What’s your 'food print'? The hidden costs of our food choices with “Earthling” Ed Winters

Hybrid event on October 18 at 6:30 p.m. in International Lounge and Zoom

Earthling Ed is a motivational speaker on the environment, plant-based diets & veganism, specializing in non-judgmental and friendly engagement. You will leave inspired by how much power you have to be a force for positive change!

Additional events:

• 10/10, 12-2 p.m., ICC Patio: Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration focusing on Indigenous Climate Justice. Lunch will be provided; RSVP requested.
• 10/13, 12-1:30 p.m., virtual: A Very Brief History of Sustainability
• 10/13, 6-8 p.m., Student Action Dinner with Brandeis' Climate Organizer-in-Residence (Advance registration is required by Friday 10/7)
• 10/18, noon-1:30 p.m., virtual: From Knowledge to Action: About the Psychology of the Climate Crisis

Please see the Year of Climate Action website for more information and registration for all events.

Managing at Brandeis: Nuts & Bolts Series (presented via Zoom):

• Monday 10/17 - 2 – 3:30 p.m., Intro to Hiring and Recruitment Process at Brandeis register
• Tuesday 11/1 - 1 – 2:30 p.m., Conducting One-On-Ones register
• Thursday 11/17 - 10 – 11:30 a.m., Intro to Leaves Policy register
• Thursday 12/8 - 1 – 2:30 p.m., Performance Coaching and Counseling register
• Monday 12/12 - 2 – 3:30 p.m., Legal Considerations of the Supervisor register

• Thursday 11/3 - 10 – 11 a.m., Creating a Positive Work Environment register
• Tuesday 11/15 - 10 – 11 a.m., Essential Leadership Skills register
• Monday 12/5 - 10 – 11 a.m., Respect at Work register

For more information please visit the HR Training Website or email us at farquhar@brandeis.edu.

Brandeis is rich with religious diversity. The High Holy Days of Judaism continue October 10 - 16 with Sukkot. Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot is named after the huts the Israelites lived in during their exodus from Egypt, which Jews today build to and dwell in to commemorate this time. Shemini Atzeret, or “The Eighth Day of Assembly,” is the eighth day of Sukkot and marks the beginning of Simchat Torah, which this year is October 17 - 18. Brandeis does not hold classes on Shmini Atzeret/ the first day of Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah, “Rejoicing with the Torah,” marks the completion of one Torah reading cycle and the beginning of a new one. Diwali is celebrated on October 24 this year. This festival of light is a significant festival in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. Each religion celebrates this holiday differently, but worship, sharing sweets, fireworks, and lights are common elements. For many, Diwali is also associated with the start of the New Year. From the early centuries of Christianity, November 1 and 2 have been observed as days to remember the dead. Eventually November 1 was marked as a day to remember those in the past who have lived holy lives, All Saints Day, marked by the Catholic Church as a special feast day. November 2 became a day focused on all the dead, hence called All Souls Day.

The Center for Spiritual Life's Guide to Religious Observances offers further information.

Library Workshops - Open to all members of the Brandeis community!

• Intro to 3D Printing with Flashforge, 10 a.m. - 11:45 a.m., Tuesday, October 11
• Data Wrangling with R, 12:10 - 1 p.m., Wednesday, October 12, 2022
• Introduction to Arduino Electronics Workshop, 4 - 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 12
• Intro to 3D Printing with Flashforge, 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m., Tuesday, October 18
• Researching in Archives, noon - 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 18
• Teaching with Archives, 1 - 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 18
• The Beginnings of Brandeis: A History in Pictures, 2 - 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 18
• Data Visualization with R, 12:10 - 1 p.m., Wednesday, October 19
• Introduction to Arduino Electronics Workshop, 4 - 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 19
• Excel with Excel: Overview, Tips and Tricks. Part II, 12:20 p.m. - 1:10 p.m., Thursday, October 20

The Library will also be holding an Absentee Jamboree, 1 - 5 p.m., Thursday, October 13: Received your paper ballot from your home state but unsure what to do now? Need to confirm your absentee application was received and processed by your state? Aren't sure if you can vote absentee electronically? Stop by the Library to chat about your next steps!

Learn more about Brandeis’ new continuous performance management approach, the Talent Advancement Program (TAP) which is kicking off this fall. This new and exciting approach to performance management will help all of us TAP into our potential by increasing engagement, strengthening relationships through communication and coaching and creating a growth mindset culture.

TAP Training will cover an overview of the program, the new timeline for performance reviews (including mid-year reviews), how to provide and receive continuous feedback, and how to engage in and support a growth mindset work environment and make the most of the performance review process.

For additional information visit the TAP Website or to register for a training session please visit the Human Resources website. If you have any questions, please contact the Human Resources Office at 781-736-4474 or humanresources@brandeis.edu.

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 Thursday, November 3, Listservs will no longer be available. Due to an outdated platform and security risks, ITS will retire the aging Brandeis mailing list service (lists.brandeis.edu) and transition to Google Groups.

During the next two months, ITS will create a Google Group for each Listserv list with Owners, Editors, and Members automatically added. Google Groups will be created only for Listservs used after January 1, 2019. Owners and Editors of existing Listserv lists will be contacted via email regarding the transition.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the ITS Help Desk at help@brandeis.edu.

The Department of Student Engagement 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 reward and engaging in a close-knit cohort leadership development series. You can see great examples from previous projects on our website. As you'll notice, the list of possibilities are endless! That being said, this year we are intentionally encouraging projects that support the Waltham community and center racial justice and climate 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 Assistant Director, Community Engagement & Leadership, Taisha White, who is overseeing this initiative. Applications closes Sunday, October 23 at 11:59 pm EST.

The university has updated the Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Policy. This policy is intended to increase the awareness of faculty, staff, and other Brandeis community members to the potential for conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment, and to establish a process whereby such conflicts may be properly managed or avoided.

The updated policy includes specific language regarding conflicts of commitment, which exists when a Brandeis employee’s external professional or personal activities have the possibility (either in actuality or in appearance) of:

1. Conflicting with the employee’s work hours for the University;
2. Interfering with that individual’s ability to perform, or effectiveness in performing, the full range of responsibilities associated with their position at Brandeis.

All faculty and staff are subject to the policy and should familiarize themselves with it.

Please contact Human Resources if you have questions.