All members of the Brandeis community are invited to provide input to the process for re-imagining public safety on our campus. What is your sense of safety on campus overall and in specific locations? What factors impact your sense of safety at Brandeis? What else would you like to say about feeling safe on campus? Share your thoughts at one of the upcoming open forums for students, staff, and faculty that will be facilitated by our independent experts, Brenda Bond-Fortier, PhD’15  and Christi Hurt. Attendance at each of these forums will be limited to fifty people so that there is an opportunity for as many individuals as possible to provide their input; therefore, advance registration is important. If the participation for any forum exceeds the limit, additional forums will be scheduled to ensure that everyone interested has an opportunity to attend.

• Undergraduate Students:
  Tuesday, Nov. 17,  5:30 p.m. (register)
  Wednesday, Dec. 2, noon (register)
• Graduate Students: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 9 a.m. (register)
• Faculty: Monday, Nov. 23, 1 p.m. (register)
• Staff: Monday, Nov. 23, 11 a.m. (register)

In addition to the open forums, the Brandeis community can provide feedback via the Re-imagining Community Input Form.

We also encourage Brandeis community members to provide input to the search process for the next director of public safety/chief of police – e.g., suggestions for the job description, ideas for recruitment, recommendations for candidates, etc. – via the “Search Input Form” on the Search Process website.

Workday will be unavailable on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 2 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the monthly maintenance updates along with supporting activities for the upcoming Workday Student milestone go-live. Workday will be unavailable during this time including access to self-service activities (e.g., timesheet, personal information). A reminder that the first release of Workday Student functionality will go-live on Nov. 23 when an automated process for proposing and approving new courses for the 2021-22 academic year will be released for use by faculty, academic administrators, and the Registrar’s Office. This is the first of four major milestones as the university transitions all remaining Sage functionality to Workday Student over the next year. To learn more about the project including functionality and timeline of each milestone and FAQs, visit the Workday Student project website.

For questions about using Workday including the new course creation process, contact workday-help@brandeis.edu. For general project questions, please contact workday@brandeis.edu.

The Annual Benefits Open Enrollment will end on Friday, Nov. 13 at 11:59 p.m. Employees are encouraged to review their Benefits in WorkDay and make any desired changes for 2021 before the deadline. If you do not wish to make any changes or add a Health Care or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account for 2021, no action is required.

More information can be found at the Brandeis Open Enrollment Website.

The pay date for week ending Nov. 22 will be Wednesday, Nov. 25. As a result, payroll will have to process time for the week ending Nov. 22 on Monday, Nov. 23. We encourage all non-exempt (hourly) employees to have their time entered for week ending Nov. 22 as soon as possible that week, so that managers can approve time. Managers of non-exempt employees will need to approve time as soon as possible with an early payroll processing date. Payroll will have to process by 12 p.m. on Nov. 23. Managers, please make sure to have your employees enter time, so that you can approve it before 12 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23.

Due to an unprecedented use of Zoom and exponential growth of cloud recording storage, the retention period for Zoom cloud recordings will change starting with Spring 2021 semester. Effective Feb. 1, 2021, Zoom cloud recordings will be retained for 180 days. Any recordings older than 180 days (from the recording date) will be deleted from Zoom’s cloud storage service. The upcoming change will optimize the allotted Zoom cloud storage space for Brandeis Zoom users.

ITS is asking all Zoom users to voluntarily manage their cloud recordings to help storage space. Recordings that need to be permanently retained should be downloaded to a local hard drive or uploaded to cloud storage such as Box. Learn more about managing cloud recordings and how to download a Zoom recording.

Alternatively, users can manually upload media content to Echo360. For academic-related content, instructors can upload directly to Echo360 from within a LATTE course. Users who have an account on both Zoom and the Echo360 platform can take advantage of Zoom cloud recordings that are automatically copied to Echo360. Recordings will remain on the Echo360 platform for 18 months. Visit echo360.org to log in to your account and view recordings. While the Zoom cloud retention period is being reduced, users are encouraged to utilize Echo360 for hosting media content for an extended period of time.

ITS is working with various academic and administrative committees including IT Governance to ensure the community is aware of the upcoming change and provide assistance as needed. For questions or additional information, please contact the Technology Help Desk (help@brandeis.edu).

Amidst the many challenges that this year has brought, staff and faculty may be confronted by unexpected illness or loss, intense uncertainty or loneliness, or challenged by newfound tensions around personal and professional priorities. Recognizing the need for spiritual support among staff and faculty, the Center for Spiritual Life and Hillel are offering caring, pastorally-skilled, experienced listening, spiritual guidance and pastoral care.

Sign up for a 1-1 conversation today.

Life as a Brandeis undergrad, sports & antiracism, thinking about a medical career - and more.

If you have high school teens, Precollege Programs is hosting free webinars this fall and winter to help keep students informed and stay connected to the Brandeis community.

Upcoming webinars will cover a variety of topics, including: learning about the spread of the Global Pandemic; meeting members of the Waltham Group to discuss community service at the college level; as well as a lively presentation and conversation about the state of American Jewry following November's historic election.

We invite all high school teens to attend these free sessions - view upcoming webinars and register now using the Precollege event calendar.

Join the Waltham Rotary Club and Waltham Lions Club in a Winter Item Drive. As the weather gets colder Waltham residents are in need of warm clothing and basic items. COVID-19 has made it harder for individuals and families to access these necessities. We are collecting the following NEW items: underwear, diapers, shirts, jackets, socks, shoes, hats, gloves, and scarves for men, women, and children. These donations will support those at Africano Waltham, Bristol Lodge, Mary’s House, and Waltham Partnership for Youth. Items may be dropped off during business hours at The Rockland Trust at 75 Moody St and the Watertown Savings Bank at 6 Lexington St. Online purchases may be sent to/dropped off at 145 Beal Rd, Waltham MA 02453. Donations will be accepted until December 1st. For suggested donations click on the link to view an Amazon wishlist.

This year's Employee Recognition Awards will be a virtual event on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. The event will be a webinar for the honorees and presenters. The recipients of the Louis Ennis Staff Award and the Louis and Helen Zirkel Staff Award will also be announced.  A link closer to the date will be provided for the entire community to log in and view it live.

All month long, ITS Security has shared tips on improving your security practices. This week, ITS would like to remind everyone that password security is one of the most important steps you can take to secure both your personal and work accounts and data.

Did you know that the vast majority of cybersecurity breaches are the result of weak or reused passwords? Upgrade your passwords and lock down your login. Start by enrolling in LastPass, a free password manager that securely stores your passwords - one password to remember them all. You can create separate accounts for work and personal use to separate your professional and personal digital lives. Along with creating strong passwords, adding two-step authentication for accounts - where available - to enhance your security. Cybersecurity awareness month may be ending, but the fight against cybercrime continues - today and every day - Do Your Part, #BeCyberSmart! To learn more, contact ITS Security at security@brandeis.edu.

The Campus Card Office recently upgraded the credit card payment processing system for WhoCash, the Brandeis debit plan that enables students and employees to pay at dining facilities across campus without carrying cash. As a result of the upgrade, WhoCash users who previously had their payment card information stored in the system will be prompted to re-enter credit card information upon WhoCash checkout. For more information about the upgrade and questions about your WhoCash, please contact campuscard@brandeis.edu.

This virtual training focuses on strategies for professional staff and faculty to intervene when witnessing potential or actualized violence. We will also discuss how to best support someone if they tell you they've experienced violence, tools for rejecting and counteracting harmful victim-blaming myths, and information to empower you to connect them to appropriate resources.

RSVP here.

The health and safety of the Brandeis community and campus remain a top priority during these times. To support our managers, staff and faculty during COVID-19, and as part of professional development, we are offering the following trainings and workshops for managers:

Managing Staff During COVID-19
Available as an online training, this workshop provides specific guidance for managers on COVID Scaling Up and how to manage and support their staff who are working both on the campus and remotely. Managers are strongly encouraged to complete this training by Nov. 20. Feedback Sessions for Managing Staff During COVID-19 Training are also being offered.

Managers Nuts & Bolts Series
A series of trainings for managers detailing how to implement specific Brandeis policies and procedures in light of COVID-19. Trainings will be presented virtually via Zoom.

Zoom Virtual Workshops Presented by New Directions

Nov. 19 -  Preventing Burnout: A Balanced Life Check-up
Dec. 8 - Time Management

Free Live Webinars Offered by New Directions
Wednesdays, 12-1 p.m. and 3-4 p.m.

Nov. 18 - Waving Worry Goodbye: Strategies to Manage Anxiety
Dec. 9 - Delegating for Development
Dec. 16 - Embracing You: The Power of Acceptance

For a complete description of workshops and webinars and to register please visit the Training and Professional Development webpage.