Human Resources is pleased to announce the continuation of a flexible schedule option this summer for staff, starting Monday, June 10, and continuing through Friday, August 16.

Managers may adopt flexible hours for staff, where possible. Because our campus offers programs and classes throughout the summer, flex time can be approved by managers only as long as each department’s or unit’s work commitments are fully met, and departments and units are able to provide service five days a week. Whether a staff member may adopt a flex schedule is subject to the approval of that person’s supervisor.

As a reminder President Liebowitz has approved two discretionary closings for the university. On Friday, May 24, the university will close at 2 p.m. in advance of the Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, July 5, the university will be closed following the July 4th holiday.

The Office of the EVP for Finance and Administration is pleased to announce that Richard (Dick) Reynolds will be our Interim Vice President for Campus Operations. Dick will provide leadership to Campus Operations during the search period. Dick’s most recent experiences was as the Vice President of Operations at Tufts University where he was responsible for facilities management, construction, dining services, public and environmental health and safety, planning, and ancillary real estate. Dick oversaw a staff of 350 with an annual budget of $100 million. We look forward to Dick joining us on April 10.

In order to protect employee personal information and pay we are strengthening our procedures for changing or instituting direct deposit accounts and/or amounts. There have been recent attempts at Brandeis and other colleges and universities to divert employee payroll direct deposit to bank accounts controlled by scammers. The attempts involve email submissions of requests or of direct deposit forms.

If you need to change your bank account or payroll distribution for payroll direct deposit, please do so in the Brandeis University Self-Service (BUSS) system. There are no changes to the BUSS process. The Payroll Office will no longer accept requests by mail, phone, or email. All changes should be made directly by the employee in BUSS. If you are unsure or unable to do so you may visit the Payroll Office at our 60 Turner Street location and the staff will assist you in making changes. All individuals making changes will be required to provide their Brandies University ID.  Please contact payroll@brandeis.edu with questions.

The Office of Investment Management recently hired the first Climate Change Investment Intern, Filippo Mavrothalassitis, a Brandeis sophomore, dual majoring in environmental studies and economics. From a list of five potential projects, Filippo chose to study the energy infrastructure that will be needed to migrate to a more distributed energy grid. Historically, utility companies have provided electricity centrally from large power plants. However, with new solar and wind technologies, the production of energy is more disperse. For example, businesses and individual families are now able to install and manage their own power production locally with solar panels. This complexity will require significant technological and infrastructure changes, and will provide potential investment opportunities for Brandeis. The Office of Investment Management plans to hire three Climate Change Investment Interns each year (spring, fall, and summer). The goal of the internship is to advance Brandeis' understanding of climate change investment opportunities, and to provide experience and research skills to help interns discover and pursue their career paths.

On Wednesday, April 3 the Hiatt Career Center and the Graduate School Career Centers will be hosting  2019 Just In Time Job & Internship Fair.

Employers attending the Job & Internship Fair will be directed to park within a defined number of reserved parking spaces at the following locations: Hassenfeld Lot and Spingold Circle. Parking Monitors will be on duty to assist employer guests as well as to direct Brandeis Community members to alternate parking areas should they be displaced by the one-day parking changes.

For more information please visit the Public Safety Website.

Admitted Students Day is scheduled for Sunday, April 14. To accommodate the arrival of more than 700 students and their families the following parking changes will be implemented:

• Resident students who normally park in the South Residence (X) and the (T) Theater parking lots will be required to move their vehicles prior to 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 13.

• All resident student vehicles must be moved to the Charles River (J) parking lot, which is located off Angleside Road. Vehicles that are not moved from the Theater and South Residence lots will be towed at the owner's expense to Charles River (J) parking lot.

• An extra shuttle van will be available during the evening of Saturday, April 13, from 6 to 11 p.m. to provide transportation from Charles River (J) lot to campus.

• Resident students may return their vehicles to South Residence (X) parking lot after 6 p.m. on Sunday evening, April 14.

For more information please visit the Department of Public Safety website.

In order to complete a battery based energy storage system, a power shutdown is required. The Brandeis  system is one of three Eversource pilot projects. The batteries for the energy storage system will be charged with clean off-peak power at night and discharge back to Brandeis electrical distribution system during peak usage periods. This eliminates Eversource’s need to procure power from its most polluting generators to meet the University's peak usage requirements.

The energy storage project is an important sustainability initiative for both Brandeis, Eversource, and Massachusetts as it helps reduce the need for the most polluting power generation sources. It is anticipated that many of these battery based storage systems will be installed across the state to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The shutdown will occur on Saturday, April 20 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Emergency lights in affected buildings will remain on and building exterior door card readers will remain operational during this power shutdown. Emergency power for critical Science Center equipment will remain operational. Department of Facilities Services staff including electricians and HVAC technicians will be on campus during and after the shutdown to ensure building systems restore properly.

For more information and a complete list of building impacted please visit the Facilities website.

On Thursday, March 28 the Student Union and the staff from Student Financial Services will provide an opportunity for students to talk about financial aid and general affordability.  The discussion will allow for a collaborative understanding of concerns students face and perspectives regarding this topic.

The event’s format will include introductory remarks from the panelists followed by an open Q&A session. We recognize that some participants may want to submit their questions anonymously; therefore, we have set up this form to allow for the submission of questions.

Denim Day began over 20 years ago, after the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped remove them which implied consent. The following day, women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity. Since then, Denim Day has become an annual symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape.

This year, in addition to students, we are inviting Brandeis faculty and staff to join us for Denim Day. Brandeis will observe Denim Day this year on Wednesday, April 3.

Here are some ways to solidarity with survivors of sexual violence on Denim Day:

• Wear denim. Denim jeans, jackets, hat – any and all denim is encouraged.

• Request a Denim Day sticker from the Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC) to wear. Email PARC in advance to have stickers dropped off to you, or you can visit PARC in the Shapiro Campus Center on April 1 or 3, noon-2 p.m.

• Show your support on social media with the hashtag #BrandeisDenimDay2019. Tag pictures of you and your colleagues wearing denim or stickers and let survivors know that you support them. PARC will be reposting your messages of support all day.

Hoops for Help, a student vs. faculty and staff basketball game and fundraiser will take place on Thursday, April 4. Hoops for Help supports on-campus causes. Admission is free and families are welcome. Come cheer for the students and colleagues who are participating. For more information and this years rosters please visit the campus events calendar.

This promises to be a very exciting event. To receive a Hoops for Help t-shirt please make a donation of $5 or more at the event to support this year's causes: Brandeis Food Pantry, The Green Fund for Sustainability, Student Emergency Fund, World of Work Fellowship, Prevention Advocacy & Resource Center and The General Scholarship Fund.

Join your colleagues in a fun points-based challenge that includes daily exercise and steps! Brandeis On The Move is sponsored by the Office of Human Resources as part of the university's Healthy You wellness program. It is a 6 week points base team-fitness challenge designed to encourage exercise, health and fitness. We've partnered with Tufts Health Plan using the Daily Endorphin portal to track your exercise points.

Teams are composed of four or five employees (eligible participants are faculty, postdocs and staff). Each team will select a Team Captain to motivate and encourage.

To register and for more information please visit the Brandeis On The Move (BOTM) webpage.

A reception to celebrate Jim Gray’s service to Brandeis University will be held on Tuesday, April 16 in the Skylines Commons. Please stop by to wish Jim well.

It is once again time to conduct annual performance reviews for your staff (All full-time and part-time regular staff will receive an annual performance review by June 1). This workshop will provide managers with the tools and information necessary to conduct an effective performance review. For more information and to register please visit the Human Resources Training and Development Webpage.

It is once again time for annual performance reviews. This workshop will provide employees with the tools and information necessary to make the most of your performance review. Participants will learn the following:

• How to accurately document your performance
• Creating a file highlighting your accomplishments
• Thinking about what would be helpful for professional growth
• How to have a productive conversation with your supervisor

For more information and to register please visit the Human Resources Training and Professional Development Webpage.