Performance appraisals

It’s time to start thinking about (or working on) your annual performance appraisal, which is due to your supervisor on March 29. Below is a detailed schedule for the performance appraisal process.

• Friday, March 29 - Submit your self-assessment to your supervisor
• Friday, April 12 - Supervisors submit completed forms to unit directors
• Sunday, April 28 - Directors complete review on all appraisals for their unit
• Friday, May 3 - Directors complete review for consistency across ASR
• May 6-31 - Supervisors and employees meet to review the appraisal

You can get the performance appraisal form from the ASR intranet (ASR Intranet Home > Employee handbook > Performance appraisals). Make sure you download the annual form and open it in Adobe Reader or similar. Do not fill out the form in your web browser or you may lose information. There was only one change to the form from last year: a link to the ASR Vision Organizer has been added as a reference for setting goals.

If you have questions about the form or the Vision Organizer, talk with your supervisor. Keep in mind that there will be time to refine your goals during the annual appraisal process.

Certificate of Attendance

In partnership with the Office of Student Affairs and Printing Services, OTR will be issuing certificates of attendance for students who pass away during their time at the Twin Cities campus but do not qualify for a posthumous degree. The certificate was adapted from one created by UMD and will carry the signature of the President and Executive Vice President and Provost. A template is available to view. The intent is to present the certificates to the students’ families at the annual Northern Stars Student Remembrance ceremony, which will be held for the second time later this spring. Please direct any questions or feedback to Adrienne Bricker.

Sports wagering

As we approach basketball and March Madness season, be aware of the laws on sports wagering and gambling. All ASR employees are prohibited from sports wagering per the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Any bracket where there is a bet is considered a wager. This applies whether the bracket is for money or something as simple as an ice cream cone. It applies to ASR employees 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.”

Telecommuting policy

There has been an update to ASR’s Telecommuting policy which formalizes the pilot program into a long-term policy. View the policy on the ASR Intranet > Employee handbook > Work Rules & Guidelines.

ASR All Staff Assembly

Join us for the first ASR All-Staff Assembly of the new year! These monthly meetings replace the in-service meetings and are ASR-wide. We will gather on Thursday, February 28 from 8:00-9:00 a.m. in Fraser 101. There is a link to join remotely via WebEx in the calendar hold.

This month we’ll hear about what each ASR unit is working on. Each director will give a brief talk about their unit, the projects underway, and anything else that they wish to share.

All staff are encouraged to attend whether in person or remotely. We understand that it may not be feasible for all staff to attend in person or online. We will record meetings when possible.

OCM’s 2018 year in review

The Office of Classroom Management (OCM) manages 393 learning spaces across the Twin Cities campus and schedules over 11,000 classes in those spaces per year. That’s a lot of work! They recently completed an OCM annual report: 2018 Year in Review (pdf). Take a look. Projects include the Bruininks Hall technology updates and a partnership with the Carlson School of Management to renovate two classrooms.

Clear your cache for privacy and security requirements

We end up with a lot of stored information on our computers, often unintentionally, as we go about our work. To safeguard data and keep things tidy, clear your cache and empty your computer’s download folder(s) periodically. This helps ASR comply with privacy and security requirements such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.