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. Visit the COVID-19 website, which will be updated frequently with the latest information.

Staff and faculty who can perform their work remotely are encouraged to do so through Friday, Feb. 4. Please work with your supervisor to determine the needs of your unit during this period. Supervisors are expected to be flexible and allow remote work through Feb. 4, if possible, without compromising operations. Additional information about work and health protocols can be found on the UT Dallas COVID-19 website.

Join the UT Dallas community in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during MLK Dream Week: The Urgency of Creating the Beloved Community, Jan. 18-21.

Virtual events will include the Comets Cultural Conversation and the 22nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast.

The Office of Human Resources will host its next HR Forum from 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2, 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. If you have questions for the HR Forum, send them to [email protected].

UT Dallas Parking & Transportation Services and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) are partnering to provide affordable access to public transportation for UT Dallas faculty and staff members who wish to purchase an annual DART pass.

A Local pass is available at the discounted rate of $360, and the Regional pass at the discounted rate of $1,080 for the 2022 calendar year. The discounted price for employee DART passes will be available until Monday, Feb. 14. After that date, faculty and staff may still purchase a DART pass via UT Dallas Parking & Transportation to receive a lower corporate rate.

To purchase an annual pass, log in and complete the 2022 Faculty & Staff DART Pass Application. You will receive a confirmation via email once your application has been received. If you do not receive confirmation, please email [email protected] for confirmation. After your application has been confirmed, you will receive payment instructions via response email. Payment must be made online via credit or debit card before your application can be processed.

For 2022, faculty and staff have the option of selecting a DART GoPass App or a GoPass Tap Card. The GoPass App is a digital pass available through the DART GoPass phone app. Faculty and staff selecting the GoPass App option will have their pass activated on their cellphone. Those selecting the Tap Card option must pick up their card at the Parking Office (PS3 1.200) during normal business hours. All applications are processed after payment is received. The GoPass App is activated within three business days after payment and Tap Cards are processed approximately five business days after payment. For more information, please visit the parking website or call 972-883-7777.

The University of Texas at Dallas has teamed with Academic Impressions to provide extensive online leadership and professional development resources for its faculty, staff and students.

Academic Impressions provides a comprehensive set of higher-education specific resources, including skills-based training for:

• Academic leadership
• Advancement
• Diversity, equity and inclusion
• Enrollment management and marketing
• Faculty success
• Institutional and academic planning
• Student success
• Title IX and compliance
• Women’s leadership

Comets will have access to hundreds of hours of online, on-demand and live training sessions, with new trainings added weekly. Offerings also include all Academic Impressions virtual conferences; exclusive member resources for academic leaders, including current and aspiring female leaders; and resources for improving online teaching and student support.

Faculty, staff and students can log in using their UT Dallas email address. For more information, email Yianna Kappas or Dr. Serenity Rose King.

Learn to Live Program, Webinar
Learn to Live (L2L) is a digital mental health platform that delivers assessments, online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs and one-on-one services. It is available via BCBSTX Health Advocacy Solutions (HAS) to members ages 13 year and older.

L2L offers:

• Five condition-specific programs: Depression; Stress, Anxiety and Worry; Social Anxiety; Insomnia; and Substance Use.
• Programs are built on the principles and tools of evidence-based CBT.
• Available on demand with the options for one-to-one coaching services.

Please join BCBSTX for an L2L Webinar, 1:30-2 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 18, to learn more about the program.

For more information, download the newsletter  or visit the BlueCross BlueShield of Texas website.

Wondr Health Spring Session
Wondr, a 100% digital weight loss program, teaches clinically proven skills through weekly master classes. You'll learn how to eat your favorite foods and still lose weight, increase your energy, stress less, and so much more. The Wondr application period ends Sunday, Jan. 23. The program begins Monday, Feb. 7.

Wondr is available to all UTSELECT and UT CONNECT medical plan members ages 18 and above, including employees, retirees, spouses, and dependents who have not started a class within in the last 12 months. For more information, visit the Wondr customer service site.

2022 Live Healthy Campaign: Coast to Coast
Welcome 2022 with a Coast to Coast trip of a lifetime. Take a fun-filled, nostalgic road trip to some of America’s most popular attractions as you build well-being habits that last long after your shore-to-shore adventure is over.

Each day you’ll visit a new attraction, earning points and road signs as you record physical activity, plus mindful eating and two-minute timeouts. And you’ll answer a fun trivia question, learn why each attraction should be on your places-to-see list, and collect bumper stickers to commemorate your visit.

In this six-week wellness adventure, your goal is to earn 150 points (25 or more points/week) and receive a “puzzle food containers set” to continue the healthy habits all year round.

Some important dates:

• Monday, Jan. 17: First day to log activity. Begin recording health habits and start your shore-to-shore adventure.
• Friday, Jan. 28: Last day to register and form or join a team of three to five.
• Sunday, Feb. 27: Program ends; but you may backlog until Tuesday, March 1.

Register for Coast to Coast at Living Well.

New EAP App: iConnectYou
iConnectYou is an app that connects you with professionals for instant support and help finding resources for you and your family.

To access iConnectYou, download the app from the App Store or Google Play and register using the code: 148384.

EAP January Newsletter
In this month’s EAP Newsletter, the following topics are discussed:

• Online Seminar: Reframing Your Way Through 2022. Available on demand starting Tuesday, Jan. 18.
• Change Your Life with SMART Goals!
• Get Back to the Basics To Find Balance in Life
• Healthy Living: Commit To Get Fit
• This Is Your Year to Quit Smoking

Visit Deer Oaks EAP and enter utdallas for the username and password to access the online seminar. 

The Comet Cupboard, UT Dallas’ food pantry for students, is offering several ways for faculty and staff to help this semester:

1. Become a Shelf Star: Register as an individual or a group in this semester-long competition to collect different items each month. The items of the month for January are pasta and rice. 
2. Participate in Raising Cans: Competing teams will first gather nonperishable food, school supplies, household goods, and personal care items. The teams then will assemble collected items into sculptures or depict them using graphics. 
3. Department Food Drive: Collect donations through your group or department.

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. Faculty are encouraged to share Comet Cents’ resources with their students.

Smart About Money Certification Series
The five-week series covers topics like debt, attaining and maintaining credit, loans, and future planning through investments.

Spring 2022 Workshops
Comet Cents will offer drop-in workshops on financial goals (budgeting), managing credit, and planning for the future (loans, Investments and everything more).

Individual Financial Coaching
Trained and certified Comet Cents peer coaches offer individual financial coaching by appointment.

Comet Cents also features opportunities on its Instagram page and will produce new episodes of its podcast Change Matters. 

New Features in Teams, 2 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 25 — Working together can be simplified through the use of Microsoft Teams. Join this Teams Live session hosted by the Office of Information Technology to learn about a number of new features that have been added or changed in 2022.

Do You Know Duo? 2 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8 — Duo offers two-factor authentication so you can access protected applications. Members of OIT and the Information Security Office will share hints and tips to better manage devices and enhance your experience, and even using Duo for protecting personal applications and services, too.

Online Consent To Receive Form 1095-C for Calendar Year 2021
In accordance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions, UT Dallas will have the 2021 Form 1095-C available on or before Jan. 31, 2022. The Form 1095-C includes information about the health insurance coverage offered to employees, retirees and their dependents. You will receive the Form 1095-C if you were enrolled in the UT Medical Plan or if you worked an average of 30 or more hours per week or were considered a full-time employee in 2021. Graduate student employees who are covered under the UT Student Health Insurance Plan will receive Form1095-B directly from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

If you provide consent, you can access your Form 1095-C online through Galaxy. If you provided consent in prior years, you do not have to do so again. The deadline to provide online consent is Jan. 17. If you do not provide the online consent, you will receive the form in the mail on or before the IRS deadline. The forms are expected to be available online on or before Jan. 31.

If you need to provide online consent, log in to Galaxy with your UT Dallas NetID and password. Then, go to Self Service, select ACA Form 1095-C and follow the on-screen instructions. Written instructions and FAQs are posted on the HR website for your reference.

If you have any questions, email [email protected] or contact the Office of Human Resources - Employee Benefits Team. If you have additional questions about your Form 1095-C, you may also visit the IRS website and the UT System Office of Employee Benefits website.

Contribute Pandemic Memories to UTD Time Capsule
The Eugene McDermott Library and University Archives are launching the Comets Endure Digital Time Capsule, a digital memory project to honor students, faculty and staff who have endured through the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have collectively experienced a dramatic moment of UTD’s history unlike anything before or possibly yet to come. This digital collection will preserve stories and memories of this time so future UTD classes will remember. The time capsule will be opened in 2041.

If you would like to contribute your pandemic memories, please complete the submission form. Submissions will be accepted through the end of the 2021-22 academic year. Comets United. Comets Endure