Williamson Hall display case

If you haven't taken a peek at the Williamson Hall display case recently, check it out. Sarah Hollerich, ASR's graphic designer, updates the theme of the display a few times a year. Right now, the theme is "Four Years in Focus" and offers tips and advice on how to graduate in four years. Past displays have covered topics such as saving money on discretionary spending, study spaces on campus, the Live Like a Student Facebook page, and Graduation Planner.

Veterans roundtable

One Stop's Julie Selander attended a veteran's roundtable with Senator Klobuchar on Aug. 26 at Saint Mary's University Center in Minneapolis. Discussion focused on issues important to student veterans. Channing Riggs, director of Government Relations from the U of M, was in attendance, along with approximately 100 others interested in veterans issues.

Accessing personnel files

As an employee of the University, you have the right to include or update information in your personnel files that may be pertinent to your performance of job duties. You may also review your personnel record upon written request.

An employee is entitled to review his or her personnel record once every six months. A former employee may obtain a copy of his or her personnel file free of charge once a year for as long as the record is maintained. For more information, check out the ASR Employee Handbook.

Subpoenas... and what to do with them

Subpoenas or court order issues for student education data are fairly common in higher education, and there's a chance you'll receive one during the course of your work. All subpoena requests received in ASR should be forwarded to Debbie Henderson.

A day in the garden

U of M Day at the Landscape Arboretum will take place Sunday, Sept. 29. All current U of M faculty and staff will be admitted to the arboretum free of charge. Activities include the arboretum's Auxiliary Harvest Sale, a sale of herb crafts and potpourris, and events for kids. For more information, see U Day at the Arb.

Which vs. that

This one can be pretty tricky, but here's how to figure out whether you use which or that. Use that before a restrictive clause and which before everything else. A restrictive clause just means you can't get rid of it because without it, the sentence wouldn't make sense. Here's an example: A dress that is white is usually worn by a bride. If you remove "that is white," the meaning of the sentence would change. Without it, you would be saying a dress is usually worn by a bride, not specifically a white dress.

Here's an example for which: Movies, which are fun to see, are going up in price. If you take out "which are fun to see," the sentence doesn't lose its original meaning. This means that "which are fun to see" is a nonrestrictive clause--it can be left out without changing the meaning of the sentence.

September Astra Schedule demonstrations

In May, the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) implemented a new, system-wide classroom and event scheduling system called Astra Schedule. You can use Astra Schedule to request both departmental and general purpose classroom space for an event. A quick start guide is available for additional step-by-step instructions. Demonstrations of Astra Schedule will be held at the following locations on campus:

Friday, September 6, 9-10 a.m., STSS 512B
Friday, September 13, 2-3 p.m., STSS 512B