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Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023
News for the staff and faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas
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Help UT Dallas Reach Its Goal for Employee Giving Month
You and UTD make a difference every day! Throughout October, UT Dallas faculty and staff are encouraged to support the University or other local, regional and national nonprofits via payroll deduction. UT Dallas’ goal is to have 350 UT Dallas employees participate in employee giving.
There are four ways to donate:
With so many areas to support on campus and beyond, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations hopes everyone chooses to donate to their preferred cause(s).
For more information about employee giving or assistance with your SECC pledge and/or a UT Dallas payroll deduction gift, please email Aisha Dibaki.
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Reminder: Review Oct. 2 Paycheck for Correct Benefits
The annual benefits enrollment period for UT Dallas benefits-eligible employees ended July 31. Elections made during annual enrollment went into effect Sept. 1, with deductions starting Oct. 2. New hires and newly eligible employees have 31 days to enroll in benefits from their employment or benefits eligibility start date.
Your Oct. 2 paycheck will reflect benefit deductions for the coverage you selected during the 2023-2024 annual benefits enrollment. New hires and newly benefits-eligible employees: benefits enrollments or changes made after Thursday, Sept. 13, may not be reflected on your October paycheck. As applicable, you will have retroactive contributions on your November paycheck. The Office of Human Resources strongly recommends you compare your paycheck deductions with the benefits confirmation available to be printed or viewed through My UT Benefits.
You must report any discrepancies to the Office of Human Resources – Employee Benefits Services by Oct. 31. Discrepancies due to clerical/administrative errors that are reported by this date will be reviewed and may be changed in accordance with the UT System administrative policy and requirements. All requests for error correction submitted beyond the 31-day period must include explanation and appropriate documentation, as applicable, from the employee. The request may be forwarded to the UT System Office of Employee Benefits (OEB) for determination. If approved, OEB will determine the effective date based on the specific circumstances. All OEB decisions are final.
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Attend Oct. 4 HR Forum
The Office of Human Resources will host its next HR Forum from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4, as a Microsoft Teams live event. Closed captioning is available, and there will be a moderated Q&A forum.
Please refer to the agenda:
- Welcome
- HR Open House photos
- Guest presentations
- Update on accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Classroom technology and event support
- AccessAbility Resource Center and the ADA process
- CARE Awards
- OIT Network Access Control Project
- Employee Giving Month
- HR Updates
- Benefits Flash: Demystifying the retirement process
- October paycheck reminders
- Flu shot clinic
- Understanding the leave tracker
- Employment and immigration reminders
- Crucial Conversations registration
- HR food drive in November
- HR staffing
- Staff compensation study
- Bright Leaders Program
- Forum feedback survey responses
- Q&A and closing comments
Join the HR Forum and share this link with your colleagues. If you have questions for the HR Forum, send them to hrforum@utdallas.edu.
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Staff Council News
Nominate Colleagues for Staff Council CARE Awards
The Staff Council CARE Awards — short for Celebrate Achievement, Reward Excellence — acknowledge and honor the exceptional contributions of staff members at the University. These awards are given to individuals who have exhibited outstanding performance, provided excellent customer service and undertaken actions that have positively impacted the University’s reputation.
If you’re interested in nominating someone (pdf) for the spring 2023 CARE Awards, here is some essential information:
- Nomination deadline: Nominations for the spring 2023 CARE Awards must be submitted by Tuesday, Oct. 31.
- Nominating a staff member: If you know a staff member who has demonstrated excellence and deserves recognition, you can nominate them for a CARE Award. To do so, you can visit the CARE Awards page for more details and the nomination process.
Attend Next General Meeting on Oct. 11
Staff Council holds regular meetings on the second Wednesday of each month. These meetings serve as a platform to discuss council-related matters and University initiatives. Staff, faculty and students are encouraged to attend. The next meeting will be at 9 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 11, on Microsoft Teams. For additional information, including meeting agendas and minutes, visit the Staff Council Meetings page or the meeting listing on Comet Calendar.
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Wellness News
Join UT Living Well’s Fall Into Fitness Team Challenge
The UT Living Well Fall Into Fitness Team Challenge is your chance to maintain or increase your fitness while encouraging others to do the same. The team challenge helps you track your preferred physical activity by manually logging steps, syncing your fitness device or using the step conversion table to count other activities.
UT Living Well powered by Limeade is a well-being and engagement program that connects you with the UT Living Well Program through regular communications, surveys and polls. In addition, completing the well-being assessment will help you achieve physical, emotional, financial, and work goals with personalized activities.
Participants can form a new team or join an existing one with three to five members for a collective goal of 1 million steps. Participate now through Sunday, Nov. 12. The last day to track activity is Wednesday, Nov. 15. Learn more and register today at UT Living Well.
Once you’ve registered for UT Living Well, download the UT Living Well app powered by Limeade ONE (available for iOS or Android) and enter “University of Texas System” or “UTX” to get started.
UT Living Well is available to UT SELECT members (employees, retirees, and dependents) 18 and older. For technical assistance, email support@limeade.com.
Depression Awareness Month, EAP Newsletter
Depression is a serious but treatable disorder that affects millions of people. Deer Oaks EAP can help you or a loved one cope with depression symptoms; overcome negative thoughts; and regain energy, optimism and enjoyment of life.
The headlines in the October newsletter (pdf) include:
- On-Demand Seminar: Reactions: Pause. Breathe. Resume — Learn how to notice and react to your thoughts, and how to channel your energy when handling challenging situations at work and home. Available on-demand starting Tuesday, Oct. 17.
- Depression Awareness Month
- 10 Tips for Becoming More Active as a Family
- Halloween Food Safety Tips for Parents
Visit Deer Oaks EAP and enter utdallas for the username and password to access the online seminar.
TIAA Financial Wellness Webinars
Learn how to create a more secure future for you and your family. These webinars are part of your retirement plan benefits.
Register for the following TIAA live webinars:
- Quarterly Economic and Market Update, 11 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4.
- Invest for Success: Five Principles You Need To Know, 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 11.
- Cybersecurity, 1 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 19.
- Health Care Savings Account, 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 25.
For more information about TIAA and the UT Retirement Program, visit the UT System TIAA website.
BCBSTX Fitness Program: New Member October Special
New members can join the BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (BCBSTX) Fitness Program without paying the $19 enrollment fee when they mention or enter the coupon code — OCTOBERWAIVED — now through Oct. 31.
The fitness program offers flexible gym options, convenience and access to a nationwide network of participating facilities so you can work out whether traveling, at home or at work. Other features include:
- Online enrollment and tracking.
- Automatic monthly payment withdrawal.
- A choice of gym networks and studio classes to fit your budget and preferences.
- Mobile app with check-in and activity history.
- Access to thousands of digital fitness videos, live classes and fitness programs.
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) discounts through the WholeHealth Living Choices Program.
To enroll, UT SELECT members can log in to Blue Access for Members and search for the Fitness Program under Wellness. You also can enroll by calling 888-762-BLUE (2583) between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information, download the BCBSTX Fitness Program flyer (pdf).
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Notice of Youth Protection Policy, Requirements for PACE for Minors at UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to promoting a safe and conducive environment for minors (non-UTD students or employees under the age of 18) participating in University-sanctioned Programs, Activities, Camps, and Events (PACE) for Minors in accordance with Texas Education Code, Chapter 51, Section 51.976 and the University’s Programs for Minors Policy.
This policy outlines the authorization requirements for hosting University-sanctioned PACE for Minors and applies to:
- All University employees, students, affiliates, volunteers, contractors and visitors who work directly with minor participants as part of PACE for Minors (i.e., designated individuals); and
- All PACE for Minors held on University property and University-sanctioned PACE for Minors held at other locations (with few exceptions).
Faculty, staff and student organizations planning to host PACE for Minors must follow the registration process, which includes but is not limited to safety and supervision planning, background checks and training for all personnel, and insurance coverage.
For additional information about hosting PACE for Minors, registration and training requirements, incident reporting responsibilities, and other questions, please visit the Programs for Minors webpage or email pace@utdallas.edu.
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Register for Budget, Finance Professional Development Workshop
The Office of Budget and Finance invites you to attend its virtual Fall 2023 Professional Development Workshop on Oct. 5 and 6.
The presentations include:
- Finding Resilience from the Brink of Burnout, 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 5 — Presenter Leslie Riley will share how to handle burnout. Learn which coping mechanisms are best for your situation.
- Excel Tips and Tricks, 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 5 — Presenter Oz du Soleil will teach basic formulas, proper layout, and how to sort and filter. You will learn ways to simplify and organize your workbooks and utilize Pivot Table.
- Transforming Slide Design, 9:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 6 — Presenter Melissa Marshall will explain how to develop foundational standards for evaluating the effectiveness of your designs. You will learn strategies for presenting ideas through research-based design.
- OBF Leadership Round Table, 11 a.m., Friday, Oct. 6 — Meet the assistant vice presidents of the Office of Budget and Finance. You will learn about the OBF departments and how they contribute to the UT Dallas community.
Visit the OBF Live Trainings page for more information and to register to attend.
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Office of Research and Innovation Events
Responsible Conduct of Research Development Series, noon to 1 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 3 through Oct. 26, Microsoft Teams — The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to conducting research in a scientifically responsible and ethical manner and expects all students and employees to follow relevant guidelines, policies and regulations. Students, postdocs, faculty and staff who participate in research at UT Dallas or any of its related centers or institutes may be required to participate in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training as part of their participation in federally sponsored research or as required in undergraduate or graduate research training programs. For more information, email Arietha Lafayette.
Richardson Rotary Club @ the IQ, 5 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 11, Richardson Innovation Quarter Headquarters (IQ) — Join the Office of Research and Innovation and the Richardson Rotary Club for a three-part series. In this installment, community members will hear from Dr. Gopal Gupta as he highlights the Center for Applied AI and Machine Learning (CAIML). Doors open at 5 p.m. A light dinner will be served. Presentations begin at 5:30 p.m. For more information, email Arietha Lafayette.
Research Days: Graduate Student Poster Competition and Research Showcase, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 25, Visitor Center and University Bookstore (VCB) — Students will present their research during poster sessions from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. In this “people’s choice” competition, you will be able to vote for your favorite poster. Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony immediately following the afternoon session. Be sure to stop by and grab a snack, learn more about research labs on campus, internship opportunities, cloud storage solutions from Amazon Web Services, participate in a community painting project and more.
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Center for BrainHealth Events
BrainHealth Presents – Mythbusting: Social Media for Good, 7 to 8:15 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12 — Meet Dr. Ben Rein (above left), the neuroscientist with 1 million followers on social media, and hear him dispel common brain health myths, drawing upon the latest science. Rein is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and a prolific science communicator. BrainHealth Presents is sponsored by KERA. Register for virtual BrainHealth Presents or register for in-person BrainHealth Presents.
Frontiers of BrainHealth – The Age of Scientific Wellness, noon to 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 20, Center for BrainHealth — In what ways may a systems approach to biology enhance the future of health care? Dr. Lee Hood (above right), co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology and CEO at Phenome Health, proposes a shift from a disease focus to a prevention and wellness approach. Hood delves into his organization’s Human Phenome Initiative, bringing together the latest health approaches and technology to advance high-quality, affordable resources. Lunch will be served. Register for Frontiers of BrainHealth.
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Center for Translation Studies Releases Podcast Episode, Journal
The Center for Translation Studies has released a new episode of Translating the World with Dr. Rainer Schulte. In this episode, Schulte and guest co-host Shelby Vincent MA’05 PhD’15 virtually sit down with Dr. Sean Cotter MA’95, translator and professor of literature and translation studies in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology. In the episode, Cotter shares his journey as a translator of the Romanian, his experience translating Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu, and his perspective on the Romanian literary translation scene. You can listen to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
The latest edition of Translation Review — Issue 116 — opens with an article by Stewart Campbell in which he applies skopos theory to live art song concerts; this is followed by Katie King’s translation of Luis García Montero’s poem “One Year and Three Months”; Maria Fellie’s article on translating images in Antonio Colinas’s poetry; and Anne Milano Appel’s translation of an excerpt of Daniele Del Giudice’s At the Museum in Rheims. The issue closes with reviews of works in translation and translation studies criticism written by Gregary J. Racz, Hans Gabriel, Baorong Wang, and Kathleen March.
The UT Dallas community has access to the journal through the McDermott Library website. If you’d like a hard copy of this or any other issue, please drop by the Center for Translation Studies (JO 5.508).
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About this Newsletter
Intercom is the official University-wide newsletter for UT Dallas faculty and staff members. This periodic publication is designed to provide University employees with valuable information necessary for the workplace, as well as community news that supports the University’s mission. Visit the Intercom website for guidelines about content and submissions.
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