Staff Senate Newsletter Masthead

Staff Senate Newsletter • Dec. 11, 2020

December Town Hall

With the fall semester winding down and the spring semester approaching, Presidents Mong, Smatresk and Williams will be at this quarter’s UNT World Town Hall on Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. The Town Hall will be held virtually via Zoom and will be streamed lived (and later archived) at UNTSystem.edu/DecemberTownHall.

As part of the Town Hall, the Presidents and Chancellor Roe will recap Fall 2020 and provide a look ahead at Spring 2021. In addition, they will answer questions submitted by our faculty and staff.

If you have specific work-related questions you would like them to address during the Town Hall, please email communications@untsystem.edu.

Free Cookies and Hot Cocoa

The Denton Civic Center will have over 600 cookies and hot chocolate for community members. The cookies are individually wrapped and donated by local businesses like Insomnia Cookies and Cookie Crave. The hot chocolate is donated by the MLK Jr. Rec Center advisory board. This is a first-come, first-served event on Dec. 12 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Drive up, and the Denton Civic Center will hand you the goodies —no need to get out of the car!

Best Practices for Supporting d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

The Office of Disability Access has partnered with the Multicultural Center to host trainings focused specifically on working with our Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. These trainings will be conducted via Zoom. Please email ASLCART.ODA@unt.edu for additional information.

Future Training Opportunities:

COVID Update

Daily COVID-19 testing administered by WellHealth is continuing at the Union Circle Garage. The testing is available with no individual out-of-pocket cost. To register, visit gogettested.com, search for Denton on the map and follow the “Book Now" link on the "Denton – UNT Union Circle Garage – Texas Emergency Management” location. Include the group code "UNT" to allow positive test results to be sent directly to UNT's COVID response team. Testing is offered from 9 a.m. — 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. — 5 p.m. Sundays, except for holidays.

Know Your 2021 Tax Year Limits

If you participate in a voluntary retirement savings plan, you'll want to be sure to check out the IRS' 2021 tax year limits that were recently announced. Learn more about these great ways to tax-shelter retirement income via easy payroll deduction.

In The Green Webinars

Also, if you haven't checked out the well-being initiative In The Green, there is an array of helpful webinars. Throughout December, find webinars to help cope with COVID fatigue, holiday stress and ways to put your holiday spending habit on a diet. And, don't forget about our heart-pumping virtual workouts — especially great for everyone working from home.

Staff Senate Spotlight

Dana Sachs

Director of Healthcare Administration, Student Health & Wellness Center

Low-Speed Vehicle Training

Golf cart and low-speed vehicle training provides drivers with important safety tips. New UNT low-speed vehicle drivers are required to take this training, which is also recommended for current drivers. Read more about this training on the website.

Division of Finance & Administration Shares Stories of Thankfulness

UNT staff members recently sent out a note of thanks to their coworkers. Read the division’s current stories. If you would like to share a story about someone in this division or a coworker at UNT for whom you are thankful, please feel free to email Margarita.Venegas@unt.edu. December submissions are still being accepted!

Scrappy Watch Party Pack

Bring Mean Green spirit to your home! If you can't be at a Mean Green sporting event, bring Mean Green spirit to you!

The Scrappy Watch Party Pack is a 2-person pack including:

2 Mean Green Koozie for your favorite gameday beverage
2 UNT face masks to stay safe
2 Green Pom Pom to cheer on your mean green student athletes
2 UNT Sunglasses to block out all the haters
2 UNT VIP Couch Credential so you can officially claim your seat on the couch
2 Mean Green Towels to keep you cool
Mean Green Battle Flag to fly your Mean Green spirit on your car or home
Mean Green Doggy bags to hold your dogs favorite belonging
Clear Mean Green Purse to show off your UNT pride in style
UNT Recipe Cards to cook your favorite gameday recipes
One UNT mystery item
One raffle entry to win a 2021 North Texas Football Game Day VIP experience for two!

UNT HUB Award

UNT received an award for going above and beyond in supporting diversity by procuring goods and services from Historically Underutilized Businesses. We ranked #1 for large universities and #9 overall in the state (out of 178 institutions).

EAP Reminder

EAP, the Employee Assistance Program has consultants available to work for you researching and assembling information on child and elder care. They also provide these additional services:

Temporary/Backup Care – For children or adult loved ones.
Summer Care – Various programs, camp accreditation, assistance in evaluating providers.
Special Needs – Full range of assistance for families of special needs children.
Academic Services – Schools and learning programs for children and adults.
Prenatal Care – Information on the proper care and nutrition for expectant mothers.
Adoption – Assistance in navigating legal, financial and customary requirements.
Parenting – Childproofing your home, outdoor safety, single parenting, and more.
Convenience Services – Access to services in your area including pet sitters, health clubs, relocation, cleaning services, and event planning.

Check out the EAP website to access your account today!

Join Us at Our Next Meeting!

Meetings are open to all UNT staff members. The next meeting will be held on Feb. 9, 2021 at 3 p.m. Please check back for meeting details.

For meeting agendas, minutes and recordings, please visit the Agendas and Minutes page.

Contact Us!

If you have an article, announcement or suggestion relating to this newsletter, email staffsenate@unt.edu to have it included.