Solar Flare – August 2023
Guest Speaker: Dr. Yvette Pearson, VP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Dr. Pearson spoke regarding campus efforts to work in concert with UT System to understand SB 17 and all the concerns that it is bringing to light. Working with campus equity ambassadors and the IDEA committee, she has been overseeing the work of sending out a questionnaire across campus regarding the legislation to compile data that encapsulates all the concerns regarding this law. As a result of this questionnaire, they ended up with nine pages of questions and concerns to bring to UT System as they work on untangling what exactly it all means for campuses across Texas.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Inga Musselman, VP Academic Affairs & Provost
Dr. Musselman addressed the topic of the SB 17 Advisory Group that has been formed for UT System. The group includes one representative from each academic institution, one from all health institutions, and representatives from DEI offices, legal counsel, student affairs, executive members, and chancellors. The purpose of this advisory group is to share the concerns regarding this legislation from across the entire system. She provided insight into what the conversations have involved over the past few months:Campus activities that will be unaffected, activities that are permissible when correct conditions are met, and activities that will not be permissible at all.DEI statements in hiring, mandatory DEI training, and plans for DEI offices. It is not known yet if this legislation will cause any job loss. Dr. Musselman stressed that the ultimate goal is to lessen the impact of this legislation as much as possible, but there are still a great many unknowns and complicated factors involved. When asked what the rest of campus can do to support the staff members involved with DEI, Dr. Pearson reminded us of the importance of our advocacy and our presence. She also stressed that the mental and emotional toll this situation is taking on those involved in DEI work is enormous. It is important in our conversations and the way we express solidarity to understand the very real toll that this is taking on those most impacted.
Guest Speaker: Cris Aquino, Director of Parking & Transportation & Special Projects
Cris Aquino shared some exciting updates to services offered along with helpful information.
883 Increase Service Frequency Pilot: In partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Parking & Transportation is running a pilot to increase the service frequency of the 883 East bus line. The 883 East services the UTD campus to the CityLine/Bush Transit Center. The pilot will allow service to run every fifteen minutes, Monday through Friday, versus every thirty minutes as it has in the past. This benefits employees that commute to campus along the 883 East route.
883 Comet Cruiser Route Map Updates: Parking & Transportation has added all DART stop numbers on the 883 Comet Cruiser route map. This feature easily identifies all 883 stops to educate riders. This also allows riders to report any service interruptions or identify specific locations for emergency purposes.
New Smart Electric Vehicle Stations: In partnership with Facilities Management and UTD Sustainability, Parking & Transportation installed five new smart electric vehicle (EV) chargers, three at PS1 and two at PS3. Each station allows two vehicles to charge, for a total of ten vehicles to charge. The older stations will be phased out and replaced with new EV smart stations over the coming months. The new smart EV stations will be free to use through August 31, 2023. Thereafter, charging is available at $0.03/minute. The stations are available for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to the campus.
Accessible Comet Cab Service:An average of 300 Comet Cab trips are conducted per month, for those with mobility accommodation needs. The Accessible Comet Cab service provides customized, door-to-door transportation from parking areas to campus buildings. Seven new Comet Cabs have been added to the fleet, including one additional wheelchair accessible cart.
Parking Configuration due to Campus Construction: 946 parking spaces are projected to be lost by the end of FY24 due to campus building construction. We will have 10,027 spaces available to commuter students, faculty, and staff. The projected number of lost spaces are comprised of Metered, Purple, Orange, and Gold Parking. Gold parking. As a result, Green parking has been reallocated to perimeter parking lots to recover some of the projected lost Orange and Gold parking. It is important to note that Green parking has not been affected by campus construction in recent years.
Update from Human Resources: Colleen Dutton, Chief Human Resources Officer
2023 Corporate Challenge
o This 10-week, Olympic-style competition brings local companies and organizations together to raise money for Special Olympics Texas and engage in friendly competition.
o Competition dates: August 12 – October 7
o Review the event schedule here
o Raffle tickets: Tickets are $5 each – Free T-shirt with $20 donation (purchase at HR office, Tues – Thurs 10am-3pm)
o Support Special Olympics Texas with online donation:
https://givebutter.com/UTDCC
o Contact information: CorporateChallenge@utdallas.edu
HR Manager Resource Page
o https://hr.utdallas.edu/employees/manager-resources/
HR Professionals Day
o HR Open House – Wednesday, Sep 27th from 2:00-3:30pm
o Stop by for snacks, sweet treats, chat face to face with the HR team, and score some giveaways. The first 100 guests will get a free T-shirt. Located in AD 3.418.
Staff Council Business
Sandee Goertzen Award Winner
o Congratulations to Staff Council President Jennifer Klunk, for receiving the Sandee Goertzen Award in recognition of her invaluable contributions to the Staff Council.
Events from other Departments
Bass School and ODEI
o DEI and the Bass School is inviting all to attend “The Threads that Connect Us” on Sunday, September 10 at 2:00 pm in the ATEC Lecture Hall. For more information and to register, please go to: https://odei.utdallas.edu/the-threads-that-connect-us/
Office of Information Technology
o Does your office offer appointments? If so, you will want to view Microsoft’s solution to track, manage, and organize your team’s appointments and calendars in one place. The well-used Microsoft Bookings is changing its look and name to Virtual Appointments.
o This update does not require altering your calendars, services, or staff. The only change is the name of the application and how it is previewed.
o Join this tech tips session hosted by the Office of Information Technology on September 1 at 2:00 pm. Register: https://utd.link/TechTips