Staff Senate Newsletter • Feb. 12, 2021

 

Art & Fire: A Journey in Five Films

The MC, Women and Gender Studies, Latino/a Mexican American Studies, Anthropology, and Media Arts invite you to the virtual dialogue: A Conversation with Oscar Guardiola-Rivera about Film, Radical Thought, and Transformation in the Americas. Oscar Guardiola-Rivera is a writer, philosopher, and lecturer in law and human rights and the author of the critically acclaimed books What If Latin America Ruled the World? and Story of a Death Foretold. Register for the Zoom showing on Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.

 

 

Family Medical Leave/Sick Leave Pool Parental Leave Training

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. Sick Leave Pool provides up to 720 hours of paid leave for catastrophic injuries or illness.  Parental Leave provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for birth and adoption for those who do not qualify for FMLA.

Join HR to learn more about these leave types and what you as a supervisor/manager need to know and do.
In this session you will cover:

• What is Family Medical Leave, Sick Leave Pool, Parental Leave?
• Who is FMLA Source?
• What is My Role as a Supervisor?
• What is Human Resources Role?
• What Responsibilities do my Employees Have?

The first upcoming Live Training Via Zoom is on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.

Menstrual Hygiene & Sexual Health Donation Drive

UNT Pride Alliance is hosting a donation drive through March 15. They are accepting donations of tampons, maxi pads, condoms, pantiliners, menstrual cups, feminine wipes and cloth pads. Donations can be dropped off at the SGA Office (Union, Suite 344), Pride Alliance Office (Union, Suite 372) or the Political Science Department Office (Wooten Hall, Suite 125).

 

 

 

Space Management & Planning

UNT's annual Space Survey compiles information on the rooms and spaces on campus – who uses them and how they are used. The Space Survey starts March 1. Every department must participate. If you're compiling information for your area, please take one of the training sessions between Feb. 16—24 or the self-guided training. Find more information here on the website.

Emergency Management & Safety Services’ Severe Weather Seminar

Save the date for Emergency Management & Safety Services' Severe Weather Seminar on March 5th from 1—2:30 p.m! Join them via Zoom to learn about the weather in and around North Texas and how you can be better prepared to protect yourself and those around you when severe weather strikes. Register now on UNT Bridge. See you there!

 

 

Calling All Judges! Calling All Judges!

Students, Faculty, and Staff Members of UNT, Eagle Awards is fast approaching! Every year, Student Activities coordinates the nomination and selection of a number of awards that recognize outstanding student organizations and individual leadership. They are humbly asking for your help in judging the applicants! The chosen recipients will be honored at the Eagle Awards banquet in April.

Should you agree, you will be provided with applications and a judging rubric the end of March. Then, you will have a week to return your scores. The goal is to have each person only judge one award!

For more information about each individual award, visit www.studentactivities.unt.edu/eagle-awards. They encourage you to consider nominating a student, organization, or advisor also. Applications close March 21 at 11:00 p.m.

Sign up to be a judge today!

The Neurodiversity Professional Network

Please mark your calendar for March 30 for a campus-wide presentation on Zoom by John Elder Robison. Mr. Robison is an author, engineer, and person with neurodiversity. His book, Look Me in the Eye, is a memoir detailing his life with an undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder and the struggles he faced for not understanding his disability. The presentation will be followed with a discussion of how to support UNT community members who are neurodivergent. Stay tuned for registration information. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Neurodiversity Professional Network ERG, either as an individual who is neurodivergent or an ally, please complete the membership form. Contact Linda Holloway for any questions.

 

VOIP Microsoft Teams

The UNT System is excited to share that the migration to voice over internet protocol Microsoft Teams is progressing well. Wave 1 is almost complete, which means that now is the best time to take advantage of two training sessions:

• Teams Voice training:This virtual, Microsoft-led session provides demonstrations on the platform’s functions and features and will guide you through all the basics. Register for a session via UNT World Learning. Sessions are available weekly through the end of February and more may be added in March:
  • Tuesdays from 2—3 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 10—11 a.m.
  • Thursdays from 2—3 p.m.
• Enhanced 911 (E911) training: This self-paced session will inform you on new federal guidelines and the limitations of the 911 service. Enroll in the training now. 

You will receive a notification in the coming weeks when it is time to migrate your phone line to Teams. The transition from traditional telephone lines to Teams will provide UNT World faculty and staff with a single communications platform that integrates telephony with online chat, conferencing and collaboration, plus the flexibility and compatibility required by our workforce in our “new” working environments. 

Visit the ICP website for more information.

Staff Senate Spotlight

Rob Pearson

Personnel and Leasing Manager, Facilities

Learn more about Rob!

 

 

Staff Success Counts at UNT

Check out the new Staff Success website, created in partnership by Staff Senate in partnership with the Office of the President between President Smatresk. This page is your hub for staff resources, perks and peer-to-peer recognition. Explore the site today, learn about our very first Staff Success Stories winner, Scotie Selman from the Division of Finance and Administration, and watch a short video from President Smatresk as he shares his commitment to Staff Success! 

UNT Passport Acceptance Facility

Make sure you and your family are ready for post-COVID travel by applying for a new passport at the UNT Passport Acceptance Facility located in Marquis Hall. Currently, expedited applications take four to six weeks (late March) and normal applications 10—12 weeks (late April) so it is important to apply now for summer travel! Quickly and easily schedule an appointment between 8 a.m.—4 p.m., Monday—Thursday, online at bit.ly/unt-passport-appt. Additional information can be found on the website.

 

 

The Spark

Online workshops offered by The Spark Makerspace begin Friday and are sure to inspire. You can learn more about 3D printing, 3D modeling, web design, electronics, digital photography, podcasting, vlogging, livestreaming, and other topics and tools that will help you develop your maker mindset. Check The Spark event calendar.

UNT Police Hybrid Vehicles

The UNT Police Department decided to make the move to hybrid vehicles following the recent retirement of some older model vehicles. Capt. Mark Bergstrom and Capt. Jeremy Polk worked with Ford to acquire five hybrid patrol vehicles and one detective SUV. The vehicles use battery power when idling or at low speeds, and use fuel at other times. These cars are expected to save the department about $3,000 per year per vehicle and prevent an estimated 19,539 pounds of carbon dioxide in annual emissions by each vehicle (converted to kWh that’s roughly enough energy to heat a home for four years). Read more about this green initiative undertaken by the UNT Police Department.

Equal Opportunity Name Change

Equal Opportunity is acquiring all Title IX investigations and therefore, is updating their name to Equal Opportunity & Title IX. Before, Equal Opportunity investigated Title IX cases involving employees, but now, they will also be handling investigations that only involve students. If you wish to report discrimination or harassment, please complete the online form.

Join Us at Our Next Meeting!

Meetings are open to all UNT staff members. The next meeting will be held on March 9, 2021 at 3 p.m. 

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.