Staff and faculty are invited to attend University Convocation at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, in the Activity Center gymnasium. To participate in the processional, gather outside the racquetball courts by 3:45 p.m. The convocation is the first step in a student's academic journey at UT Dallas and the official welcome for all incoming freshmen and transfer students. The continued theme this year is “Create Your Future.” Dr. Richard Benson, fifth president of The University of Texas at Dallas, will be the keynote speaker.

Faculty should dress in business casual attire or formal regalia. Staff should dress in business casual attire. Please notify the Office of Undergraduate Education if you plan to attend, using the University Convocation RSVP Form.

The deadline to use payroll deduction to purchase your parking permits for Fiscal Year 2017 is Friday, Aug. 19. This option is only available online to UT Dallas employees who do not have a student classification (e.g. RAs, TAs, and temporary employees are not eligible). Deductions are pre-tax and are paid over a nine-month period, starting with your Oct. 1, 2016, paycheck.

Requests for parking payroll deductions after the deadline cannot be accepted. But you may still purchase a permit online or in person at the PS3 Parking Office (PS3 1.200) Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or assistance with permit purchases, call Parking and Transportation at ext. 2344, or email [email protected].

The Periodicals office, which manages UT Dallas’ main social media channels, offers tools for colleagues who use social media for work.

Staff and faculty members who manage social media accounts for UT Dallas’ schools, offices, departments, centers and organizations can connect with peers on the UT Dallas Social Media Managers Facebook group. The group’s 90 members use this private forum to discuss trends, share campus news and events, and collaborate on campaigns.

Periodicals’ social media guidelines page provides tips, advice and best practices for managing channels. Colleagues also can download photos and videos from TandemVault, a new archive that replaces WebDam. See the TandemVault guidelines for details.

For more information about social media, email Robert Tracy or call ext. 3521.

Due to increased traffic and road construction, the frequency of stops for Comet Cruiser Route 883 East, from the Bush Turnpike Train Station to campus, has changed to every 30 minutes at :00 and :30. This change affects the eastbound route only. Hours of service will remain the same. Only the time between buses will change. Please review the Comet Cruiser schedule online, and plan accordingly.

Need to promote an event on campus this fall? The Comet Calendar can help. As one of the most visited pages on the University’s website, the calendar is an online listing of UT Dallas events and announcements. To request access to add or approve events, email [email protected]. If your department is already set up to add events to the calendar, just talk to whoever is in charge of doing so (contact University Web Services at ext. 4995 if you are not sure who this is).

Once your event has been submitted to the Comet Calendar, you can make changes to the entry at any time and they will be reflected on the calendar immediately. If you register your event using the Student Union room registration form it will automatically be added to the Comet Calendar.

The University of Texas System Office of Employee Benefits and its Living Well program are making the Naturally Slim weight-loss program available to all employees and retirees participating in the UT Select Medical Plan, including dependents 18 years or older. To participate, sign up online by Monday, Aug. 22. The online program begins Monday, Sept. 12.

The Office of Information Technology and Facilities Management have announced that key requests can now be submitted to eCAT’s online process, eliminating the paper forms and making the process faster and easier for employees. To request a key, log on to eCAT and follow submission and approval process. For questions or feedback, please email [email protected]. For questions regarding key details or policies, contact the Key Shop directly at ext. 4093.

The Office of Information Technology also now offers personalized, one-on-one training for PeopleSoft, eProcurement, Windows or Microsoft Office. Visit the office’s new website or email [email protected] to schedule your individual training appointment.

Volunteers Needed to Welcome Students Back Aug. 22-23
The Office of Administration is seeking employee volunteers Aug. 22-23 to help with the annual fall Student Welcome. Volunteers will interact with students, pass out giveaway items and share their knowledge of campus. To volunteer, email the Office of Administration at [email protected] or call ext. 2213.

Register for Corporate Challenge
There is still time to register for Corporate Challenge. Visit the UT Dallas Corporate Challenge website for more information about upcoming events and to sign up. Online registration is also open for the Corporate Challenge Great Ride. This year’s group motorcycle ride on Saturday, Sept. 3, will last approximately two hours and will start and finish at Galatyn Plaza. The event is open to anyone who would like to participate. Just be sure to select UT Dallas during registration to help us earn team participation points. There is a minimum donation of $20 per rider, and $10 per passenger to benefit Special Olympics Texas. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants.

Become a Shelf Star by Donating to the Comet Cupboard
The Comet Cupboard, a food pantry initiative dedicated to helping students in need, is asking University departments and student organizations to gather specific donations for each month. They can sign up to be Shelf Stars, donating specific items for their themed month: September (vegetarian packaged, ready-to-eat meals and/or pasta and pasta sauce); October (vegetarian soups and/or personal care items); and November (cereal and/or peanut butter and jelly).

To sign up, please complete this form, call Amber Brown at ext. 2950 or email the Comet Cupboard.

SPN Wellness Center Classes
The SPN Wellness Center has expanded its schedule of fitness classes to include yoga on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. in SPN 1.720. The center also offers yoga class on Mondays, U-Jam on Tuesdays and Zumba on Wednesdays, and cardio-boxing on Thursdays each week from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. In addition, the SPN Wellness Center is open Monday through Friday from 5:30-7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. for faculty, staff and RA workout hours.

FLSA Transition in Progress
UT Dallas is preparing for the new Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations that go into effect Dec. 1. FLSA will increase the number of employees eligible for overtime and change the way eligible employees record their time. The Office of Human Resources will be guiding affected employees through this transition. For more information, visit the Human Resources website or contact the Employment Services team.