Brandeis is requiring all students, except for those with limited medical and religious exemptions, to be vaccinated before returning to campus in the fall. To create as safe of an on-campus environment as possible, we have decided to extend this requirement across our community. In support of this goal, all Brandeis faculty, staff, and affiliates who access campus must be vaccinated, and must upload their COVID-19 vaccination documentation by August 26, unless they receive a medical or religious exemption.

Proof of your vaccination or request for religious or medical exemption must be uploaded to the Campus Passport if you have not already done so (exemption requests may be submitted beginning the week of July 19). On August 26, all vaccination “stickers” will disappear from individual Passports, since all members of our community will have either documented their vaccinations or received exemptions to meet this requirement.

Individuals who have questions about how to upload their vaccination documentation can email c19testing-group@brandeis.edu. Answers to questions you may have about vaccinations can be found on the COVID-19 Response website.

Governor Baker recently signed legislation into law that gives Massachusetts employees paid sick leave for qualified reasons related to COVID-19. Under this newly enacted law, Brandeis employees can take up to 5 days (max of 40 hours) of MA EPSL if absent from and unable to work. For additional information on qualifications, please visit Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (MA EPSL) Law Update page.

For over a year now, Brandeis has offered a Pandemic Pay program. Pandemic Pay provides ten (10) days of paid leave for employees who contract COVID, have COVID-like symptoms and are waiting for COVID test results or who need to quarantine in accordance with public health guidance or on the advice of a medical provider. Going forward, Brandeis will be expanding its Pandemic Pay program to cover qualified reasons related to COVID-19 as covered by the MA EPSL.

Additionally, Brandeis will allow Pandemic Pay to be used for COVID-19 vaccine appointments, immediate family member vaccine appointments, personal recovery from vaccines and immediate family illnesses due to vaccines.

Employees with questions or who have taken sick or other time off for the above listed reasons, which may require an absence correction, may contact Renee Relerford in Human Resources. Documentation as to the need for the leave will be required.

In accordance with the MA EPSL, Brandeis’ Pandemic Pay program will end on September 30, 2021. Please review the Mandatory notice regarding this new law.

In coordination with the Graduate Student Association, International Business School Student Association, and Student Union, we are resuming an abbreviated Waltham Shuttle while classes are in session over the summer:

• The Waltham shuttle will resume operation on non-holiday weekdays starting Monday, June 21 and will run through Friday, August 6.
• Operating times will be from 8-11:05 a.m. and 5:40-9:35 p.m. to best accommodate class times.
• The transportation website is updated with the schedule and stops.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, all riders follow the below procedures:

• Wear a mask while at the bus stops and while riding in the shuttles/vans.
• Maintain at least 6' of physical distance while waiting for the shuttles/vans.
• Do not crowd the doors of the shuttles/vans.

If you have any questions, please contact Public Safety at 781-736-5000.

The Workday@Brandeis team and Office of the University Registrar have completed another milestone in the transition from Sage to Workday Student. Students’ academic records including all Spring 2021 grades, programs of study and degree audits have been converted from Sage to Workday Student. In addition, the Fall term 2021 course schedule is available on the Registrar’s website. The schedule will be available in Workday Student early next week. Fall term early registration for continuing students will take place from Tuesday, June 29 through Friday, July 2. Registration for new undergraduate students will be from Monday, July 12 through Friday, July 16. The open registration period for all students will start Monday, July 19 and run through Monday, September 13.

Separate communications will be sent to students with details about viewing their academic record, the course schedule and registration appointment information. A corresponding message will be distributed to faculty and staff that outlines what activities are now available in Workday, along with links to job aids, online training, and support information.

To prepare the campus for the transition, the project team is ramping up on readiness activities. The following learning and support opportunities are available for staff and academic administrators:

• Live, virtual training sessions will be held for staff in departments and schools in the upcoming weeks. For more information, contact workday-help@brandeis.edu.
• Self-directed, online courses are available in LATTE for Academic Administrators and Academic Advisors. Additional courses will become available throughout the summer. Visit the Workday Student Training website for details and links to the courses.
• The team will also be holding virtual office hours during the summer for A&S Academic Administrators, Academic Services, and Grad School staff (GSAS, Heller, IBS). Please visit the Workday Student Office Hours website for a full listing of dates, times and Zoom info.

Information for faculty and students will be announced shortly! Please visit the Workday Student website to view the library of resources including job aids, instructional videos and FAQs. Contact workday-help@brandeis.edu or call 781-736-9675 with any questions.

Brandeis University Staff Advisory Committee (BUSAC) is the representative body for Brandeis staff. The purpose of this committee is to improve the work environment for Brandeis staff through discussions and actions that influence policy; develop and enrich staff; and promote ongoing, meaningful and deliberate improvements to the staff experience. The committee is comprised of elected and appointed staff members from across eleven university districts.

BUSAC is pleased to announce that 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 – Lauren Jordahl (Sociology)*
• District B – Mark Khan (International Business School)*
• District C - Bethany Romano (Heller)*
• District F - Jacob Sajinyan (Treasury Services)
• District G –Dania Khandaker (Brandeis National Committee)
• District H –Jay Mendoza (Athletics)
• District J - Eric Dunn (Conference & Events)*
• District K –Kathryn McNally (Library Services)
• At-Large - Eli Jacobson (Technology Services)

*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 F - Mark Jay (Procurement & Business Services)
• District G – Ania Morris (Advancement Admin – Institutional Advancement)
• District H – Lucas Malo (Community Service)
• District K – Walt McGough (Library Services)
• At-Large - Mangok Bol (Mandel Ctr for the Humanities)

If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ll notice there are new security incidents occurring across the world almost every day. These security incidents are not limited to businesses, but can also affect individuals. The majority of security breaches occur from weak or reused passwords. ITS would like to remind the community that it’s important to keep your login credentials safe! You can secure your accounts—personal, financial and Brandeis-related—by generating unique passwords with a password security manager such as LastPass. It is also strongly recommended to set up two-step verification for sensitive accounts to provide an extra layer of security in the event your password is compromised. Check with your account holder to see what two-step methods are available (e.g., text message) or read this helpful article for more information. ITS suggests that you familiarize yourself with the FTC’s list of scams targeting consumers. Also, for a refresher on avoiding scams, check out the FTC’s guide on avoiding scams.

Visit the ITS website for more security tips and tricks. For questions, please contact the ITS Security Team or the Technology Help Desk at help@brandeis.edu.

Applications for Navigating Health and Safety Instructors are now open. All new undergraduates are required to complete Navigating Health and Safety in their first semester. The class covers important topics such as mental health, substance use, sexual health, consent, bystander intervention, and introduces students to the many resources to support their health and safety on campus. Instructors are provided with the curriculum, training, and ongoing support through the fall semester. Becoming a Navigating Health and Safety Instructor is a great opportunity to gain teaching experience and engage with our new students as they acclimate to Brandeis.

As part of the transition from Sage to Workday, the Office of Student Financial Services will be moving from the TMS Student Account Center (SAC) to the Nelnet Student Account Portal. Once the Fall 2021 bill is released in mid-July, students will use this new portal to view e-bills and account transactions, make payments and manage monthly payment plans.

Students can now access the Nelnet Student Account Portal to set up an account and add authorized parties. Please complete the following steps to ensure account access:

1. Set-up Nelnet account - Students should log in to the Nelnet Student Account Portal to set up their student profile. Refer to the Nelnet - Account Access job aid for detailed instructions.
2. Add parent or authorized parties access - Any existing authorized users in the TMS SAC will not be activated in Workday Student or Nelnet student portal. Students will be required to use Nelnet to add Authorized Parties (e.g., parents, sponsors, etc.). Refer to the Nelnet - Add Authorized Payers job aid for detailed instructions. Students should not share their Nelnet log-in credentials with their parents. They must set up parents as Authorized Parties with their own log-in credentials.

We will send a notification to students and authorized parties when the information is ready in Nelnet.

The Library is offering the following workshops for faculty, staff, and students:

Data Analysis

• Bash Shell Skills, Wed., June 23, 8 - 9 p.m.
• Survey Research: Intro to Qualtrics, Tues., June 29, 3 - 4 p.m.
• Intro to Matlab Programming, 3 part series, beginning Thur., July 1 at noon
• Intro to Programming with Python, 3 part series, beginning Thur., July 22, at noon
• Getting Started with Stata, Tues., July 1, 11 - noon
• Bivariate Analysis with Stata, Wed., July 14, 11 - noon

Teaching with LATTE

• Dive Into the LATTE Shell, Offered weekly

Research & Citation

• Introduction to Zotero, Thur., July 8, 11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.

Archives and Special Collections

• The Beginnings of Brandeis: a History in Pictures, Wed., June 2, 3 - 3:30 p.m.
• Teaching with Archives, Thur., July 2, 3 - 3:30 p.m.

• Intro to Arduino Electronics, Weekly on Tuesdays, 5 - 6:30 p.m.

As a reminder, in order to ensure that contracts and agreements for Brandeis University are properly reviewed, approved, and recorded, the University has a policy for contract management. Per Brandeis University by-laws, only select individuals are authorized to bind and execute agreements and contracts on behalf of the University. Procurement and Business Services will oversee the review and execution of all non-research agreements and/or contracts, including independent consultant agreements, hotel agreements and other financial documents requiring a signature by a university official.

Upon completion of the review of any proposed contract Business Services will route the contract to the appropriate authority for signature.

Sponsored research agreements are and will continue to be reviewed and signed by the Office of Research Administration.

The list of all authorized signers for the University and more detailed information on the contract process is available on the Contract Management Webpage.

Vaccination information can now be added to your Campus Passport. Once you have received both of your shots (Moderna/Pfizer) or a single Johnson & Johnson you are able to upload an image of your vaccination record card by following these steps:

1. Go to Campus Passport:
2. Select Preferences
3. Select yes from the drop-down menu indicating you have received all required doses of COVID-19 vaccine
4. Once you have indicated yes you will be asked to upload an image of your immunization card.

The information will be reviewed by a Brandeis medical provider, and upon approval, vaccinated community members will notice a COVID-19 vaccine sticker appear in their Passport.

As announced in President Liebowitz’ letter “Update on FY’22 Budget” on April 27, 2021, the university matching retirement contribution will be reinstated for faculty and staff on July 1.

Your previously elected 403(b) Employee Basic contribution (3% nonexempt or 5% exempt) will automatically be reinstated if you discontinued it during the suspension period. This ensures your university matching contribution will resume on July 1.

Please visit HR website for additional information and a related Question & Answer section.

The Office of Human Resources is offering two workshops for returning to the workplace:

• For Managers: Supporting Employees’ Return to the Workplace
  Thursday, June 24, 10-11 a.m.
• For Employees: Support for Returning to the Workplace
  Thursday, July 15, 10-11 a.m.

Please visit the links for more information and registration. For questions please email Cynthia Farquhar.

Employees are reminded that Vacation Carryover Exception Time and Special Time Off balances must be used by August 31 to avoid losing them.

Employees may view their Vacation Carryover Exception Time and Special Time Off balances in WorkDay under Absence > Time Off Balance. This time is also reflected on the payslip accrual summary in WorkDay.

The Vacation Carryover Exception time and Special Time Off balances should be used as a first priority over regular vacation time and personal time balances leading up to August 31.

Join University Archives & Special Collections for the following Zoom workshops:

• The Beginnings of Brandeis: a History in Pictures, Wednesday, June 23, 3-3:30 p.m.
• Teaching with Archives, Thursday, July 22, 3-3:30 p.m.
• The Beginnings of Brandeis: a History in Pictures, Friday, July 23, 11-11:30 a.m. 

The Committee for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment has approved the use of the Fall 2021 LATTE Shell. Attend a Library workshop to learn how to customize the Shell to meet your course needs.

Instructors can make any structural changes, opt-out of the shell, and/or fully restore a LATTE course from a previous semester. You can view examples of possible adjustments to the shell by self-enrolling into the sample course that shows various course organization formats.

Don't miss the Shell support available through the Library:

• Check out the new LATTE shell website
• Explore the LATTE Shell Library Guide
• Sign up for a LATTE Shell Workshop
• Contact the Library team for support
• Make an appointment with an Instructional Technologist

As a commitment to the Brandeis University Community to continue to improve the reliability the Brandeis University’s Fire Alarm Systems, we have scheduled our 2021 annual Fire Alarm Testing.

Testing is scheduled between May 20 through August 27. Please visit the Department of Facilities Services website for the schedule and additional information. Signage will be placed at the entry doors to the buildings during the test to notify those entering the buildings.

Any questions regarding the testing shall be directed to Matthew McPhee.

As we approach the end of the fiscal year please be reminded that it is not appropriate to make purchases just because it appears that budget monies are still available in an account. The University has specific guidelines for purchasing that must be followed at all times. This year has been a financial challenge for the university and we are still working to overcome a significant decline in revenue. Please be responsible in stewarding resources. For questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail any member of the Division of Business and Finance team. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance.

Brandeis is pleased to announce that a third round of HEERF Grants, for expenses related to COVID-19, are now available to eligible students. Eligible students must submit the Refund Request in Sage no later than June 30, 2021. Please visit the HEERF III website for more information.