In preparation for Brandeis' Year on Climate Action starting in Fall 2022, the Brandeis Sustainability Committee will be developing a series of funded workshops for faculty who are interested in integrating climate change and sustainability topics into their courses. The committee is asking faculty members to fill out this survey by Sept. 30 to convey your interest and needs so we can best develop the workshops.

ITS would like to inform the community that effective Sept. 1, there is a change in the process for accessing the university license to Adobe-related products including Adobe Acrobat DC (professional). Users will need to download, install and log in to the Adobe Creative Cloud (ACC) application on their computer in order to continue using Adobe products. ACC is a suite of applications that includes Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign which supports creation tools for graphic design, photography, video content and editing, and much more. ACC is available for free to faculty and staff; students can purchase directly from the Adobe website. Faculty and staff who use Adobe products should visit the Adobe Creative Cloud website to download and install the desktop application. From there, users can select the specific application(s) to install on their computer. Users can install ACC on up to two computers, including a personal computer.

Visit the ITS website for detailed instructions on downloading and installing ACC (for both Mac and Windows). If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Technology Help Desk at help@brandeis.edu or (781) 736-4357.

Workday Student is here! To help you navigate the transition from Sage to Workday, please refer to the following resources:

• Workday Student Training Activity Guide - training resources are broken down by common tasks.
• Terminology crosswalk- translation of Sage terms to Workday and where to find the task
• Instructional videos - short how-to videos including:
  • Approve Prerequisite Override Requests
  • Waitlist Management
  • View Course Roster
  • Academic Advising
• Job Aids - step-by-step guides for important processes such as course section management, manage student notes, view student’s academic record, reporting, and more.

Join the Workday Student team during virtual office hours with sessions offered daily Monday, Aug 30 through Friday, Sept 3. Additional sessions will be offered through September. Contact the support team by emailing workday-help@brandeis.edu or calling 781-736-4357.

LATTE, the university learning management system, was recently upgraded to increase responsiveness, performance, and accessibility and to ensure reliability and stability. In addition, here are highlights of some new functions:

• A new activity/resource menu allows for "starring" frequently used activities, sorting activities and resources by type, and viewing recommended options.
• Discussion forums can now be graded using new settings in the activity configuration.
• Discussion forums now have a summary report that can be exported based on selected forums and students.
• Instructors can download all course content from their course shell, including student shared files such as assignment submissions and content uploaded into discussion forums.

For questions about the upgrade, please contact the Help Desk (help@brandeis.edu or 781-736-4357). Contact the Library team with questions about best practices for using LATTE tools and other instructional technologies, such as VoiceThread and Perusall.

Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC) is offering training on Interventions and Support: Strategies for Reacting During or After Violence (for staff and faculty). This training focuses on strategies for professional staff and faculty to intervene when witnessing potential or actualized violence, including but not limited to sexual violence and relationship 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. 

For Fall 2021 sessions will be offered via Zoom on the following dates:

• Sept. 13, 9:30-11 a.m., Register
• Sept. 21, 3:30-5 p.m., Register
• Sept. 22, 1-2:30 p.m., Register
• Oct. 8, 9:30-11 a.m., Register

If you have any questions, please contact Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC) at parc@brandeis.edu or 781-736-3371.

The Office of Human Resources has updated purchasing movie and theatre tickets to online credit and debit purchases. You no longer will need to stop by the Office of Human Resources to purchase and pick up your tickets. Checks will no longer be accepted.

Please visit the Movie and Theatre Passes webpage for general information and more specific information for each venue. Please use this link to purchase your tickets. You will need to login with your Brandeis credentials to purchase your tickets.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Office of Human Resources at humanreources@brandeis.edu or 781-736-4474.

The Brandeis community is rich with religious diversity. The month of September is especially important in Judaism, with four important holidays (often referred to collectively as the High Holidays) beginning in early September and continuing into early October. To learn more about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, visit the Center for Spiritual Life’s Guide to Religious Observances webpage. Those wanting to register for services or meals should contact hillel@brandeis.edu by Friday August 27. For more information on the High Holidays, please visit the Brandeis Hillel website.

September 10 is Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesh, one of the most popular Indian festivals. Lord Ganesh is known for removing obstacles from one's progressive path, making the impossible possible, ultimately filling one's life with success and happiness.

Brandeis faculty, staff and students are invited to share their original artwork in informal exhibitions held regularly in Upper Usdan and the Shapiro Campus Center. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and all are welcome to apply. For more information and an application form, please visit the Arts Engagement website.

Learn about the Gender and Sexuality Center's services, meet friends, and show up for LGBTQ+ folks at Brandeis. Meet GSC staff, our Pride Rep peer educators, and out and proud faculty and staff. Take a history tour of the GSC with drag queen Just JP, winner of Worcester Drag Wars. Open to all. Everyone must follow the university's COVID policies at all times. If you have any questions please email gsc@brandeis.edu.

Learn more about what Brandeis Library has to offer through one of these workshops-all Brandeis students, faculty, and staff are welcome.

• Rock your research: Make the Most of Your Library Online, Wed., Sept. 1, 8 - 8:30 p.m. 
• Brandeis MakerLab, Automation Lab and Digital Scholarship Lab Tour! Thu., Sept. 2 , 9 - 10 a.m.
• Rock your research: Get to Know Your Library, Thu., Sept. 2, noon - 12:30 p.m.
• Researching in Archives, Fri., Sept. 10, 12:30 - 1 p.m. 

Data Analysis

• Introduction to Matlab Programming, Thu., Sept. 2, 8 - 8:20 p.m.
• Python Programming for Data Analysis, 4 part series beginning, Fri., Sept. 3, 12 - 12:50 p.m.
• Programming with R, Thu., Sept. 9, noon - 1:20 p.m.

Instructional Technology

• Dive into the LATTE Shell! Tue., Aug. 31, 10 - 10:50 a.m.
• Hybrid Teaching Workshop (Advanced), Tue., Aug. 31, 3 - 4 p.m.
• Using the Jamboard software for Teaching, Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
• LATTE Drop-In Hour: Assignment Activity, Fri., Sept. 3, 10 - 11 a.m.
• LATTE Drop-In Hour: VoiceThread, Fri., Sept. 10, 10 - 11 a.m.

If you are an undergraduate student, and your family financial situation has changed due to a job loss, lower wages, significant reduction in income or other financial impacts, please visit the Appeal for Reconsideration page of the SFS website for detailed information about the need-based financial aid appeal process or call SFS at 781-736-3700 to schedule an appointment with a financial aid counselor.

The semester has just started and it’s a great time to get both you and your technology equipment ready! ITS strongly recommends that faculty and staff who have been teaching and working remotely come to campus—at least one time ahead of your official first day back—with any university-owned computer equipment (i.e., laptop, desktop, accessories) to ensure things are working correctly. Here is a helpful back-to-school technology checklist to get you started. Please visit the back-to-school technology reminders website for more information.

• Set up and connect your equipment. Contact the Technology Help Desk for assistance with reconnecting your equipment. Please plan accordingly as there may be a high volume of requests and longer than normal wait times to address equipment troubleshooting requests.
• Safely connect to Brandeis' eduroam Wi-Fi network.
• Get tips on how to secure your computing environment.
• Learn more about the HyFlex classrooms to support in-person and remote teaching and learning.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Technology Help Desk at help@brandeis.edu or 781-736-4357.

Please note that due to worldwide supply chain issues and a microchip shortage, many computer, tablet, and technology related orders have extended lead times. Please try to plan accordingly for any technology hardware orders as we are seeing extended delays in order fulfillment and shipping which can be up to 8 weeks or more. 

Procurement and ITS are aware of these delays and will continue working to ensure the campus ordering needs can be met.

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 needs and we will do our best to help coordinate the best method for order placement. Please be patient as we expect a high volume of requests to assist with order placement this semester.

As a reminder it is against the Computer Purchase Policy and the Brandeis University P-Card Policy to purchase computer hardware outside of the proper Procurement channels.

Dell items should be purchased via the Dell punchout, and Apple products should be purchased through either the SHI punchout or by requesting a customized quote from Apple by working with ITS and Procurement. *

Computers and computer hardware should not be purchased independently using either the P-Card or personal funds and requesting reimbursement.

*Some computer hardware and hardware components may fall outside this specific policy however we ask that you work with ITS and Procurement to ensure compliance with the polices noted above as well as the Brandeis Written Information Security Policy.

The federal government requires that all HEERF Grant checks be cashed within 15 calendar days. The University has been advised that checks not cashed within this timeframe will need to be cancelled and reissued to other eligible students. If you have received your check, and you have not yet cashed it, please do so immediately. If you have not received your check, and need it to be reissued, please contact SFS at sfs@brandeis.edu.

Fall 2021 bills were released to students and families via the Nelnet Student Account Portal on July 12. Bills were due on August 6, 2021. Registration holds and late fees have been placed on past due account balances.

Students can access their billing details by clicking the Nelnet Student Account Portal link found within the Student Account worklet in Workday. Students will need to complete the following steps to ensure account and bill access:

1. Set-up Nelnet account – Once inside the Nelnet Student Account Portal, students will be prompted to set up their student profile. Refer to the Nelnet - Account Access job aid for detailed instructions.
2. Add access for parent or authorized parties - Any existing authorized users in the former TMS Student Account Center portal have not been activated in Workday Student or in the Nelnet Student Account 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.

The Technology Help Desk is excited to announce they will be resuming in-person support for all tech-related issues - you can find the team of technology support specialists at the back of Goldfarb Library, Level 1. The Help Desk staff is committed to providing high-level technology support and service to the Brandeis community this fall. The team will continue to adhere to university and health guidelines to ensure the safety of both the team and the community.

Starting the week of Aug. 23, the Technology Help Desk will re-open for walk-up support. Hours are as follows:

• Monday, Aug. 23 through Wed., Aug. 25: on-site from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. for walk-up support and 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. for phone and remote support.
• Starting Thur., Aug. 26, on-site each weekday from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. for both walk-up and phone/remote support.
• Starting Sat., Aug. 28, resume weekend on-site and phone support from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Community members can continue to get remote support by submit a help request, sending an email to help@brandeis.edu, or calling 781-736-4357. For more information, please visit the ITS website.

Mailing lists play a crucial role in day-to-day operations at Brandeis, so it’s important that we use a service that’s modern, secure, reliable and dynamic. Beginning Aug.15, any new mailing lists should be created using Google Groups. Due to an outdated platform and security risks, ITS will be eliminating the aging Brandeis mailing list service (lists.brandeis.edu) and transition to Google Groups over the course of the fall semester. There is no impact to existing mailing lists at this time, but ITS strongly recommends that lists owners and administrators review their lists to ensure the membership is up to date and to delete any lists that are no longer needed. ITS will be sharing more information in the upcoming months about the transition including migration of existing lists to Google Groups and schedule of activities. Visit the ITS website for more information about creating a Google Group. For questions about the upcoming change, please contact help@brandeis.edu.

In addition, the University is evaluating additional efficient ways for community members to build lists based on selected criteria. These dynamic lists would remain current with our community populations in Workday. We will keep you posted on this initiative throughout the fall.

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.