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Communication for the staff and faculty of
The University of Texas at Dallas |
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Wednesday, August 25, 2021 |
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COVID-19 Information, Resources
During the disruption of regular services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Communications is maintaining a collection of information and resources for staff, faculty and students. For the latest information, visit the COVID-19 website, which will be updated frequently with FAQs and the latest information.
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Watch Recording of August Town Hall
Dr. Rafael Martín, UT Dallas vice president and chief of staff, and UT Dallas leadership led a virtual town hall discussion about returning to campus this fall on Aug. 17. Watch the town hall recording.
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Submit Feedback Through Virtual Benefits Fair Survey
Human Resources appreciates everyone who attended the 2021 UT Dallas Virtual Benefits & Wellness Fair. Please take a moment to complete a short survey. Your feedback is very important in HR enhancing its service, understanding what it does well and what it can do better.
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HR Forum Scheduled for Sept. 1
The Office of Human Resources will host its next HR Forum from 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 1, as a Microsoft Teams live event. Please install Microsoft Teams prior to joining. If you need assistance, contact the Help Desk.
Unlike a traditional Teams meeting, you are not able to “dial in” to a live event. Audio will stream from your computer. Please ensure your speakers are on or use a headset connected to your device. Closed captioning is available, and there will be a moderated Q-and-A forum.
Join the HR Forum and share this link with your colleagues. If you have questions for the HR Forum, send them to [email protected].
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Celebrate Talent Development Manager at Virtual Retirement Party
The Office of Human Resources will hold a virtual reception on Microsoft Teams to honor the contributions of talent development manager Terry Cartwright from 2-3 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 26. Remarks will begin at 2:15 p.m.
Cartwright joined UT Dallas in 2008. In his role, he has interacted with practically every new faculty and staff member — welcoming them at new employee orientation, teaching a variety of training courses and championing professional development resources.
If you have memories or well wishes that you would like to share, please email Jillian McNally.
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Comet Cents Offers Money-Wise Training for Students
The Comet Cents Money Management Center provides free education to UT Dallas students on personal financial wellness topics such as saving/budgeting, credit management, student loans, identity theft and financial responsibilities after college. A goal of the Comet Cents program is to ensure that each UTD student has been able to attend one of our money management skills workshops prior to graduation to fine tune their financial toolkit. Join us in a workshop or meet with one of our coaches.
Smart About Money (SAM) Certification Series: Comet Cents will have two opportunities for undergraduate students to expand their financial literacy knowledge by completing the series. SAM covers topics like debt, attaining and maintaining Credit, Loans, and future planning through investments. SAM series graduates receive a certificate upon completion.
Fall 2021 Virtual Workshops: This fall, Comet Cents will continue its traditional drop-in workshops, but in a virtual format. These workshops cover topics like financial goals (budgeting), managing credit, and planning for the future (loans, investments, and everything in between).
Individual Financial Coaching: Students can schedule an in-person or virtual appointment with a trained and certified Comet Cents peer coach for individual financial coaching. This is the perfect opportunity to get firsthand guidance when students notice they are struggling with finances or they want to grow and deepen their knowledge.
Comet Cents will feature additional Comet Cents opportunities for students on its Instagram, and it will publish new episodes on its Change Matters podcast.
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Sign Up for Gender Center’s Book Club
The Galerstein Gender Center (GGC) invites you to register for its monthly book club meetings this semester. Participants will read and discuss Mikki Kendall's “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot.”
The book club will have two sections; the staff/faculty section will meet at noon, and the student section will meet at 2 p.m. on three Wednesdays — Sept. 29, Oct. 27 and Nov. 17. The GGC will provide free books to the first 15 book club registrants. All participants will receive a bonus book.
The GGC Book Club Meet & Greet will be held virtually from noon-1 p.m., on Wednesday, Sept. 8, via Microsoft Teams. Recipients of free books can pick them up at the Gender Center.
If you have any access issues or any questions, please email Jacqueline Prince.
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Economic Development’s Latest Labor Market Update
Dallas-Fort Worth recorded a net gain of 27,200 jobs in June, bringing the region 53,000 jobs short of February 2020 pre-pandemic employment. Employment was essentially unchanged in most sectors, except for another steady rise in the leisure and hospitality sector, which rose locally to 18% above June 2020. For more details, see this month’s DFW Labor Market Update.
For more information on how UT Dallas and our local economy affect each other, please contact the Economic Development team. You can also subscribe to biweekly updates for the latest analysis and news.
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Center for BrainHealth Event
Crunch Time: Why Fitness Still Matters, 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30 — We all know that working out is good for you, but what are the facts behind that? During the first event of the Fall Sips & Science Series, Dr. Laura DeFina, president, CEO and chief science officer of the Cooper Institute, will share the known research behind health benefits of physical activity and fitness. DeFina will explain the healthy behaviors and fit body impact on COVID-19 development and severity, how the pandemic affected our physical activity, and the importance of resuming it for our heart, brain, and mental health.
For more information, visit the events FAQ page or email [email protected].
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Research Events
QPR Suicide Prevention Training, noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 25 — Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training describes behavioral, verbal and situational indicators of suicidality, explains how to approach someone who may be thinking of suicide, and how to persuade and refer them to helpful resources. Participants will receive an in-depth overview of mental health resources both on and off-campus. For more information, visit the QPR listing or email Dani Lamb.
NSF CAREER Spotlight Series: Dr. Anthony Cummings, noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 8 — Dr. Anthony Cummings, associate professor of geospatial information sciences and NSF CAREER awardee, will kick off the NSF Spotlight Series by sharing applicable proposal development and submission wisdom. For more information, visit the Spotlight Series listing or email Tiffany Willoughby.
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Reminders
Important Information About Absences for Fiscal Year-End
For the purposes of fiscal year-end, the Office of Human Resources asks that all employees submit absence occurrences (sick/vacation) as they occur during August. Enter and submit all outstanding absence entries immediately if you have any outstanding entries from previous months.
All absence requests (sick/vacation) up to and including Aug. 31 must be submitted and approved by midnight, Aug. 31. All remaining saved and unapproved absences in the system as of Aug. 31 will be deemed as approved and will be processed by Human Resources and deducted from employees’ balances to ensure accuracy of the carry over balances for year-end financial reporting purposes.
When you submit your absence entries, please make sure the status reads “Needs Approval.” If the status reads “Saved,” then the time has not been submitted for approval. If you use the “Time Tile” in Fluid, your only option is “Submit,” so you don’t need to worry about it being stuck in Saved.
Please contact leave analyst Susan Lerry at [email protected], with any questions or for assistance.
Comets United Posters, Flyers Now Available
The Office of Communications has created posters and flyers for campus units to download and print for use in their office spaces.
Messages include general recommendations such as “We Encourage Everyone to Wear a Mask Indoors” and editable hours notifications “We’re Open.”
Access the COVID SIGNS for Faculty and Staff with your NetID credentials on Box. For assistance or more information, contact [email protected].
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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 Robert Tracy at [email protected] or ext. 3521. |
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