ASR Staff Engagement November 18th Survey

This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey November 18, 2021 is a fun seasonal survey as we move toward the holiday break. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences!

According to the last survey, all respondents have had experience training someone. When asked about our own training experiences, most feel that their training was adequate but could have been better (57.7%), followed by 30.8% who feel their training was comprehensive. Regarding updating training materials, most report that their units have updated some of their training materials but not all (61.5%). This was followed by 15.4% that report that most or all of their materials have not been updated since 2019 (or earlier).

Finally, we asked about your biggest pet peeves lately. The most common responses were related to daylight savings time (getting dark so early, etc.). Several other timely pet peeves were mentioned, such as stepping in water with socks on and getting leaves stuck under the windshield wiper. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.

November 4, 2021 survey results

Have you ever trained anyone?

• Yes 100%
• No 0%

Thinking back to when you were a new hire in your current position, do you feel that your training was adequate?

• Yes, it was comprehensive 30.8%
• Yes, but it could have been better 57.7%
• No, I had to learn a lot on my own 11.5%

Have your unit’s training materials been updated to reflect the changes brought about the past 1-2 years?

• Yes, they have been updated to reflect recent changes 11.5%
• Some have been updated, but not all 61.5%
• No, most or all have not been updated since 2019 or earlier 15.4%
• No, but they don’t need to be updated at this time 0%
• I’m not really sure 11.5%

What’s your biggest pet peeve lately?

• Daylight Savings Time!
• Pet peeves
• Not getting timely email responses
• It’s getting dark so early!
• The sense of urgency with every issue that arises
• My spouse talking to me while I’m on a Zoom meeting

Update from Stacey

With the conclusion of the World Series games, Halloween, and the end of daylight savings time this weekend, it’s time I face the fact that we are well into the fall season. It’s 146 days until MLB Opening Day, but only a few days until spring semester registration opens for our students. On a personal level, I’m always struggling to catch up to the season we are in. While at work, I’m always looking at least a season or two ahead.

This week, I have spent a considerable amount of time working on budget documents for ASR. As I’m advocating for resources, I am writing about the many projects we have taken on in addition to our “regular” work. It’s an impressive list and a few highlights include:

• Classroom schedule and room assignment changes due to pandemic changes
• Grading basis changes for the pandemic policies (8,065 in fall and 4,907 in spring)
• Developing and maintaining the COVID-19 vaccination student group and hold processes for the vaccine requirement (about 4,000 students university-wide currently have the registration hold)
• Disbursing $85M in CARES I, II, and III funding to students
• Assisting the largest incoming undergraduate class since the 1960’s
• Managing new certification requirements from the VA for student veterans
• Launching the Promise Plus program
• Assisting with NextGenMed
• And the list goes on!

We are able to paint a vivid picture of how important ASR is to the University because of all of you. Thank you, and happy fall!

ASR website update

The UX and Content Strategy team is in the process of migrating the ASR website from Drupal Lite 7 to Drupal Lite 9 due to the current website reaching end of life in summer 2022. OIT has initiated the process, and the new website will be launched before the end of the year. 

The migration will focus on updating the site's technical needs, functionality, and making sure the content is formatted correctly. You will notice some differences with the look and feel of the website because we are switching it over to the Folwell design theme. The content on the website will remain the same. We will provide another update once the new site has launched.

Veterans Day

In recognition of Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, we would like to acknowledge those in ASR who have served or are currently serving in the military. Usually, University Veterans Services would host an in-person Veterans Appreciation event to honor University veterans who have served. However, due to COVID-19, UVS staff, in partnership with staff from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Printing Services, have created a virtual Veterans Appreciation tribute video instead, which will be highlighted in U of M communications channels and sent out via email. We believe it is important to honor the sacrifices of our veterans and service members. Thank you to those of you who have served.

ASR Staff Engagement November 4th Survey

This week’s ASR Staff Engagement Survey November 4, 2021 examines our training experiences. Thank you for continuing to share your stories and experiences!

According to the last survey, most feel they sometimes get enough recognition for their work (75%), while 16.7% feel they get enough recognition and 8.3% do not feel that they do. We had many thoughtful ‘shout outs’ submitted for this survey. They are included in the survey results below.

Finally, most respondents feel “okay” about candy corn (45.8%), followed by 29.2% who hate it, and 25% who enjoy it. We had many interesting costumes when asked about your favorites. Some highlights included Dr. Alan Grant from Jurassic Park, the Wicked Witch of the West, Giant Green M&M, Memberberries from South Park, and Bernie from Weekend at Bernie’s. Thanks all for your continued participation! It is very much appreciated. The results from the last survey are available below.

October 21, 2021 survey results

Do you feel that you get enough recognition for your work? 

• Yes 16.7% 
• Sometimes 75% 
• No 8.3% 

Give a shout out to someone for something good:

• Terri Tuzinski continues to do incredible work passing on her extensive knowledge of enrollment related processes as she prepares for retirement in December. Terri is an incredible asset to ASR and the University. She will be greatly missed. 
• Richard Campo! His amazing work with Cares, Emergency Grants, and "other duties as assigned" is truly exceptional. 
• Kate Reeves, for all that she has done in the office, while the rest of us worked from home. 
• Kudos to One Stop for all the emotionally draining work they do with students and others! You all are amazing and don't get enough credit!! 
• Emily Holt helped me out in a pinch recently. She's always helpful. A true gem. 
• The APAS team (Amanda Grimm, Kathryn Kvam, and Julie Klecker) for all their work on the Catalog Year Term project. Laura Butchko for all her hard work creating TES transfer guides. The GPAS team (Stacia Madsen, Chris Abts, and Clare Dingley) for all their work implementing the last TC college into GPAS. 
• Theresa Nelson, for literally everything she does for graduate students and records. She’s a golden goddess. 
• Shoutout to Ingrid N for all her work to re-shape and refocus the Office of the Registrar. Her work is going to have a huge impact for the University. 
• Ian Whitney is an A+ technologist who is doing great work helping to shape the University's enterprise integration strategy! 
• It's a pleasure to work with my hardworking and fun colleagues on the APAS & TES team. 
• Mai Chong and Kaity on our team are both working full time and going to grad school! Keep up the good work! 
• Terri Tuzinski, who's retiring December 1. I can't imagine ASR SR-IT without her professionalism, her kindness, and her wealth of knowledge of the Campus Solutions world. We're really going to miss her! 
• Three cheers for Stacia Madsen for organizing a great DEI book club over the past few months. 
• Sara Cokl for leading the One Stop website project!
• Matt Plachejo for his endless patience sharing his knowledge of all things uAchieve!

How do you feel about candy corn?

• Yum, I like it! (25%)
• Yuck, I hate it! (29.2%)
• It’s okay sometimes (45.8%)

What is your favorite costume that you’ve worn?

• Sally Brown (Charlie Brown)
• Marian the Librarian (The Music Man)
• Agatha (Despicable Me)
• A road. I dressed in all black, used electrical tape to create driving lanes and sewed on mini cars.

Business Expense policy updated

The University updated the Business Expense policy effective October 11, 2021. This update is considered a major revision to the existing policy, with key changes including:

• Removed the ability for employees to request reimbursement for local mileage or transportation costs, except in the following situations:
• Individuals traveling to a system campus that is not their home campus (Twin Cities is defined as East Bank, West Bank, and St. Paul)
• Individuals traveling to an offsite location because their job duties require them to do so
• When an employee is in travel status (overnight)
• Added language stating parking at an employee’s primary campus location is not an allowable expense
• Created a new appendix for business expenses related to remote work

Mental Wellness in the Workplace

Upheaval, ambiguity, and change

“When I am willing to step into the realm of uncertainty and ambiguity, I open myself up to infinite possibilities.” - Anita Moorjani

In March of 2020, we had a crash course in change and ambiguity. We quickly changed from working in the office to working from our homes and dealt with the ambiguity of when the pandemic would end and what things would be like after the pandemic.

We all passed! High five!

However, it wasn’t always easy. It was often stressful and everything going on in the world affected everyone differently.

So, what lessons can we carry with us? Expecting the unexpected is easier said than done. Our fear of the unknown is natural and can assist us in survival. It’s something to be aware of and managed, but not eliminated. Autonomy and being able to control our environments help to ease our anxieties. So, if fear of the unknown protects us from danger, why is it that when you Google “how to deal with ambiguity” there is so much information on how to eliminate and reduce it? The answer is that to achieve a goal or acquire a new or better outcome, we often need to do something differently. Doing something differently -- adapting -- is often about survival.

Preparing for, reducing, and managing ambiguity is the responsibility of both leadership and individuals. After the initial shock and awe of a sudden change, we need to take certain steps to help us adapt. It’s also useful to remember that even desired changes can be stressful, have their downsides, and need continuous reassessment.

In the past year and a half, we have watched and learned about how we respond to and deal with uncertainty and transition and can carry those lessons with us. Regardless of what we do to cope with upheaval, ambiguity ,and change or what advice we find most useful, the first thing to acknowledge is that our mind and bodies’ initial reaction is normal but can and should be managed. Fear of change and change itself are both about survival.