I am very excited about the changes recently announced for ASR-IT. In less than a month, we will welcome a new director of academic enterprise systems, and we had three business analysts transition from Admissions to ASR this week! With that excitement, I also recognize the importance of making sure we have high quality plans in place for onboarding new folks to ASR. We are doing good work with our current hybrid arrangements, but we need to be deliberate when it comes to forming teams, meeting people, and learning how things work here. If you have ideas about onboarding (generally, or for these folks in particular), please drop me a note at tidball@umn.edu.
I'm also excited about March Madness. While ASR employees cannot participate in traditional bracket contests (see below), we've had some fun alternatives in years past. There was a "Marsh Madness" tournament of marshmallow cereal treats several years ago, and we had a few years of a free-throw contest in Fraser Hall. What are some ways you like to enjoy this season that highlights our student athletes?
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Sports wagering
As we approach basketball and March Madness season, please be aware of the laws on sports wagering and gambling.
In short, all ASR employees are prohibited from sports wagering per the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This is because ASR plays a role in student athletics, specifically in that we:
The NCAA bylaw prohibits “student-athletes, athletics department staff members, and conference office staff from engaging in sports wagering (Bylaw 10.3). NCAA rules also prohibit non-athletics department staff members who have responsibilities within or over the athletics department, such as chancellors or presidents and faculty athletics representatives from engaging in sports wagering. NCAA national office employees are also prohibited from engaging in sports wagering.” If you have questions or concerns, contact Colleen Harms (harms231@umn.edu).
In short, all ASR employees are prohibited from sports wagering per the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This is because ASR plays a role in student athletics, specifically in that we:
- Certify that athletes are academically eligible to play
- Administer financial aid for student athletes
- Participate in faculty governance for oversight of athletics
The NCAA bylaw prohibits “student-athletes, athletics department staff members, and conference office staff from engaging in sports wagering (Bylaw 10.3). NCAA rules also prohibit non-athletics department staff members who have responsibilities within or over the athletics department, such as chancellors or presidents and faculty athletics representatives from engaging in sports wagering. NCAA national office employees are also prohibited from engaging in sports wagering.” If you have questions or concerns, contact Colleen Harms (harms231@umn.edu).
eAgreement
Starting March 6, all students will receive a pop-up message in MyU for the annual renewal of the Student Financial Obligations and Responsibility eAgreement. Students are notified in MyU two weeks prior so they have the opportunity to review the updated text on the One Stop website prior to accepting the agreement.
ASR work management tool update
The ASR Projects team completed the initial analysis for a shared ASR work management tool. Thank you all again for the feedback and insights you provided during the stakeholder analysis sessions in December. Your input helped define ASR’s needs and evaluate the tools on the market against those needs. After several rounds of research and analysis, we have narrowed the list down to three work management tools:
We will connect with each of these final three vendors to get pricing and set up initial demos. After that initial confirmation of fit, we will provide an opportunity for additional ASR staff to see the tools and provide feedback before making a final selection. If you want to know more about the tool analysis process, check out the ASR Work Management Tool Analysis Review.
Upcoming Project Request deadlines
Now that Planning Period 3 (P3 2024) is officially underway, we are reviewing project requests for P4 2024 (May-July) and beyond. Please submit project requests as early as possible to allow time for review. Full details of the project request process and additional resources are available on the ASR Staff Site.
Upcoming dates and deadlines for P4 2024:
Please feel free to reach out to osi-projects@umn.edu with any questions or concerns as you go through the project request process.
Upcoming dates and deadlines for P4 2024:
- Project request deadline: March 1, 2023
- Project prioritization meeting: April 3, 2024
- Start of P4 2024 quarterly planning period: May 6, 2024
Please feel free to reach out to osi-projects@umn.edu with any questions or concerns as you go through the project request process.
Black History Month
As we approach the end of February and Black History Month, we recommend checking out the variety of resources and stories celebrating the University’s Black community, such as the Office for Equity and Diversity’s Black History Month event page, and the “Where it Starts” series below.
While setting aside time to recognize Black history each year is important, ASR’s collective vision of accountability also implores us to continue this work beyond a single month. After February, how can we continue learning about the contributions of Black changemakers in our nation, particularly figures that are not as well-known? Furthermore, how can we acknowledge and celebrate these contributions while recognizing the reality of racial disparities for Black communities in Minnesota and higher education? In a time of pushback on affirmative action and teaching about race in schools, we encourage you to further your own education on Black history and ways to engage in racial justice efforts this month and beyond.
While setting aside time to recognize Black history each year is important, ASR’s collective vision of accountability also implores us to continue this work beyond a single month. After February, how can we continue learning about the contributions of Black changemakers in our nation, particularly figures that are not as well-known? Furthermore, how can we acknowledge and celebrate these contributions while recognizing the reality of racial disparities for Black communities in Minnesota and higher education? In a time of pushback on affirmative action and teaching about race in schools, we encourage you to further your own education on Black history and ways to engage in racial justice efforts this month and beyond.
Where it Starts series
In celebration of Black History Month, University Relations, in collaboration with a team of content advisors from the University’s Black community, is continuing their “Where it Starts” series. It’s a collection of personal stories that highlights some of the incredible accomplishments from the University’s Black community, featuring students and alumni. Each story reflects upon overcoming obstacles, building community, and finding purpose. For the month of February, we’re featuring two “Where it Starts” stories for each issue:
First-Gen Institute Microgrant Panel
If you have a student-engaged idea or project that will enhance the experiences of first-gen students on campus, join the First-Gen Institute (FGI) for their First-Gen Institute Microgrant Panel. You can join the panel to learn more about the FGI microgrants, the 2024 application process, and to hear from their featured award recipients. Lunch will be provided.
The First-Gen Institute will provide microgrants up to $2500 to fund projects and ideas to support first-generation college students. The FGI microgrant application will open on May 1, 2024 and close on June 1, 2024.
The First-Gen Institute will provide microgrants up to $2500 to fund projects and ideas to support first-generation college students. The FGI microgrant application will open on May 1, 2024 and close on June 1, 2024.
ASR Staff Engagement February 22 Survey
This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey asks about confidence at work. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences.
According to the last survey, most feel very confident that they would recognize a scam email/phishing attack (64%). In addition, 28% were either not sure or did not know what to do in the event that they were a victim of an email scam. Most were correct that you are not necessarily protected from phishing/scam email links with a spam blocker and anti-virus protection (88%).
Finally, we asked if you have a hidden talent or skill that your colleagues may not know about. Juggling, drawing, and paranormal investigating were among the many responses. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.
February 8 survey results
How confident do you feel about recognizing a scam email/phishing attack?
True or false: If you get an email that looks like it's from someone you know, you can click on any links as long as you have a spam blocker and anti-virus protection.
According to the last survey, most feel very confident that they would recognize a scam email/phishing attack (64%). In addition, 28% were either not sure or did not know what to do in the event that they were a victim of an email scam. Most were correct that you are not necessarily protected from phishing/scam email links with a spam blocker and anti-virus protection (88%).
Finally, we asked if you have a hidden talent or skill that your colleagues may not know about. Juggling, drawing, and paranormal investigating were among the many responses. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.
February 8 survey results
How confident do you feel about recognizing a scam email/phishing attack?
- Very confident (64%)
- Somewhat confident (32%)
- Not so confident (4%)
- Yes (72%)
- No (8%)
- I’m not sure (20%)
True or false: If you get an email that looks like it's from someone you know, you can click on any links as long as you have a spam blocker and anti-virus protection.
- True (4%)
- False (88%)
- I’m not sure (8%)
- I was in an Emmy-nominated choir in college.
- Naming cats with incredible accuracy, even if they're kittens with little discernible personality.
- Yes. It shall remain hidden.
- Is overthinking a talent?
- I can draw!
- I am a paranormal investigator!
Tony’s tech terms: Stories and story point estimates
The App Dev team tracks their work using stories. Each feature request or bug fix gets a story associated with it. Stories are assigned a point value that's meant to indicate the level of effort.
The team started tracking their estimated number of story points in a given sprint to compare them to what they deliver. In P3 Sprint 1, the team estimated that they’d deliver 40 points, and instead, they delivered 35.
Note: This covers all of their work including infrastructure, maintenance, features, and bug fixes.
What can we learn from this? Initially, a few things come to mind:
Why go through all the trouble of estimating?
Breaking stories down better conveys the work the team is doing. They estimate, in part, so they know if a story is too big. In an ideal world, all stories would be one-point stories. That doesn’t mean that product owners should only submit very small requests. Ideally, the team would be able to break the work down into very small increments. The goal is to then break it down so you can see their progress as the team works.
For example, let’s say a three-point story would take five to six business days to complete. That story will sit in a “Started” status the entire time it's worked on. If it's broken down into several one-point stories and delivered every one or two days, you’d have better insight into its progress, and the team would have more accurate estimates. It’s not always possible to break work down this way, but it’s a worthy goal. You can check out Scoring Descriptions for Product Owners to see how the App Dev team scores stories.
The team started tracking their estimated number of story points in a given sprint to compare them to what they deliver. In P3 Sprint 1, the team estimated that they’d deliver 40 points, and instead, they delivered 35.
Note: This covers all of their work including infrastructure, maintenance, features, and bug fixes.
What can we learn from this? Initially, a few things come to mind:
- Points are an imprecise measurement of effort.
- The team is still developing the habit of breaking stories up.
- The smaller the story, the more accurate its estimate.
Why go through all the trouble of estimating?
Breaking stories down better conveys the work the team is doing. They estimate, in part, so they know if a story is too big. In an ideal world, all stories would be one-point stories. That doesn’t mean that product owners should only submit very small requests. Ideally, the team would be able to break the work down into very small increments. The goal is to then break it down so you can see their progress as the team works.
For example, let’s say a three-point story would take five to six business days to complete. That story will sit in a “Started” status the entire time it's worked on. If it's broken down into several one-point stories and delivered every one or two days, you’d have better insight into its progress, and the team would have more accurate estimates. It’s not always possible to break work down this way, but it’s a worthy goal. You can check out Scoring Descriptions for Product Owners to see how the App Dev team scores stories.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Update from Stacey
There has been a lot of news coverage about FAFSA simplification in the past two weeks, and very little of it has been good for colleges and universities. A few key things have changed since the FAFSA simplification update at the OUE event last fall. The form did launch for students at the end of December, so students and families are actively filling out the FAFSA. However, the timeline has shifted in part because the Department of Education did not properly include inflation in their calculations.
Instead of receiving FAFSA data this January, the federal government does not expect to send that information to colleges and universities until mid-March. This means that estimated financial aid packages for students will be further delayed. Many schools are wrestling with whether to delay financial aid and admissions deadlines. We too are having those discussions. Most importantly, we want to support our students and families through a somewhat chaotic process, and we are working on communications accordingly. Support your colleagues working on FAFSA simplification. It’s been stressful! Thank you to all of the folks collaborating to make this as successful as possible.
On a completely different note, this week we are completing the interviews for the ASR-IT director of academic enterprise systems position. We hope to have some announcements in the near future. Thank you to all that have supported this process and participated in interviews!
Instead of receiving FAFSA data this January, the federal government does not expect to send that information to colleges and universities until mid-March. This means that estimated financial aid packages for students will be further delayed. Many schools are wrestling with whether to delay financial aid and admissions deadlines. We too are having those discussions. Most importantly, we want to support our students and families through a somewhat chaotic process, and we are working on communications accordingly. Support your colleagues working on FAFSA simplification. It’s been stressful! Thank you to all of the folks collaborating to make this as successful as possible.
On a completely different note, this week we are completing the interviews for the ASR-IT director of academic enterprise systems position. We hope to have some announcements in the near future. Thank you to all that have supported this process and participated in interviews!
Upcoming project request deadlines
Planning Period 3 (P3 2024) is officially underway. We will begin reviewing project requests for P4 2024 (May-July) and beyond. Please submit project requests as early as possible to allow time for review. Full details of the project request process and additional resources are available on the ASR Staff Site.
Upcoming dates and deadlines for P4 2024:
Please feel free to reach out to osi-projects@umn.edu with any questions or concerns as you go through the project request process.
Upcoming dates and deadlines for P4 2024:
- Project request deadline: March 1, 2023
- Project prioritization meeting: April 3, 2024
- Start of P4 2024 quarterly planning period: May 6, 2024
Please feel free to reach out to osi-projects@umn.edu with any questions or concerns as you go through the project request process.
Sender email change in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC)
The University is updating its best practices for sending mass emails from Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC). Beginning in February, sender/from email addresses will now include “ecommunications2.umn.edu.” This is to better align with changes that Google and Yahoo are making to enhance SPAM restrictions. Emails from departments, units, and individuals that include “ecommunications2.umn.edu” are legitimate. However, if you suspect an email is a scam or has been faked, report it to the Office of Information Technology.
The ASR UX & Content Strategy team is working on updates for the sender profiles that ASR uses in SFMC. However, these new settings will not allow auto-reply emails to trigger because of how they are being processed by SFMC. If you manage an inbox/email address that relies on auto-replies, and you use that email address when working with the ASR UX & Content Strategy team, let them know at asrux@umn.edu. They can work on updates to make sure your recipients still receive the information they need.
The ASR UX & Content Strategy team is working on updates for the sender profiles that ASR uses in SFMC. However, these new settings will not allow auto-reply emails to trigger because of how they are being processed by SFMC. If you manage an inbox/email address that relies on auto-replies, and you use that email address when working with the ASR UX & Content Strategy team, let them know at asrux@umn.edu. They can work on updates to make sure your recipients still receive the information they need.
The Just Deeds Project
It’s 2024. Have you checked your deed for racial covenants?
Racially restrictive deeds have been part of Minneapolis’s history for over 100 years. A precursor to redlining, the first racially restrictive deed arrived in Minneapolis in 1910. This deed declared that “…the premises shall not at any time be conveyed, mortgaged or leased to any person or persons of Chinese, Japanese, Moorish, Turkish, Negro, Mongolian or African blood or descent.” Deeds like this one barred homeowners from selling or renting their properties to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) folks.
This resulted in BIPOC residents being segregated into neighborhoods with fewer green spaces, medical facilities, grocery stores, and other vital resources. Racially restrictive deeds also prevented residents from obtaining mortgages and building wealth–problems that still persist today. Conversely, the homeownership rate of white Minnesota residents is three times that of Black residents.
In 1968, racial covenants were finally outlawed. Yet many deeds still contain this harmful language. From 2019-2020, the University of Minnesota Mapping Prejudice team found over 8,000 racial covenants in the City of Minneapolis. In 2019, legislation was passed to help residents respond to racial covenants in their homes. Soon after, the City of Golden Valley officially introduced the Just Deeds Project and the Just Deeds Coalition. This project helps City of Minneapolis homeowners identify and remove racial covenants from their deeds.
Minneapolis residents can check if their property has a racially restrictive deed on this map. To participate in the Just Deeds program, fill out the online application. There is no cost to participate.
Racially restrictive deeds have been part of Minneapolis’s history for over 100 years. A precursor to redlining, the first racially restrictive deed arrived in Minneapolis in 1910. This deed declared that “…the premises shall not at any time be conveyed, mortgaged or leased to any person or persons of Chinese, Japanese, Moorish, Turkish, Negro, Mongolian or African blood or descent.” Deeds like this one barred homeowners from selling or renting their properties to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) folks.
This resulted in BIPOC residents being segregated into neighborhoods with fewer green spaces, medical facilities, grocery stores, and other vital resources. Racially restrictive deeds also prevented residents from obtaining mortgages and building wealth–problems that still persist today. Conversely, the homeownership rate of white Minnesota residents is three times that of Black residents.
In 1968, racial covenants were finally outlawed. Yet many deeds still contain this harmful language. From 2019-2020, the University of Minnesota Mapping Prejudice team found over 8,000 racial covenants in the City of Minneapolis. In 2019, legislation was passed to help residents respond to racial covenants in their homes. Soon after, the City of Golden Valley officially introduced the Just Deeds Project and the Just Deeds Coalition. This project helps City of Minneapolis homeowners identify and remove racial covenants from their deeds.
Minneapolis residents can check if their property has a racially restrictive deed on this map. To participate in the Just Deeds program, fill out the online application. There is no cost to participate.
Where it Starts series
In celebration of Black History Month, University Relations, in collaboration with a team of content advisors from the University’s Black community, is continuing their “Where it Starts” series. It’s a collection of personal stories that highlights some of the incredible accomplishments from the University’s Black community, featuring students and alumni. Each story reflects upon overcoming obstacles, building community, and finding purpose. For the month of February, we’re featuring two “Where it Starts” stories for each issue:
Campus Climate micro-grants
The Campus Climate Micro-Grants program, sponsored by the Office for Equity & Diversity through generous support from the Office of the President, is back! Applications open on Monday, January 29, and close on Thursday, March 7. If you have a project in mind that aligns with their mission to create a more inclusive and welcoming campus, apply for funding! This invitation extends systemwide to all University of Minnesota students, faculty, staff, and affiliated organizations.
Caucus night
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 is caucus night. Per Board of Regents resolution, the University may schedule classes or events on caucus night with the Board’s authorization. However, students and/or instructors are permitted to attend their party’s caucus night if they wish. Students must notify their instructor in advance, and instructors are expected to accommodate their requests. If enough students indicate that they will be attending their caucus so that holding class becomes impractical, instructors may cancel the class or make alternative arrangements.
Floating holiday survey
The Civil Service Consultative Committee (CSCC) is tasked with making recommendations to the Office of the President for the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Rochester floating holiday schedule. The CSCC is seeking input from multiple employee groups about which days to recommend. You can provide your input by taking the UMN TC and Rochester Floating Holiday Poll, which is available until February 9. You will be asked to select your first, second, and third choices from a list of possible dates for floating holidays for the 2027-2028 academic year.
Wellness app
If you are looking for a way to get healthy and save money, check out the UMN Employee Wellbeing Program. It offers tailored programming in six areas: financial, social, career, emotional, community, and physical health. Programming opportunities range from webinars, to guided meditations, to biometric screenings. Program participants can also save money on their health insurance by earning points throughout the calendar year.
Program’s upcoming events:
Program’s upcoming events:
- The Mindful Monday series
- Invest Confidently in Your Future
- Working With Challenging People
- Health Coaching: Know Your Numbers
ASR Staff Engagement February 8 Survey
This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey assesses your knowledge of phishing/email scams. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences.
According to the last survey, most would describe the style of communication within their unit as assertive (52.4%): confident but also respectful of others’ thoughts and feelings. In addition, most say that they do not do icebreaker questions in their recurring meetings (72.7%). When asked about how you typically communicate with your colleagues, 54.5% communicate through chat, followed by 18.2% who typically use email, and 9.1% who typically use Slack.
Finally, we asked what song/music has been stuck in your head lately. Most responses mentioned songs from musicals, such as Bikini Bottom Day from Spongebob the Musical, Six the musical, and 10 Minutes Ago from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below
January 25 survey results
Which of the following best describes the style of communication within your unit?
According to the last survey, most would describe the style of communication within their unit as assertive (52.4%): confident but also respectful of others’ thoughts and feelings. In addition, most say that they do not do icebreaker questions in their recurring meetings (72.7%). When asked about how you typically communicate with your colleagues, 54.5% communicate through chat, followed by 18.2% who typically use email, and 9.1% who typically use Slack.
Finally, we asked what song/music has been stuck in your head lately. Most responses mentioned songs from musicals, such as Bikini Bottom Day from Spongebob the Musical, Six the musical, and 10 Minutes Ago from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below
January 25 survey results
Which of the following best describes the style of communication within your unit?
- Passive communication ("I don't care one way or the other") (33.3%)
- Passive-aggressive communication ("I'll just take care of it myself") (9.5%)
- Aggressive communication ("We're doing it my way. End of discussion.") (4.8%)
- Assertive communication ("Great idea, but have you considered...?") (52.4%)
- Yes (27.3%)
- No (72.7%)
- Chat (54.5%)
- Email (18.2%)
- Slack (9.1%)
- In meetings (4.5%)
- Balance between all of the above (4.5%)
- All the music from the show Beef...earworms of my youth
- Rollout by Ludacris
- What Was I Made For?
- I Drove All Night - Celine Dion
- Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Tony's tech terms: Pair programming
We work in pairs a lot. On face value, it would seem that we’d get about half as much done. Multiple studies have found this to be a false assumption. For example:
It also spreads context on the team so that it’s easier to support our applications when someone is on vacation or sick. And it helps us maintain relationships with each other since we mostly work remotely. Everyone on the team rotates through a pairing schedule. We learn from each other as we each bring our own tips, tricks, and experiences to share.
In a 1999 controlled experiment in a classroom setting, Dr. Laurie Williams found pair programming took a team about 15 percent more developer hours than working as individuals. However, she found defects to be 15 percent lower, design quality higher, and the project completed in 45 percent less calendar time.We see a lot of benefits from pair programming. It prevents us from working in isolation. Having someone else present to check our thinking reduces the number of errors and results in better, more stable code that is easier to maintain. We write code that is intended to be read and understood by other developers—sometimes years later. Working with another person improves our code readability.
—Practical Pair Programming by Jason Garber, page 6
It also spreads context on the team so that it’s easier to support our applications when someone is on vacation or sick. And it helps us maintain relationships with each other since we mostly work remotely. Everyone on the team rotates through a pairing schedule. We learn from each other as we each bring our own tips, tricks, and experiences to share.
Meet the comma splice, eradicator of conjunctions!
He loves reading, he hates libraries. What’s wrong with that sentence? Other than being entirely nonsensical, the sentence contains the dreaded comma splice. A comma splice is when two independent clauses are joined by a comma instead of a conjunction (junction) or a “stronger” form of punctuation, like a period or semicolon. This is also known as a run-on sentence.
The comma splice is a formal writing no-no. So, what should you do when you use a comma splice at work? You have three options:
The comma splice is a formal writing no-no. So, what should you do when you use a comma splice at work? You have three options:
- Add one of the FANBOYS after the comma:
- For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
- Add a period to make each independent clause its own sentence
- Change the comma into a semicolon
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