Staff Senate Newsletter • June 12, 2020
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Black Lives Matter
Read: Moving Forward Together message from President Smatresk
View: the transcript and recordings for the BLM Town Hall for Students and Faculty/Staff
Explore: the Division of Institutional Equity & Diversity UNT Black Lives Matter resource page
Campus Safety — COVID-19 Updates
The first module of the COVID-19 Safety Training for UNT is required of all faculty and staff and should be completed before returning to campus. Go to unt.bridgeapp.com to take the training.
- The deadline to complete the first module of this training is July 31, 2020.
- For essential personnel and those who returned to campus earlier, the training should be completed as soon as possible.
President Smatresk will hold a Safety Town Hall on June 22, 2020, at 3 p.m. where he will report on the progress made toward reopening our campus safely and answer questions from faculty and staff.
- To submit your questions, email untpresident@unt.edu.
- Link to participate will be available soon.
Staff Senate AHA!
Register for these Staff Senate AHA virtual events on UNT Bridge, learning management system.
- June 10, 17, 24 and July 1 at 3 p.m. - Mean Green Book Buddies
- June 17 at 11 a.m. - Introduction to Origami
- June 25 at 2 p.m. - Elections, Dollars, and Votes
To access some past recordings and documents, go HERE.
Featured Staff Senate Spotlight
Natalie Bernard
Academic Counselor, Graduate Programs, G. Brint Ryan College of Business
Read more about Natalie!
2020-2021 Parking Permits
Parking permits for 2020-2021 went on sale Wednesday, June 10. Various permit types will be available each subsequent Wednesday through the end of June. Permit prices are the same as the 2019-20 academic year - no price increase. Please see the attached PDF for details.
Contact Transportation Services by email or phone at 940-565-3020 if you have any questions.
ERS Summer Enrollment
For UNT, the annual ERS benefits enrollment period, when you can make changes to your insurance, short- and long-term disability and TexFlex, will run from June 29 to July 11 this year. Make sure your contact information is up to date by creating or logging in to your ERS account.
Visit the ERS website for more information about Summer Enrollment 2020, including upcoming webinars.
New Procedure Addressing High-Risk Individuals Leave Request
As departments begin to resume on-campus operations and prepare for the return of employees to the workplace, we expect that some individuals will have requests for leave or other needs related to COVID-19 and particularly those who are considered high-risk as defined by the CDC. All requests for modification of an employee's job related to a medical condition must be facilitated through Human Resources.
To read "How do I request work environment or job duty modifications if I am a high-risk individual?," visit the HR FAQ for COVID-19.
Please contact your campus HR office with any questions related to employee leave, the high-risk temporary modification request or disability accommodation processes.
Project Estimating Updates
Due to COVID-19's potential impacts on UNT, for the remainder of the fiscal year, any new project requests for estimating require Vice President approval prior to acceptance by Facilities. We encourage you to visit the UNT Facilities Estimating website.
Resources will help answer:
- What is an opinion of cost estimate and what can it do for me?
- Do I need an estimate or should I request a project?
- I requested an estimate. What happens next?
- What step in the process is my opinion of cost?
Built-in tools allow you to:
- Create your own basic estimate using commonly requested services
- Use average higher education construction costs from around the state to create a square foot-based estimate
Questions? Send an email to Dallas Hogue.
UNT System COVID-19 Updates
The University of North Texas System and its member institutions are committed to the well-being and safety of our students, faculty and staff. In responsibly planning the immediate future, UNT System leadership teams have spent significant hours preparing to safely begin reopening aspects of our campuses and office facilities. See the links below for more information.
- Read about UNT System COVID-19 updates.
- Read about UNT System COVID-19 response guidelines.
UNT COVID-19 Updates
- To stay up to date on UNT's response to COVID-19, visit the UNT Health Alerts website: healthalerts.unt.edu.
- Information for staff is available on the UNT Health Alerts for Staff web page.
Juneteenth - Our Country's Second Independence Day
Read about this important day from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture blog post The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth.
Virtual Events
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & CultureThe Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture offers the Talking About Race web portal.
The portal is free and does not require a registration or sign-up to use. Explore Talking About Race here.
Join Us at Our Next Meeting!
Meetings are open to all UNT staff members. The next meeting will be held via Zoom on July 14, 2020 at 3 p.m. Meeting link will be available soon!
Important note for senators: This meeting will include orientation for new staff senators. Please plan to attend.
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, contact Lisa Cuevas or staffsenate@unt.edu to have it included.