This year’s Brandeis University Staff Advisory Committee (BUSAC) nominations and elections are coming up! As a first step, we will send all staff who are eligible to be nominated and vote in elections an individual email confirming their eligibility. To be eligible you must be a benefits eligible staff member or post-doc, who started before Feb. 26, 2020. If you have not received this email by the end of the day on March 5 and think that you are eligible, please email BUSAC@brandeis.edu by March 10 so that we can investigate and include you in as part of the elections process.

The purpose of the BUSAC committee is to improve the work environment for Brandeis University staff through discussions and actions that influence policy; develop and enrich staff; and promote ongoing, meaningful and deliberate improvements to the staff experience. Your participation is vital to the success of BUSAC!

Procurement Services and ITS would like to remind the Brandeis University community of our technology purchasing process and policies. Currently, it is against the Computer Purchase Policy and the Brandeis University P-Card Policy to purchase computer hardware with a University P-Card. All computer-related purchases should be placed through MarketPlace+ using Dell punchout for all Dell products or SHI punchout for all Apple products. Please note that the current turnaround time for fulfillment for most Apple and Dell products is extended due to high demand. 

ITS has partnered with Dell to add the Latitude 5400 (2 configurations available) to the Dell punchout which has a turnaround time of approximately 7 days. These are listed under the Standard Configurations as “Fast Shipping Latitude 5400 i7/9/246” and “Fast Shipping Latitude 5400 i7/16/512”.

If you have any urgent need for a computer or computer hardware of any kind, prior to placing an order through MarketPlace+, please email both procurement@brandeis.edu and refresh@brandeis.edu with the specific computer need and we will do our best to help coordinate the best method for order placement.

The university parking system is now online! The Parking Office is excited to announce the launch of the Brandeis Parking Services web portal which is a new online parking management system. Faculty, staff, and students can apply for motor vehicle permits, view and appeal citations, pay fees and fines, and modify their vehicle(s) using the new web portal. To access the new online system, visit the web portal and log in with your Brandeis account (username and password). In partnership with Procurement and ITS, this is a multiphase project to bring enhanced parking services to campus that include changes to processes and procedures that will benefit students, faculty, staff, and guests. For more information about the new online system, visit the Parking Office website.

On March 7, Workday was updated with several new and improved features. Non-exempt hourly and exempt staff will see some changes when submitting a request for time off. The Time Off and Absence calendars have been enhanced to support accessibility with assistive technologies. There is an improved look and feel when viewing the status of absence requests; approved requests now appear as shaded in green providing better visual indicators. The Pay Details in the Workday mobile app has a new design where you can easily view an overview of your pay or view pay details such as most recent pay, current or year-to-date details (e.g., gross pay, taxes and deductions). To see the changes, review the Manage Absence Requests job aid. Mark your calendars - the next Workday update is scheduled for Sept. 12. For more information, please contact workday-help@brandeis.edu.

The Office of Human Resources will be offering the following professional development workshops:

Communicating Professionally on Monday, March 16. Participants learn how to present information and interact with others more professionally.

Time Management, Thursday, April 9. In this session, participants will learn proven techniques for managing time effectively.

For more information and to register, and for a complete list of scheduled training sessions, please visit the Office of Human Resources Training and Professional Development Webpage. Please contact Cynthia Farquhar with any questions.