The ASR spring 2014 staff event yesterday was a success! The morning began with an update from Sue Van Voorhis, ASR Director & University Registrar, followed by a keynote address from Dr. Danita Brown Young, Vice Provost for Student Affairs & Dean of Students. Staff then headed to their first breakout session, which was followed by two additional mini-breakout sessions. Staff was then treated to lunch from The Lunch Cube.
A huge thanks to the Development Team for organizing and hosting a great event! Development Team members include Grant Clavelle, Laura Goldsmith, Olga Kavun-Wozniak, Kess Knight, Christine Mounts, Ruth Newman, Christa Nicols, and Ryan Ricard.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
One Stop closed at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 3
One Stop will close at 11:30 a.m.Tuesday, June 3 for a staff event. Walk-in, phone, and email service will not be available during this time, although the Helping U desk in STSS will remain open. One Stop will re-open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4.
Veterans Services satisfaction survey
University Veterans Services recently sent a satisfaction survey to all students using federal GI Bill benefits during the spring semester. The survey is done periodically to gauge the University's support of Student Veterans. The survey had a 41% response rate, and respondents varied in demographics with undergraduates making up 66%, graduate students 30%, and the remaining 4% were professional students. More information on the results will appear in a future issue of News & Notes.
Wellness tip: work at the Walkstation
Want to get some exercise while getting some work done at the same time? Try out the Walkstation in 160 Williamson Hall. It's a nice break from sitting at your desk all day, and it's simple to reserve a half-hour walk. The Walkstation appears on the room list in Google Calendar under (EQ) ASR-160WmsonH. One is also being ordered for Fraser Hall and is expected to arrive in late June. It will be located in the 220 Fraser area.
Building access security project
The University's Exterior Access Security Project is being completed. Earlier this week, hours for buildings on East Bank west of Church Street were adjusted. The new building hours include:
- Public hours: building is open to the public and doors will remain unlocked
- University hours: doors are locked, but anyone with an active U Card will be able to access the building
- Restricted hours: only people with permission and a programmed card for the building will be able to enter
Staff who have not upgraded their U Card with the smart card capability can do so by visiting the U Card office in Coffman. There is no charge, and it only takes a few minutes. (You can check to see if you already have a smart card by looking for the gold numbers on the back of your card in the upper right-hand corner.) Once you have upgraded your card, be sure to notify your building DAC (Department Access Coordinator) with the proximity number that is located on the back in gold numbers.
- Public hours: building is open to the public and doors will remain unlocked
- University hours: doors are locked, but anyone with an active U Card will be able to access the building
- Restricted hours: only people with permission and a programmed card for the building will be able to enter
Staff who have not upgraded their U Card with the smart card capability can do so by visiting the U Card office in Coffman. There is no charge, and it only takes a few minutes. (You can check to see if you already have a smart card by looking for the gold numbers on the back of your card in the upper right-hand corner.) Once you have upgraded your card, be sure to notify your building DAC (Department Access Coordinator) with the proximity number that is located on the back in gold numbers.
ASR suggestion box
Did you know there's a page on the ASR intranet for sharing your thoughts, comments, and suggestions? Your anonymous submission will be reviewed by the directors. If you would like a response to your comment or concern, you can provide your name and email address. Changes or improvements that come about as a result of a suggestion will be acknowledged in a future issue of News & Notes, although your identity will remain anonymous. The directors value your feedback, so please feel free to share any thoughts you may have.
ASR Quick Wins: Friday email hiatus
As mentioned at the ASR staff event yesterday, ASR is going to try an experiment this summer to cut down on the number of emails we all receive. Every Friday, ASR will collectively try to send fewer emails, an effort dubbed "Friday Email Hiatus." The purpose isn't to simply ignore all emails you receive on Friday but to consider whether you can speak to someone in person before sending an email yourself. For example, before you send an email to set up a meeting, follow up on an issue, or ask for someone's opinion, you could walk to the person's desk or office and talk in-person or give the person a call. You might be surprised at how productive these human interactions can be, and you might just get to know your co-workers in ASR a little bit better!
This will likely be difficult at first, but one of the comments that was pervasive in staff feedback was a sense of email overload, so this is an effort to address that concern. Like any experiment, we want your feedback on this idea. Please feel free to leave comments on the ASR suggestion box page.
This will likely be difficult at first, but one of the comments that was pervasive in staff feedback was a sense of email overload, so this is an effort to address that concern. Like any experiment, we want your feedback on this idea. Please feel free to leave comments on the ASR suggestion box page.
Beware of theft on campus
It's that time of year when thefts begin to pick up on campus. A couple incidents were reported on campus earlier this week, including the theft of a laptop and the attempted theft of an iPhone. Please be sure to keep your personal items secure and be aware of your surroundings. (Thanks to Suzanne Bardouche in the Office of Undergraduate Education for this timely reminder.)
New student and parent orientation
New student and parent orientation starts June 10 and runs through August 29. One Stop presents at parent orientation and also the "How to Manage the Cost of College?" presentation to new incoming freshmen. One Stop counselors also offer individual laptop counseling for students and their families in the Great Hall each morning of orientation.
OCM summer classroom projects
The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) will be busy this summer renovating or upgrading several classrooms spaces on campus. Projects will occur in Humphrey School 50, Blegen Hall 4th floor, Fraser Hall 101 and 102, Keller Hall Atrium, and the West Bank Auditorium, among others. You can read more about these projects, and the specific details of each one, on the OCM project page.
New staffing model for One Stop
One Stop has developed a new staffing model that it hopes to have operational by this summer. The front line of service will be serviced by student workers with One Stop counselors handling the next tier of service. This is a common model in the customer service industry, as well as with other "one stop" models around the nation. The more general types of questions will be handled by student workers while One Stop counselors and Senior One Stop counselors will respond and resolve more specialist types of issues.
Problems with Firefox and PDF documents
There appears to be a problem with Firefox version 29 when viewing a PDF document within the browser. Firefox users who are not using version 29.0.1 may encounter issues. If you are not yet on this version and you experience problems, please contact your department's IT support team.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Billing due date update
An email will be sent soon to all students regarding the fall 2014 billing due date change. An announcement will also be included in the Undergraduate and Graduate & Professional Updates. Postcards with the announcement will go out in July, and additional emails will be sent in August. Authorized payers will also receive an email.
Drop deadline extension
The proposal to extend the drop deadline from 8 to 10 weeks (for Morris, Twin Cities and Rochester) has passed unanimously through the Senate. The next step for approval is the Policy Advisory Committee on May 15.
ESUP - Student Town Hall Thursday, May 15
The ESUP Student team is holding a town hall next Thursday to cover the changes and improvements coming to the student system as a result of ESUP. Help spread the word! Make sure your colleagues outside of ASR know about the opportunity and encourage them to attend!
ASR spring staff event
We're gearing up for a great ASR Staff Event! As a reminder, the event is on Wednesday, May 21 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. in Science Teaching & Student Services (STSS). Check-in any time between 8-8:30 a.m. outside of STSS 230. The morning will kick off with an update from Sue Van Voorhis, ASR Director & University Registrar, followed by a keynote address from Dr. Danita Brown Young, Vice Provost for Student Affairs & Dean of Students.
Staff will then head off to a breakout session followed by two mini-breakout sessions. Lunch from The Lunch Cube will be served at noon in STSS 412.
A few reminders:
- The River Walk tour is rain or shine - pack an umbrella if needed!
- Both River Walk sessions are first come, first served and capped at 50 people. If you plan to attend either River Walk session, please mention it to staff at check-in.
- If you plan on attending the "Apply Your Strengths" breakout session, you must have completed the StrengthsQuest assessment before the session begins. If you need to do so, please contact Christa Nicols at nicol072@umn.edu.
The full agenda, including session details and speaker bios, can be found on the ASR Intranet. Copies of the agenda, including session locations, will be available at check-in.
Staff will then head off to a breakout session followed by two mini-breakout sessions. Lunch from The Lunch Cube will be served at noon in STSS 412.
A few reminders:
- The River Walk tour is rain or shine - pack an umbrella if needed!
- Both River Walk sessions are first come, first served and capped at 50 people. If you plan to attend either River Walk session, please mention it to staff at check-in.
- If you plan on attending the "Apply Your Strengths" breakout session, you must have completed the StrengthsQuest assessment before the session begins. If you need to do so, please contact Christa Nicols at nicol072@umn.edu.
The full agenda, including session details and speaker bios, can be found on the ASR Intranet. Copies of the agenda, including session locations, will be available at check-in.
Used equipment lottery winners
Thank you to all that entered the Used equipment lottery! Two winners were drawn: Diego Garcia and Eric Topping. Twenty-seven people entered the drawing. Congratulations to Diego and Eric!
ASR cleaning day
Get ready for the ASR cleaning day on June 5! Beginning at noon and ending at 4:30 p.m., you are encouraged to spend the afternoon organizing your workspace. You may choose to organize your files (paper and electronic), wipe down surfaces, and get rid of old or unused equipment. Clearly labeled hampers will be available for paper and office product recycling. Any confidential recycling should be disposed of in the locked confidential recycling container in your office.
New Astra Schedule tutorial
Have you recently submitted a room request? If so, you may want to check on the status of your request. To do so, you can now watch a quick Astra Schedule tutorial that shows you how to view and manage room requests. It is available on the Astra Schedule homepage and on the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) website. Please feel free share these links with anyone else who may be interested.
Disability Services name change
The name of Disability Services has changed to Disability Resource Center. The change in name is intended to better reflect the center's mission of "advancing access for everyone" by removing barriers in the learning and working environments of the University. As the name change is rolled out during May and June, ASR will be updating its communications, including forms, to reflect the new name.
Don't forget to enroll for Duo Security
As previously mentioned in News & Notes, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) announced the University's transition to a new cloud-based, two-factor authentication solution, Duo Security. Please remember to set up your office telephone, cell phone, or another device to use Duo, or request a new Duo hardware token by Wednesday, May 21. For more information regarding this change, visit the News & Notes blog.
Amount vs. number
This is an easily confused grammar rule! Amount refers to things that cannot be counted. For example: loyalty, faith, heartache, water, and snow. Number, on the other hand, refers to things that can be counted. For instance, users, timelines, ships, pebbles, and tips. Here's a helpful diagram remember the difference. (Thanks to Dan Delaney in OTR for suggesting this grammar tip!).
Internet Explorer threat
Microsoft recently announced a vulnerability that affects Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6 through 11 and released an out-of-band security update for all affected versions of Internet Explorer. Users on Windows machines with automatic updates enabled will not need to take any action because protections will be downloaded and installed automatically. Users who do not have automatic updates enabled should consider doing so and should visit Automatic Updates on Microsoft's website. A security update for Windows XP has also been released. For more information, see the article on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog. (Thanks to Jeremy Todd in OCM for sharing this information.)
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