During the disruption of regular services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Communications is maintaining a collection of information and resources for staff, faculty and students. Visit the COVID-19 website, which will be updated frequently with the latest information.

Faculty, staff and student organizations planning to host a program, activity, camp or event (PACE) with minor participants — including research internships or mentorships with minors in laboratories — are required to follow policy UTDSP5015—Programs for Minors and its supplemental guidelines, and register the program with the Programs for Minors office.

The policy and guidelines were developed to protect minors participating in University-sponsored PACE, as well as University employees and others working with minors. The policy is applicable to all PACE for minors sponsored or joint-sponsored by UT Dallas, with a few exceptions.

Updates and reminders for hosting a PACE for minors:

• All PACE for minors, both virtual and in-person, must be registered with the Programs for Minors office and are required to follow Programs for Minors virtual programming guidelines.
• All minor participants, both in-person and virtual, are required to register through CircuiTree. A registration fee of $4.15 is applicable to all registrations. The fee may be covered by the hosting department or included in the tuition/registration fee assessed to participate in programs.
• UTS 192 Youth Protection requires all third-party programs to be sponsored by a college, school, unit or department, unless approved on a per-program basis by the UT Dallas president.
• Requirements listed in Regents Rule 80105: Joint-Sponsorship of the Use of Property or Buildings must be met for all joint-sponsorships, including having the joint-sponsorship approved by the UT Dallas chief of staff.

For a listing of requirements and forms needed to register a PACE for minors, visit the Programs for Minors website. Questions may be directed to Carla Garner, 972-883-3815 or [email protected].

Faculty and staff are invited to participate in the 28th Annual UT Dallas Scholarship Golf Tournament, which takes place on Friday, April 29, at Firewheel Golf Park.

The tournament has raised money for University scholarships over the years, including: the Betty and Gifford Johnson Graduate Endowment, which helps graduate students attend and make presentations at national conferences; the Patti Henry Pinch Undergraduate Endowment, which assists undergraduates with research and travel expenses; and the Academic Bridge Scholarship Endowment, which provides advising, mentoring and tutoring to first-generation college students.

Ready to play? Register your team by Friday, April 15. Want to help? Volunteer for a committee by Friday, April 8.

For more information, please contact Dee Lambert at [email protected] or 972-883-2205.

The Office of Human Resources will host its next HR Forum from 10–11:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 6, as a Microsoft Teams live event. Please install Microsoft Teams prior to joining. If you need assistance, contact the Help Desk. Unlike a traditional Teams meeting, you are not able to “dial in” to a live event. Audio will stream from your computer. Please ensure your speakers are on or use a headset connected to your device. Closed captioning is available, and there will be a moderated Q&A forum. If you have questions for the HR Forum, send them to [email protected].

The Latino Faculty and Staff Association and QuTD invite all faculty and staff to attend a service and social event to make “power pack” hygiene kits that the Promise House Street Outreach Program will distribute to area youth experiencing homelessness. The event will be at 5 p.m., Thursday, March 31, at Northside Drafthouse and Eatery.

Participants will pack the hygiene kits and socialize. Appetizers will be provided after the packing process. RSVP to attend and/or donate to the purchase of items for the hygiene packs (select QuTD in the description drop-down).

Staff members are invited to sign up as Commencement Ambassadors for the Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremonies.

Commencement Ambassadors are volunteers who will assist with guest management and customer service during the ceremonies. The shifts are:

Sunday, May 15
All-University Commencement at the University Roundabout

• 6-8:15 p.m.
• 8-10 p.m.

Monday, May 16
Activity Center (AB)

• 8 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• noon-4 p.m.
• 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

ATEC Lecture Hall (ATC 1.102)

• 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Tuesday, May 17
Activity Center (AB)

• 8 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
• noon-4 p.m.
• 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

ATEC Lecture Hall (ATC 1.102)

• 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Wednesday, May 18
Activity Center (AB)

• 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Serving as a Commencement Ambassador is not the same as assisting your school with the execution of its ceremony. If your school has requested for staff to help with commencement and you have signed up, please do not sign up for that shift using the Commencement Ambassador form.

Spring Wellness Challenge: Feel Like a Million, April 4-May 1

Feel Like a Million is a board game-themed program designed to help you increase energy and feel your best. For every day that participants record one or more energy-boosting activities, they earn virtual dollars and experience progress by moving along the gameboard. Every activity is a move closer to achieving the goal of $1 million virtual. The deadline to register is Friday, April 8.

Overall Program Goal
$1 million virtual in the 4-week challenge

Logging Your Activities
Participants can log steps manually or connect an activity tracker on the Settings page. Step Converter is available to record activities not accurately measured with a tracking device, such as swimming, cycling and rowing.

Additional Health Behaviors
Participants may choose up to two different health behaviors every week.
Options:

• Bedtime Relaxation Routine
• Balanced Meals
• No Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
• Brain Stimulating Activity
• Time in Nature

Everyone who signs up for the challenge will receive an incentive to start and participants who reach the challenge goal will receive a completion reward.

Register for Feel Like a Million and get moving, spend time in nature, sleep better, eat healthfully, make connections and more. Visit Living Well to opt in or for more information.

Omada Webinar: Manage Stress to Reach Your Health Goals, 11 a.m., Tuesday, April 19 — UT SELECT members are invited to attend and learn how to access Omada’s tools to help manage stress and stay on track with health goals. Register for the Omada webinar and learn more about the Omada program.

Center for Teaching and Learning Event

How Perusall Promotes Social Learning, noon-1 p.m., Thursday, March 24 — Michael Rosenberg, vice president of sales for Perusall, will share how the social e-learning platform allows students and instructors to digitally annotate readings with text, links, and embedded content. Attend the Zoom presentation or watch in person (MC 2.410). Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP for the Perusall event.

Research 411 Talk Show: Sensing in Service of Society, 3-4 p.m., Wednesday, March 30 — Dr. David J. Lary, professor of physics, will discuss the installation of sensors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that detect disease causing air pollution. For more information, contact Tiffany Willoughby.

Responsible Conduct of Research Development Series, Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon-1p.m., April 5-28 — Do you work on federally funded research? Join the Office of Research and Innovation for its RCR Development Series. For certification, you must attend all required classes in the series and complete the online training modules and assessments. For more information, contact Tiffany Willoughby.

Learn About IT Updates, Upgrades That Impact Campus

How is the Office of Information Technology enhancing the UT Dallas experience? Find out at the next IT Forum, 9 a.m., Thursday, March 24.

OIT departments will provide updates on the development of creative tech solutions. Learn about infrastructure upgrades that will supply additional coverage across campus and improve user experience. Listen to project updates, such as web chats built for the International Students and Scholars Office and forms developed for the Office of Student AccessAbility, and hear how they enrich the student experience. Join the Teams live session and view the forum agenda (pdf).

Lace Up for 5K That Benefits Students in Need

Students, alumni, faculty, staff, family and friends are invited to run or walk in the UT Dallas Homecoming Virtual 5K in March. The cost to register is $20 and $10 of every registration fee goes to the Student Emergency Financial Assistance Program, which supports UTD students who are facing financial hardship.

Every registrant will be shipped a thank you kit, the first 50 of which will include this year's UTD Homecoming Nighttime 5K T–shirt. Registration for the 5K is open through Thursday, March 31.

For more information, email Melanie Depoian.

Nominate Colleagues for CARE Awards

The Staff Council CARE Awards, (which stands for Celebrate Achievement, Reward Excellence), recognize staff who have demonstrated superior performance, offered outstanding customer service, and performed acts that have enhanced the image of the University. Nominations for spring 2022 CARE Awards are due by Thursday, March 31. To find out more or nominate a staff member, visit the CARE Awards page.

Fight Hunger Through Friendly Competition

Who will be the next Raising Cans champion to help ensure a #HungerFreeUTD? Will it be the current titleholder, the Office of Research and Innovation? Is the Office of Financial Aid ready to take back the crown?

The Comet Cupboard invites all UT Dallas groups to participate in the friendliest competitive tradition of the year, and to help stock the Comet Cupboard with food and personal care items through the summer months.

Register your team of students, colleagues or friends (external groups are welcome) for the 2022 Raising Cans event benefitting the Comet Cupboard. Teams can compete in the in-person “Can-struction” event on Thursday, March 31 in the atrium of the Visitor Center and University Bookstore (VCB), or teams can submit a photo album/collage in the virtual contest.

Winning teams receive prizes and bragging rights for collecting the most items and for submission creativity. All details are on the Raising Cans registration form, which is due by Monday, March 28.