As we have been communicating, Brandeis is implementing the Talent Advancement Program (TAP) for staff. TAP is a positive step forward in our commitment to foster a culture of engagement and to support staff professional development and career growth at Brandeis. Performance review staff self-assessments are available in Workday and annual performance reviews are due no later than May 19.

Training for Managers and Staff is underway. If you have not attended TAP training, please sign up for an upcoming session. Please note the additional trainings added below.

TAP for Faculty Managers:

• Wednesday, March 29, 1–2 p.m., Zoom register
• Monday, April 3, 2–3 p.m., Zoom register

Brandeis University Momentum+ HealthyYou online Wellness portal

Get rewarded for getting healthy! The Office of Human Resources is pleased to offer employees access to an online health portal as part of the HealthyYou wellness program for 2023. Between January 1 and December 15, 2023 all employees can access the health portal to participate in multiple activities, tools and resources that will help you set, track, and achieve your personal wellness goals. The more activities you complete, the more credits you will earn which will increase your opportunities be entered into the raffles for great prizes.

Learn more about the wellness portal and how to access on the Human Resources website.

Well-Being Webinar Series - Please join us each Wednesday, 12:15 -1 p.m., for a new live webinar sponsored by Tufts Health Plan. This series is open to all employees. Upcoming Webinars:

• April 7, Seven Coping Skills for Success for Parents
• April 14, Aromatherapy
• April 21, Cultivating a Positive Mindset
• April 28, Forming Healthy Habits

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

Chief Rushton will host a series of “lunch 'n learn” presentations for the community, the first being scheduled for April 18 from noon - 1 p.m. on Active Threat. The presentations will take place via Zoom. Others will be on emergency preparedness and de-escalation. If you have any questions, please contact Chief Rushton.

There will be two separate drawings for the opportunity for faculty, staff and postdocs to purchase Celtics and Bruins playoff tickets on Monday, April 3.

To enter your name into the drawing for Celtics playoff tickets, please go to this link, and fill out the required information. The tickets are for section loge 16, row 23, seats 5-6 and 7-8.

To enter your name into the drawing for Bruins playoff tickets, please go to this link, and fill out the required information. The tickets are for section loge 4, row 5, seats 1-2 and 3-4.

The links will be active from today to Friday, March 31 at noon. If you are selected to purchase tickets, you will receive an email with additional information.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Pricing for tickets is unavailable until the game schedules are set
• Tickets are sold as a pair and at face value
• One pair per person
• Only personal checks will be accepted
• Payment is required at time of purchase, no exceptions
• All sales are final, no refunds and no exchanges
• Checks will be returned for non-played postseason games

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Office of Finance and Administration at gmcjordan@brandeis.edu or 781-736-4435.

Effective immediately we are asking that everyone stop putting bags, of any size/color in the recycling dumpsters. You may use a recycling bag in your room/office but once you bring it to the dumpster, please empty the contents into the recycling bin and dispose of the bag in the trash dumpster. Our material recovery facility, the place where our recyclables go, can not process these bags and we will start to incur a fine. Items like bags, clog the machine used to process the recycling materials and result in not only operating problems, facility shutdowns, and it is also a safety hazard to employees. Everyone's help to make sure bags are not in the recycling dumpsters is greatly appreciated.

Brandeis has transitioned to an even safer method for collecting credit card information on paper. Data security is a top priority of the university. Collecting credit card information via paper submission is one of the most insecure ways to transmit payment information.

As of January 1, 2023, Brandeis is no longer collecting revenue related to fundraising or events by requesting credit card information on mailed or paper remittance forms. If such forms were part of your annual strategy, please make this mandatory update as soon as possible.

Contact Lindsay Roth at lroth@brandeis.edu with specific questions and to learn more. We appreciate the role our entire community plays in keeping payment collection secure.

Providing Back Up Care and Planning Ahead for April Break

When school’s closed and work’s still on, take advantage of your Bright Horizons Back-Up Care benefit.

Providing care during your workday; covering for last-minute caregiver cancellations. You can’t do it all, but you can be ready for anything. With Bright Horizons Back-Up Care, you can book care right away or plan ahead. Register and Book Now

New in 2023! You now have access to early summer camp booking with Steve & Kate’s Camp. Simply call your dedicated Bright Horizons phone number to get started: 877-BHCares (877-242-2737). We can help you book drop-in days or weeks throughout the summer, or even help you setup a full Summer Pass exchange. You can find more information on our HR Website.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is issuing a call for administrative units to host a Higher Ed Administrative Intern. As part of the Andrew W. Mellon Connected PhD Grant awarded to GSAS, the goal of this program is to provide opportunities for PhD students to gain administrative and project experience. Below are descriptions of the expectations for host units and our requirements for an internship proposal:

• Commitment to provide meaningful supervision and professional development mentoring, including shadowing
• Availability of a project with a concrete deliverable component. We will reject proposals that primarily serve as "coverage" for a staff position.
• Completion of a supervision report and any other surveys required by the grant assessment needs
• Internship should take place between May 1 and December 31, 2023, with an expectation of 200 hours of work ($4000, $21 per hour rate). Ideally you would frame this as a summer or fall internship, but depending on the project, we may extend the internship period.

Submission instructions: Brief (1-2 paragraph) description of position and project, 3-5 learning objectives of the position, and supervisory structure.

If you'd like to propose a position, please submit a proposal by April 4 to ConnectedPhD@brandeis.edu. We are also happy to answer questions and give feedback on proposals prior to the deadline.

Open to all members of the Brandeis community

• Graduate Write-In-Person Days, 9 a.m. - noon, Thursday, March 23
• Graduate Instructors Workshop: Writing Effective Feedback, 2 - 3 p.m., Thursday, March 23
• T+LL Workshop: Conquering Complex Accommodations, 12:30 - 1:50 p.m., Friday, March 24
• Introduction to Arduino Electronics Workshop, 4 - 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 27 and 4 - 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 3
• Machine Learning: Image Recognition with Tensorflow (1), 10 - 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 28
• Intro to 3D Printing with Flashforge, 10 - 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 29 and 10 - 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 4
• The Beginnings of Brandeis: A History in Pictures, 10 - 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 29
• Researching in Archives, noon - 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 29
• LATTE OPEN OFFICE HOURS, 1 - 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 29 and 1 - 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 5
• Teaching with Archives, 2 - 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 29
• Intro to Vinyl Cutting & 2D Graphics, 3 - 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 29
• How to build and deploy your personal website, 4 - 5:30 pm Wednesday, March 29
• Machine Learning: Image Recognition with Tensorflow (2), 10 - 11:30 a.m., Thursday, March 30
• The Write Time Workshop, 3 - 3:50 p.m., Thursday, March 30
• Find Funding Opportunities using Library Databases, noon - 1 p.m., Friday, March 31
• T+LL Workshop: Maximizing a Summer Research Experience for You and Your Mentee: Lessons Learned from the SciComm Lab, 12:30 - 1:50 p.m., Friday March 31
• Graduate Write-in Studio, 9 a.m. - noon, Monday, April 3
• Therapy Dogs, noon - 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 4

Brandeis is a valued member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. We want to be sure staff and faculty are aware of the full benefits package. Brandeis University is a Champion level member. Please review the website for details of what's included in our membership.

Kelley Trieu is our Membership Director and is happy to review the membership details, answer questions, and explore opportunities so please don’t hesitate to reach out.

On Friday, April 28, Center for Spiritual Life will hold the annual memorial service in remembrance of those who have died in the past year. We will remember immediate members of the Brandeis community, as well loved ones of members of our community. Please join us at 12:30 p.m. in Fellows Garden for a brief, reflective service.

Our hope is that this memorial service offers a measure of comfort and consolation to those grieving and strengthens our sense of community and solidarity. If you would like a loved one to be remembered at the service, please submit their name and a brief remembrance by Friday, April 21.

Sign up today for a Warner Farm CSA share and receive a personalized box of fresh, delicious, locally grown vegetables, delivered right to the campus of Brandeis University. Our CSA program offers the option to customize your shares and your delivery schedule, so you’ll receive all the produce you love and nothing you don’t! Choose from three sizes of vegetable shares, as well as fruit, eggs, mushroom, bread, and flower shares. Deliveries take place from June through October, every Thursday from 3:30-6:30 p.m. It's the best way to eat healthy and local this season without breaking the bank! Visit www.warnerfarm.com/csa or email csa@warnerfarm.com to learn more.

The Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) invites you to this year's Lavender Graduation on Thursday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m. at the Rose Art Museum. This event is open to faculty, staff, students and their families and celebrates the academic achievements of LGBTQ+ students and their contributions to university life. The first Lavender Graduation was hosted in 1995 by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, a Jewish lesbian, who was denied the opportunity to attend her child’s graduation due to her sexual orientation.

To register to attend, please fill out the form. To nominate a student, faculty or staff member for an award, please use the form.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will hold their first Town Hall on Friday, April 21, 1-2 p.m. in the International Lounge. Additional information will be available on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website. If you have any questions, please contact diversity@brandeis.edu.

For emergencies, contact Public Safety at 781-736-3333 for on-campus issue or 911 for off-campus issue.

For urgent mental health concerns, contact the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) at 781-736-3730 (24/7 consultation available).

For other student behavior concerns, submit an I Care Form (one business day to review) for the Care Team to evaluate and coordinate resources of the university and provide necessary supports. Also, please submit an I Care Form after calling Public Safety, 911, or the BCC to ensure follow up for student wellbeing. These resources may also be helpful: Top Ten Care Practices, Care Team Tips, Campus Resources, Resilience Guide, and Campus Connection Points (updated list of ongoing, drop-in or scheduled times for students to have casual or structured connections through conversations).

For decrease in engagement in regular activity (e.g. class, club, job) with no evidence of concerning behavior, a suggestion is to outreach and ask for a reply within two business days. If no reply, try again and include if no reply may need to engage other options to ensure wellbeing. If still no engagement:

• Academic Concerns Only: for undergraduates, contact Academic Services at 781-736-3470 or submit an Academic Performance Report; for graduate students, please contact the appropriate person accordingly:
  • GSAS - Director of Graduate Studies for the department
  • Heller - Program Manager or Director
  • International Business School -  Program Advisor

• Non-academic Disengagement: connect to the manager/leader of the activity to consider next steps, including submitting an I Care Form

Brandeis Womens' Soccer Coach, Mary Shimko is hosting a soccer camp this summer on June 20 - 23.

We are hosting the camp for girls ages 5 - 14 years old to develop soccer skills, build confidence in young female athletes, and create a fun environment to grow and enjoy the game of soccer.

For additional information and to register, please visit the webpage.

Experience the music, dance, theater, and artwork that will transform the Brandeis campus during the 2023 Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, April 21 through April 30.

The Festival of the Arts honors its founder, the great American composer, conductor, and Brandeis faculty member, Leonard Bernstein, and his incredible legacy as an artist, educator, activist and humanitarian. The 2023 festival celebrates Art in the Year of Climate Action, as part of the university’s yearlong commitment to climate action.

Most of the events are free and open to the public. These are just a sampling:

• Super Sunday: an afternoon of short performances and art experiences for all ages, including Play for Change
• A production of Stupid F*cking Bird, by Aaron Posner, directed by Dmitry Troyanovsky '98 (Theater Arts), and produced by the Department of Theater Arts
• Culture X, a joyful dance, music, and spoken word showcase produced by the Intercultural Center
• New plays about climate action, produced by the Brooklyn-based new play company The Parsnip Ship (Iyvon E. ’13, artistic director)
• Concerts by the Department of Music ensembles
• Innovative public artworks created for the festival.

The festival website has a complete listing of events. The Festival of the Arts is sponsored by Brandeis Arts Engagement.

Volunteer for the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts and support guest performers and artists as well as students! There are volunteer opportunities before and during the Festival, which takes place April 21-30. All experience levels are welcome. More information and registration form here.

Brandeis GSAS is excited to be hosting our second annual three minute dissertation competition (3MT).

The Brandeis 3MT Competition is a university-sponsored speaking competition designed to showcase GSAS student research in three-minute talks to a general audience. This is an opportunity for graduate students engaged in original research to develop communication and presentation skills while sharing their work with faculty, staff, and students across Brandeis University.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 4 from 4 - 6 p.m. to see the Final Round of the 3MT Competition in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater in the SCC. Finalists will present, judges will deliberate, and prizes will be awarded.

Waltham Group Blood Drive holds three drives a year by collaborating with The American Red Cross. They were able to meet the goal of 47 units in the recent Valentine's Blood Drive.

All Brandeis community members are able to donate. Students are also able to volunteer. The donor will be checked by volunteers, complete short health history, and start the donation process if eligible. Afterward, the donor will rest for 15 minutes in the canteen area, where they can have a snack and ensure they feel okay before leaving. Participating in the blood drive by donating or volunteering is an amazing way for the community to give back. Sign up to donate blood.