Staff Association Council Newsletter

Staff Association Council Newsletter - February 2016

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What SAC Does For YOU

Check out the SAC historical timeline for a list of issues tackled by the Staff Association Council on your behalf. Among the accomplishments: preserving Winter Break, initiating Falk Pharmacy prescription delivery, hosting an annual assembly for Pitt staff, and establishing staff access to parking on campus.

GOOD TO KNOW

Pitt Day in Harrisburg

Tired of Pennsylvania lawmakers not passing a budget? Worried that the impasse adversely affects Pitt? Be an advocate and register for Pitt Day in Harrisburg on March 22, 2016. This is an opportunity for you to make a difference on behalf of Pitt! Learn more today!

Write Your Legislator!

Can't attend Pitt Day in Harrisburg? You can still make your voice heard both as advocate for Pitt and as a PA citizen. Staff, faculty, alumni and all those who value higher education are urged to advocate for Pitt by writing to elected officials, submitting letters to the editor, and posting concerns to social media. Find out more on the Alumni Association's website.

Care and Resource Support Team: CARS

The Care and Resource Support (CARS) Team within the Office of Student Affairs gave a presentation at the SAC general membership meeting on Wednesday February 10th. Care Manager Mary Bigante described the teams efforts to educate staff and faculty on ways to identity and respond to student behavior identified as reasonably causing concern for a student's health welfare, and safety.

Who is an appropriate referral to the CARS team?
- Students whose ability to succeed academically or to function within expected standards as a member of the Pitt community who are negatively impacted by conduct or decisions made by the student, or by challenges the student faces of a medical, personal, or social nature.
- Students who are impaired in functioning across multiple areas who may benefit from collaborative assistance from a variety of departments working together.
- If by suggesting next steps to the student for support, barriers arise which requite further assistance to overcome (communication with Office of the Registrar, Residence Life, Student Health, etc...).

*The CARS teams accepts referrals concerning student welfare, however is not an emergency response unit. All emergencies should be directed to 911 or Pitt Police.

Staff and faculty can access the guide for helping distressed students here.

To become a CARS departmental liaison or for more information please contact Pitt Cares at PittCares@pitt.edu or Mary Bigante at mab455@pitt.edu.

Pitt patent, conflict of interest, and copyright policies: Town Hall Meetings February 18th and 23rd

The Vice Provost for Research, Dr. Mark Redfern, and the University's Policy Review Committee are seeking in-person and candid input from faculty and staff on their views/experiences related to the current Pitt patent, conflict of interest, and copyright policies.

Dr. Redfern encourages you to please try to attend one of these important Town Hall Meetings. Please see the announcement here.

SAC Mentor Ron Frisch Retiring

Ronald Frisch, Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and longtime SAC advisor and mentor has announced he will retire (effective July 1) after 21 years at the University. Speaking to the University Times, SAC President Rich Colwell "commended Frisch's devotion to the University and to the staff, while citing the close working relationship Frisch fostered with SAC leaders."

Read more about Ron's retirement in the University Times.

SAC Promotes Transportation Safety

Over 70 members of the University community attended SAC's Transportation Safety Brown Bag on January 27th in the William Pitt Union Ballroom. Representatives from Bike Pittsburgh, Pitt Police department, and Transportation, Parking and Services offered their respective perspectives on opportunities and educational efforts to make Oakland streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles.

Read the full page story in the University Times.

BIKEPGH Presents: Susan Hicks Memorial Bike Commute

March 25th marks 5 months since Susan Hick's fatal crash. Let’s finish her ride home. Organized by Susan's close friends, this ride will meet at Posvar Hall in Oakland by the yellow arch sculpture at 5pm. Join to ride to 306 S. Aiken Street, where Susan was living the day she died, for a Russian vodka toast in her memory.

SAC Spring Staff Assembly - Save the Date!

The Staff Association Council is happy to announce its annual Staff Assembly to be held May 10, 2016 at the William Pitt Union. This year's event focuses on mind and body health in the workplace. For the second consecutive year Chancellor Gallagher is scheduled to be the keynote speaker. Please save the date and stay tuned to our media channels for more details!

Policy on Extreme Weather Conditions

Now that winter weather has finally struck, staff are reminded to be aware of the University's policy on extreme weather conditions, outlined in this memorandum that was circulated to University employees this past December.

One of the positives of the policy that University employees are reminded of is mentioned in the last sentence of the second bullet item: “If care for a dependent family member is necessitated by the closure or delayed start of a care facility or school because of severe weather conditions, sick time may be taken”. Contact the Office of Human Resources for more information.

University Times Highlights

Staff members interested in receiving a digital subscription to the University Times via email should subscribe to UTDirect through the Times’ website.

Chancellor addresses lack of appropriation

Searching for safer streets

Unionization drive launched

Staff Highlights

Meet February's featured SAC member Tiwanda Taylor!

Tiwanda Taylor is the Assistant Director of Academic Advising in the College of Business Administration. She supervises six full-time academic advisors in addition to serving as an advisor to undergraduate business students. She also assists with the recruitment of diversity students and currently serves as the Staff Advisor to the Roberto Clemente Minority Business Association (RCMBA). She has been with the College of Business Administration since 2001. Prior to that, Tiwanda served as an Assistant Director in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. She managed the Pennsylvania recruitment territory and was also a Financial Aid Counselor.

Her involvement with SAC? Tiwanda serves on the External Relations Committee. She writes articles for the SAC Newsletter and has been a member of SAC for three years.

Why did she join SAC? Tiwanda says, “I wanted to get more involved as a staff member. SAC provides an opportunity for its members to meet staff from the different departments across campus. It’s always interesting to learn about the great things that our staff members do to make positive contributions to the University Community.”

What is Tiwanda’s vision on how SAC can impact the University of Pittsburgh? Tiwanda says, “SAC serves as an advocate for our Pitt staff members. SAC also continues to inform the members of the Pitt Community about a variety of issues that are very relevant to staff.”

Fun Facts about Tiwanda: “I really enjoy spending time with my family. I have four sisters, a brother and a host of extended family. I am also the proud mother of one son. There are always occasions where we get together to celebrate birthdays and holidays. I am also part of a dynamic church family at the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, where I have encountered some of the most caring and supportive individuals. In 2013, I was selected to serve as Program Assistant for an international program in Madrid, Spain. In the summer of 2016, I will also get to serve as Program Assistant for a two-week program in Costa Rica. I consider myself very fortunate to travel and to have some great people in my life.”

Events and Programming

SAVE THE DATE! The 25th Annual Pitt Day at Kennywood is Sunday, July 17th 2016.

PINK THE PETE! Sunday February 21st

Pitt Faculty and Staff February Blood Drive

Tuesday, February 23rd 9am to 2pm in the William Pitt Union

Consider "giving from the heart" this February and donating blood at Central Blood Bank's Faculty and Staff February Blood Drive. All participants will receive a special edition t-shirt!

Please register at centralbloodbank.org using group code CU190020 or contact Tami Hirth at (412) 624-7708 or email hirth@pitt.edu.

Where do I fit in? Understanding our region’s responses to diversity

Wednesday, February 24, 5:00pm – 7:30pm

The Tower at PNC Plaza

300 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Networking 5:00pm – 5:45pm

Program begins promptly at 6:00pm

Learn about the findings of the 2015 Regional Workforce Diversity Indicators survey and what the results mean for the region.

Program:

Welcome: Davie Huddleston, VP, Director of Strategic College Recruiting, PNC

Opening Remarks: Pittsburgh Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Kevin Acklin

Presentation of Survey Results: Melanie Harrington, CEO, Vibrant Pittsburgh

Panel Discussion and Q&A:

Moderator: Darryl Ford Williams, Vice President, WQED Multimedia

Melodie J. Roach, SVP, Regional Manager of the Southwestern PA – East Region, PNC

Kenya Boswell, President, BNY Mellon Foundation

Kevin A. Carter, Counsel, Alcoa

Pam Connelly, Associate Vice Chancellor, Diversity & Inclusion, University of Pittsburgh

Closing Remarks: County Executive Rich Fitzgerald

RSVP by February 19 at info@vibrantpittsburgh.org

Ecoinnovation District Meeting

The Uptown neighborhood (also known as Bluff) is adjacent to Oakland and poses significant and similar challenges to pedestrians and bicyclists.To support a bike and pedestrian-friendly Uptown, attend the Uptown EcoInnovation District Launch Party on Thursday, February 25. This lively event will kick off the engagement process.

Uptown EcoInnovation District Launch Party
Thursday, February 25
6-9pm
300 Gist St., Uptown

Falk Library offering class on Prezi presentations

Give your presentation a spark of magic by exploring advanced Prezi techniques. This session will look at revealing your story, background and image enhancement, and customizing templates. Class attendees should be familiar with Prezi and should bring their Prezi account login information to this session. Please visit the HSLS website for more information.

February 29, 2016 - 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Advanced Prezi Magic
Instructor: Julia Dahm
Location: Falk Library, Classroom 2

The Staff Association Council will hold its first Year of Humanities affiliated event in March focused on Healthy Movement.

This will be the first in a series of events focused on cultivating a healthy work/life balance to promote mental and physical wellness. The entire University community is invited to attend our Year of Humanities presentations. Stay tuned to our social media outlets for details: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall will be hosting Family Evening at the Museum on March 24th, 2016. Admission to the event is free. For more information please visit the Soldiers and Sailors website.

SAVE THE DATE! 25^th Annual Medical Ethics Update: Ethical Issues in Reproductive Health

University of Pittsburgh - Center for Bioethics and Health Law

Who should attend: Health care professionals, clergy, lawyers, community members
and students.

Friday, April 1, 2016 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
University of Pittsburgh Campus – Biomedical Science Tower 1 – Conference Center

“A Brief and Astonishing History of Abortion and Contraception”
Lisa Tetrault, PhD
Associate Professor of History
Carnegie Mellon University

“Preserving Reproductive Autonomy Across Diverse Populations: The Case of Female Sterilization”
Sonya Borrero, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Medicine and Clinical and Translational Science
Director, Center for Women’s Health Research and Innovation (CWHRI)
University of Pittsburgh

Other Lectures and Panels:

The changing landscape of prenatal diagnosis
Ethics related to reproduction at advanced maternal age
Achieving equity in birth outcomes
Reproductive control in the intellectually disabled and seriously mentally ill
Coerced communication between doctors and patients
Fertility preservation with oocyte cryopreservation: Ethical and social concerns
What to do when an obstetrics patient refuses treatment
Mitochondrial DNA transfer

Registration Information:
Online registration will be available at: https://ccehs.upmc.com/home.jsf

All University of Pittsburgh staff members in good standing are invited to become members of the Staff Association Council. Please contact us if you have interest in becoming a member of the Staff Association Council.

Peter Adams - Plastic Surgery
Marissa Arlet - Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Tammeka Banks - Office of Research
Susan Benton - Division of Laboratory Animal Resources
Barbara Bowers - Anesthesiology
Mario Browne - SVC Health Sciences
Camille Burgess - College of Business Administration
Lucy Cafeo - Biomedical Informatics
Paula Carpinelli - Purchasing Services
Cindy Cercone – Physics
Angela Coldren - Katz Graduate School of Business
Rich Colwell - Swanson School of Engineering/IT
Tricia Connell - Office of Institutional Advancement
Monica Costlow - Biostatistics/Comparative Effectiveness Research Core
Allyson Delnore – UCIS
Brian Deutsch – English Language Institute/Linguistics
Karen Dicks - Department of Computer Science
Kenny Doty - Swanson School of Engineering/IT
Deborah Downey - Falk Library of the Health Sciences
Rick Fabean - Pharmacy
Colleen Farrell - Cardiology
Ric Fera - Education Technology and Innovation
Diane Fleishman - Continuing Dental Education
Anita Gallagher - Nationality Rooms/UCIS
Jean Hale - GSPIA
Kathleen Hansell-Prigg – Systems Neuroscience Institute
Tami Haslett – Communication Services
Carol Hodgkiss - Nursing/Educational Technology and Innovation
Nicole Hudson – Katz Graduate School of Business
Robyne Ivory - University Library System Technical Services
Christine Jackson - Occupational Therapy
Samantha Jakiel – School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Corey James – School of Information Sciences
Michael Jandrasits - Athletic Department - Ticket Office
Sara Jones – Office of International Services
Lisa Joseph - Collections
Michele Kiraly - CSSD
Hillary Koller - College of Business Administration Career Services
Robert Kornosky Jr. – SHRS – Sports Medicine and Nutrition
Michael Laughlin - Fiscal Services
Marsha Lee – Center for Research on Health Care
Monika Losagio - French and Italian and Hispanic
James Lyle - Engineering-Information Technology
Adriana Maguina-Ugarte - Center for Comparative Archaeology/Anthropology
Nicholas Mance - Bioengineering
Meg Mayer-Costa - Student Health Service
Jonah McAllister-Erickson - University Library Services/Admin
Maura McCall – Nursing/Center for Research and Evaluation
Rocco Mercurio – Epidemiology
EJ Milarski – Alumni Relations – IA
Babs Mowery - A&S Advising Center
Beth Ann Pischke - School of Law
Brian Pasquini – CSSD
Beth Anne Pischke – School of Law
Matthew Richardson – Cross Cultural & Leadership Development
Pamela Rikstad - Swanson School of Engineering, Office of the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Lindsay Rodzwicz - Bioengineering
Bobbi Jo Rosol - Computing Services
Fiona Seels - School of Education -Technology Department
Megan Soltesz - School of Social Work
Nancy Spice - School of Pharmacy
Andy Stephany - Medicine/Research Administration
Clayton Steup - Medicine/Physician Scientist Training Program
Barbara Stolarz – Office of Child Development, School of Education
Scott Szypulski – School of Medicine – Critical Care
Peng Tang - Research/Cost Accounting
Tiwanda Taylor - College of Business Administration
Jessica Tebbets - Medicine-Orthopaedic Surgery
Alex Toner - Archives Service Center
Michele Tschannen - Pitt Program Council
Michael Wahl - School of Dental Medicine Office of the Dean
Debora Whitfield - Dental Medicine, Office of Patient Services
Barbara Zischkau - Pitt Annual Fund