event on June 1 on the North Mall. Faculty, staff and students enjoyed light refreshments and giveaways while learning about the new policy and available tobacco-cessation resources. For more details, visit www.utdallas.edu/tobaccofree.

Corporate Challenge
Registration for the 2017 Richardson Corporate Challenge is now open. This annual, Olympic-style competition brings local companies and organizations together to raise money for Special Olympics Texas and engage in friendly competition. The challenge runs from Friday, Aug. 11, to Thursday, Oct. 12, with a wide range of events, including tennis, kickball, bowling and darts.

Download the event schedule and UT Dallas team sign-up sheet, and email the completed form to [email protected]. Also, this year’s Opening Ceremony and Great Walk will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, at Galatyn Plaza (2351 Performance Drive, Richardson). For updates and more information, visit the UT Dallas Corporate Challenge webpage.

OSV Blood Drive
The Office of Student Volunteerism will hold its June Blood Drive on Thursday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Carter BloodCare Bus will be parked at the Residence Hall South Loading Zone. After donating, participants will receive a T-shirt and 50 percent off select seats for a Texas Rangers baseball game, while supplies last. Visit tinyurl.com/cometblooddrive to register and make an appointment.

Event Planners Forum
The UT Dallas Event Planners Forum, hosted by University Events, will be held Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center. The forum is intended for campus event planners and offers a variety of sessions to assist in making each event a success. This year, sessions cover University and System guidelines and policies pertaining to events, campus resources and tools, and reserving event space. The forum is open to all campus event personnel. To attend, register by Tuesday, July 25.

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 Stephen Fontenot at [email protected] or ext. 4405.