Facilities Services has begun the annual campus-wide transition from building cooling to heating. All building heating systems will be turned over the course of two weeks, prioritizing the residential halls followed by the more occupied buildings. The level of outside air has also been increased for the duration of the pandemic enough to noticeably improve building air circulation and quality. Consequently, room temperatures will inevitably be cooler and/or warmer during the two-week transition period, which is the result of cool mornings followed by warmer afternoons typical of the “shoulder season.” Once complete, building temperatures will be maintained in accordance with Brandeis’ energy policy for Winter: target air temperature when occupied is 68-71 degrees F (20-22 C). For more information please visit the Facilities Services website.

Your patience and understanding is appreciated during the transition.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global effort to help everyone stay protected whenever and however you connect. The overarching theme for the month is ‘Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart’ and Brandeis University is proud to be a champion and support this online safety and education initiative this October. The cybersecurity and digital privacy of our community are important to the university. Throughout the month of October, ITS will share security tips in this newsletter with the community.  

Join ITS for a security awareness webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to noon to learn tips and tricks for securing your devices while working remotely. Register to attend the upcoming webinar. A recording of the event will be posted to the ITS website for on-demand viewing for those unable to attend. To submit any questions you have ahead of time, please email security@brandeis.edu. 

Looking for additional resources? Parents can engage young learners with activity kits provided by the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security to create a culture of cybersecurity awareness at home. In addition, new content including a list of A to Z security tools, tips, and tricks is now available on the ITS website.

The Office of Human Resources is pleased to announce a series of training programs designed to support managers.

• Managing Staff During COVID-19
• Management Nuts and Bolts Series
• Managers Skills Development Trainings (presented by Breakthrough Collaboration)
  • Managing Communications in a Time of Change/Crisis
  • Managing Virtual Teams
  • Managing the Human Element of Change and Crisis
  • Managing Agile Leadership
  • Managing Up, Across and Down
  • Managing Performance Conversations
  • Managing Conflicts

For more detailed information on each workshop and to register please visit the Office of Human Resources Training and Professional Development webpage. If you have any questions or need additional guidance, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@brandeis.edu or 781-736-4474.

As the Brandeis community and others worldwide continue to use Zoom for teaching, learning, meeting, and family gatherings, ITS would like to share some helpful reminders for keeping your virtual meeting safe and secure. The previously announced security update (planned for Sept. 27) has been revised by Zoom so there is no longer a requirement to use meeting passcodes or enable waiting rooms. Although these settings are no longer required, ITS strongly recommends the community to consider using these security features in order to keep your meetings safe and secure.

In addition, Zoom has released some features to enhance the video conferencing experience.

• Organize gallery view - meeting participants can organize the gallery view between three video layouts of active speaker view, gallery view, or floating thumbnail windows. In addition, when viewing a shared screen, participants have an additional option of side-by-side mode. Learn more about changing the video layout.

• Self-assign to breakout rooms - meeting participants to self-assign themselves to a breakout room. This is especially useful as an alternative option to pre-assigning breakout rooms for a large number of attendees. It is also helpful for instructors, TAs, or other participants who need to move freely from one room to another. More information about this feature can be found in the managing breakout rooms article. 


To access these features and to ensure you’re running the latest version of the Zoom desktop client, please update to the latest version (5.2.3)  Read instructions on how to update your Zoom application. Visit the ITS website to learn best practices for keeping your Zoom meetings secure including steps to take prior to or during a meeting. For questions about using Zoom, please contact help@brandeis.edu.

It’s that time of year to nominate a Brandeis staff member for The Lou Ennis Staff Award and The Louis and Helen Zirkel Staff Award.

This is your opportunity to nominate an individual who excels in the performance of his/her job responsibilities and goes above and beyond to make a contribution to the well-being and the vitality of the Brandeis community. Nominees must be full-time administrative or support staff.

Please complete the The Lou Ennis Staff Award nomiation form or The Louis and Helen Zirkel Staff Award nomination form. Direct all questions to Giovanna Abeigo by phone, 6-4464 or email. 

For more information about the awards, please visit the Office of Human Resources website.

Use of Brandeis funding to cover any of the following costs is not authorized. This includes using P-Cards, reimbursements or direct orders and invoices.

• Furniture (including office chairs) for home usage

• Internet costs (home or offsite)

• Cell phones or phone service (unless previously approved)

• Utilities (home or offsite)

• Temporary office space

• Child care

• Cleaning supplies for home

• Meals and/or snacks for virtual meetings; not directly related to student engagement

Additionally sales taxes on business purchases should be avoided as much as possible. A copy of the Brandeis tax exempt form is available to download on the Procurement website.

This list of restricted item is in addition to to all other restricted items/services detailed within the relevant policies and procedures for Procurement and Accounts Payable; including but not limited to:

• Procurement policy

•  P-Card policy
  

• Travel policy

• Computer Purchase policy

• Business Expense policy

If there is any questions related to these unallowable costs please email: procurement@brandeis.edu

You are now able to track the five additional Presidential Discretionary Days in Workday. When requesting time off you will select “special time off” from the drop down menu when asked to select absence type. If you have previously used a discretionary day before the function in Workday was available please enter your time off now. Please refer to this job aid for detailed instructions.

Employees who are employed on or before Sept. 1, 2020 and work at least 17.5 hours per week and are currently eligible for vacation accruals (excludes athletic coaches, faculty and non-benefits eligible temporary employees) are eligible for these extra discretionary days.

These discretionary days must be used by Aug. 31, 2021. These days are being granted in recognition of the extra effort put forth by Brandeis staff during COVID-19 crisis. Unlike vacation days, these days will not have any cash value at termination of employment and will expire on Aug. 31, 2021 with no carry over provision.

Please contact Human Resources with any questions.

In consideration of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees' ability to use their vacation; the vacation carryover limits will not be applied to employees' vacation balances as of year-end 2020. The application of these limits will be revisited later in 2021 and an update issued at that time.

The Department of Community Service is recruiting undergraduate students to apply for the Rich/Collins Community Leadership & Impact Fellowship Program. This is a one-of-a-kind, prestigious leadership opportunity where undergraduate students can apply for grant funding (between $500-$4,000) to implement a community impact project during the Spring semester, while receiving a $600 personal stipend and engaging in a close-knit cohort leadership development series. Due to challenges related to COVID-19, all projects must be implemented virtually this year and students are eligible to participate in this fellowship no matter where they are geographically located. You can see great examples from previous projects on our website. As you'll notice, the list of possibilities are endless! That being said, as a result of our current climate, this year we are intentionally encouraging projects that support COVID-19 relief efforts and racial justice work.

If you know of any amazing students that you believe would be great Fellows, please recommend them to us or encourage them to attend one of our upcoming information sessions! For questions regarding this Fellowship, please email rccliff@brandeis.edu or Community Service Specialist, Samantha de Melim, who is overseeing this initiative. Applications close Monday, Oct. 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

In accordance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), each year Brandeis is required to distribute a Summary Annual Report (SAR) for the Brandeis University Retirement Plans. The report summarizes the annual financial information noted on the Federal Form 5500 Annual Return which has been filed with the Employee Benefits Security Administration. You may access the reports by visiting the Office of Human Resources website.

For those of you who are eligible to vote in the upcoming US November elections or are interested in understanding more about the US electoral process, we are pleased to share the Brandeis VoteDeis website, a portal to information you need to register and to vote – in-person, by mail, or absentee – on November 3. This website was developed by a non-partisan Brandeis coalition supporting voter registration and voting. On this website you can find answers to your questions on how to register to vote, and when and where to vote.

The VoteDeis site also features information on upcoming on-campus and online voting-related events, and a series of “Why I Vote” videos by President Ron Liebowitz, students, professors, staff members, and alumni.

Brandeis is proud to be one of 237 universities and colleges whose presidents have signed on to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge to increase nonpartisan student civic learning, political engagement, and – especially – voter participation.

Please explore and share our Brandeis VoteDeis website. If you are eligible to vote, we urge you to MAKE A PLAN to register and to vote, and to help your family and friends do the same.

Interested in learning how to stay secure while working from home? Join ITS for a security awareness webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to noon. The session will highlight how to secure your devices while working remotely - both your work or personal machines. The event coincides with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This year’s theme is "Do Your Part: #BeCyberSmart" with a focus on everyone playing a critical role in maintaining a secure computing environment for yourself, your family, and the university. Join the ITS Security team to learn simple tips and tricks. Register to attend the upcoming webinar. Please send any questions you have ahead of time to security@brandeis.edu.

If you missed the Spring security session, watch the webinar recording to learn more about protecting your Zoom meetings, identifying phishing emails, and how to stay safe and secure from cyber-attacks. Visit the ITS website for helpful resources including security tools, creating secure passwords or staying digitally safe.

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.

For more details and to schedule an appointment please visit the Human Resources Retirement Savings Plan webpage.

Calling all Brandeis students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Contribute to a one-of-a-kind collaborative project that will be bound in a book and shared as a PDF.

Submit a piece of mail art with the prompt “We Are Together.” Your submission can be anything and it just needs to fit inside an envelope. Deadline for postmark is Nov. 3. There is also a drop-off box in Goldman-Schwartz Art Studios.

What is mail art? Mail art began in the 1960s when artists sent postcards inscribed with poems or drawings through the post rather than exhibiting or selling them through conventional commercial channels. Examples: I Is an Other: The Mail Art of Ray Johnson and Mark Mothersbaugh's Postcards for Democracy project.

Questions? Contact salmeida@brandeis.edu. For details about how to submit, visit the Department of Fine Arts Call for Mail Art webpage.

Please join the Office of Human Resources and Tufts Health Plan on Wednesday, 12:15 -1 p.m., for a new live webinar, All Levels Yoga Flow, sponsored by Tufts Health Plan. This webinar is open to all employees. 

Please visit Human Resources website to view more information and registration details.