BUSAC is pleased to announce the following staff members were elected to serve a two year term, starting July 1. Congratulations!  We look forward to your insight and energy.

District A - Maryanna Aldrich (Division of Science)
District C - Victoria Felson (Heller)*
District D - Christie Barone (Rabb)*
District E - Rise Singer (Schusterman Center)*
District F - Dora Ocanto Gomez (Treasury Services)
District I - Haydee Vazquez (Registrar)
District J - Judy Thornton (Facilities)
District K - Walt McGough (Brandeis Library)
At-Large - Mangok Bol (Mandel Center)

*re-elected

BUSAC thanks the following representatives for their hard work these last two plus years as inaugural committee members.  Your contributions paved the way for staff voices to be heard throughout campus. These staff members have completed their terms and will depart BUSAC on June 30:

District A - Heather Felton (Division of Science)
District F - Matthew Carriker (Spiritual Life)
District I - Julia Mani (Academic Services)
District J - Joe Realejo (Facilities)
District K - Aimee Slater (Brandeis Library)
At Large - Steve Weglinski (Graduate Student Affairs)
Assistant - Traci Walkup (Arts & Sciences)

Tufts Health Plan is sponsoring a live Well-Being Webinar Series. Every Wednesday from 12:15-1 p.m., a new webinar focused on maintaining your well-being through the COVID-19 pandemic will be presented via the Zoom platform. This series is open to all employees, not just Tufts Health Plan members. For a list of webinars and more information please visit the Human Resources website.

In these uncertain times, Fidelity and TIAA are offering both live and on demand webinars this summer. Watch and participate in practical conversations to help you live well financially, today and tomorrow.

Topics include but not limited to important information about Medicare, keeping personal information safe, retiring in the “new normal” and guiding you through turbulent times.

Visit the Human Resources website for a comprehensive list and registration details of upcoming webinars.

Throughout the summer months, the Brandeis Food Pantry is partnering with Healthy Waltham to distribute meals to folks within the Waltham community. Distributions occur twice a month on Thursdays and Saturdays, providing an estimated 600 families with food resources at each event. A call for volunteers will go out for each event with duties including sorting food, organizing the set up and break down, and distributing food to attendees. All volunteers will be trained on safety procedures and job functions.

If you are interested in helping to volunteer, please email Steven Weglinski to be added to the volunteer call list.

As you may be aware, there is an emerging nationwide issue involving criminal enterprises who may be in possession of stolen personal information from earlier national data breaches and have been attempting to file large amounts of illegitimate unemployment claims through various states’ systems. The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development issued a statement providing more information.

At this time, we are not aware of any Brandeis faculty or staff who have been impacted. However, if you receive a letter or any other similar correspondence and have not submitted a claim, immediately contact the Department of Unemployment Assistance and complete the fraud contact form. The customer service number for the Department of Revenue is 877-626-6800.

If you are the subject of a false claim, we ask that you also notify the Office of Human Resources (humanresources@brandeis.edu or 781-736-4474) so we can be aware of incoming fraudulent claims and continue to monitor the situation.

Representative from Fidelity Investments and TIAA and are ready to help you manage your retirement savings goals, review investment choices and build a plan that is easy to put into action.

To register and for more details please visit the Retirement Savings Plan webpage on the Human Resources Website.

The new Workday Financial Transactions and Reporting course is now available. This is an online, self-directed class that will help users navigate financial reports such as the Statement of Activities (SOA), Journal Detail, and Grant Details Reports. To register for the class, visit the Workday@Brandeis website. You will receive a confirmation email for the training that will include the link to access the self-directed class. Please set aside an hour to take the class. While an instructor will not be leading the class, any questions about the course content can be directed to workday@brandeis.edu and you will receive a response within 1-2 business days.

In addition, several job aids have been updated or added to the Workday Resources webpage as processes have been streamlined and optimized within Workday. Check out the ending student employment, compensation changes for student employees, or changing costing allocations job aids. Please check the website periodically to make sure you have the right version of the job aids. For any questions or issues using Workday, contact workday-help@brandeis.edu.

In the upcoming months, the on-campus analog cable service including foreign language channels (e.g., Hebrew, Italian) will be discontinued due to aging technology and equipment. ITS will continue to offer digital cable via the Xfinity On Campus wireless streaming service to students in residential areas. Xfinity provides live streaming and on-demand offerings through superior picture and sound quality. For faculty who are interested in continuing use of the foreign language channels as part of course assignments or on-campus students who wish to subscribe to the premium channels, please contact the Technology Help Desk at help@brandeis.edu.

With the shift to distance learning and working remotely, ITS provided the community with access to Adobe Creative Cloud (ACC) apps. Adobe Creative Cloud suite includes Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign which supports creation tools for graphic design, photography, video content and editing, and much more. Please note that the free offer for students will expire on July 6. Students can buy Adobe directly by visiting the Adobe website. Faculty and staff will continue to have access to ACC when maintaining an active Brandeis status. For more information, visit the ITS website. For questions, please contact help@brandeis.edu.

Looking to hone some new skills this summer? The Library is offering an exciting slate of workshops over Zoom. We hope you’ll consider signing up for workshops to learn more about:

• Data Services & Software, including R, Python, Qualtrics, SPSS, R, Stata, Automate with Shell, git and
• GitHub, and Atlas.ti
• LaTeX for Math & Science
• Library Research Skills
• Zotero and Citation Styles
• Arduino Electronics

• The New PubMed: What Do You Need to Know? Automate with Shell Git Version Control

We’re also happy to provide group workshops on a variety of topics. If you'd like to request a workshop for a group, please fill out our request form.

Throughout the end of the spring semester, the Department of Athletics featured the home fitness routines of staff members in their Feature Fridays. We're looking for more faculty and staff to feature over the summer. Check out the Home Fitness Friday Feature webpage to see who's been featured so far. If you want to share your routine to help motivate your fellow Brandeisians, send an e-mail to Kat Page or Adam Levin.

Human Resources is pleased to announce the continuation of a flexible schedule option this summer for staff, starting Monday, June 8, and continuing through Friday, August 14.

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.

The intercollegiate edHealth Walking Challenge is back. The official start date was Monday, June 8 but you can still sign up, participate, and log prior steps. For more information and to get started please visit the Office of Human Resources website.

In 2019, more than half of US organizations faced a successful phishing and or malware attack, many of which began with a phishing email. In these uncertain times, cybercriminals are ramping up their efforts and phishing campaigns are on the rise. To learn more, visit the new phishing awareness webpage on the ITS website. Also, if you missed the May 14 webinar, you can view the recording and presentation on the ITS website. As a reminder, please report any suspicious emails to phishing@brandeis.edu.

Brandeis faculty and staff are eligible to utilize discounts with Enterprise Rental car and National Rental car for both business and personal use. For information on how to obtain those discounts please email procurement@brandeis.edu.

When you have to work, you need support for your family, especially right now. Whether school’s closed, a regular caregiver is unavailable, or you need a care provider for your mom, dad, or elder relative, rely on Bright Horizons Additional Family Supports to help you find:

• Sitters, virtual sitting, housekeepers, and pet care through a premium account on Sittercity, which includes a waived membership fee ($150 value) and free basic background checks
• Discounts on a local, high-touch placement service of trained, screened nannies for full-time child care
• Senior care solutions, including care companions, an online needs assessment, senior housing search and evaluation tools, and more

Find Support Now

• FAQ’s Additional Family Supports
• Sittercity Registration & Virtual Sitting
• Bright Horizons Benefits

Please visit Human Resources website to view detailed information about the Dependent Care Resource & Referral Pilot Program.