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Oct. 29, 2020

Contents

  • A Note to @PimaNews Readers
  • College Updates
    • Info for Students, Employees and Community on Pima’s COVID-19 Web Page
    • Time off to Vote
    • Sculpture-On-Campus – Virtual Reception and Artist Conversations Oct. 29
    • Employees Urged to Join Virtual New Student Welcome Oct. 30
    • Become Inspired by Business Leaders Nov. 2
    • Virtual Author Talk: Heather B. Moore, Nov. 13
    • 5th Annual Raquel Rubio Goldsmith Lecture Nov. 13
    • Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery – Reimagining Still Life – Virtual Exhibit Nov. 5
    • Pima Music – Faculty concert – Michael Lich Guitar – Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
    • Striving for Excellence in Teaching Award Nominations Due Nov. 16
    • What is Academic Freedom?
    • College Simplifies the Purchase Card Process
    • Volunteer to Be Trained to Support New Title IX Compliance
    • UA Special Offer for Taking Arizona Online Courses
    • Faculty Services and Resource Centers Available Virtually
    • Exempt Employees: Consider Joining the ACES Group
  • Students First
  • Employee Wellness
    • Sign Up for Employee Wellness Virtual Workshops
    • Employee Wellness Resources and Program Info

A Note to @PimaNews Readers

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, @PimaNews is highlighting recent COVID-19-related policy and procedure changes. These will be revised and updated as the situation warrants. College leaders are committed to communicating with employees early and often during this uncertain time. However, they realize that the amount of information and details sometimes can be overwhelming.

College Updates

Info for Students, Employees and Community on Pima’s COVID-19 Web Page
The latest information and employee notices at pima.edu/covid19 include a link to the FAQs about the self-reporting requirement under the temporary COVID-19 personnel policies, plus a link the Employee Handbook.

Also at pima.edu/covid19 are Student Notices. Employees and students should regularly check their College email.

For health-related info visit:

Time off to Vote
Employees are entitled to a three-consecutive-hour block of time to vote, either before or after work. Polls in Arizona are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Nov. 3. Employees may request to start work at 9 a.m. (three hours to vote from 6 a.m.) or leave at 4 p.m. (three hours to vote before 7 p.m.). Employees who start work after 9 a.m., or leave before 4 p.m., are not eligible since they already have a three consecutive hour block of time available. Supervisors must be notified no later than Monday.

Sculpture-On-Campus – Virtual Reception and Artist Conversations Oct. 29
Sculpture-On-Campus is adding seven new sculptures to the Sculpture-on-Campus exhibit at East Campus. New works are from artists Olivier Mosset, Kevin Caron, Joan Waters, Jorge Caballero and Ivan Castro, Carlton Bradford, and our first Pima art student work – Piper Bast. Tune in to hear about these new sculptures and the artists behind them. This is a virtual event at noon on PCCTV YouTube.

Employees Urged to Join Virtual New Student Welcome Oct. 30
Pima employees are encouraged to be part of the First Year Experience Virtual New Student Welcome to celebrate the new school year and welcome Pima’s new students.

The event is on Zoom from 4 to 6 p.m., Oct. 30. Activities include games, costume contests and other competitions for prizes. The highlight of the event is a special candlelight pledge ceremony! Everyone must register to attend.

Become Inspired by Business Leaders Nov. 2
Workforce Development is having a virtual showcase Nov. 2, from 5-6 p.m., featuring Nick Arcade, owner of the shop Black Broccoli, Desiree Cook, founder and executive director of I Am You 360, and Jamella Gory, owner of beautyadditions_.

This free event shares the experiences of three local Black entrepreneurs who have found themselves doing what they love most: working for themselves by creating their own businesses. Join in to learn what it takes to launch your own business and hear about internship opportunities with local Black-owned businesses. Pre-register online.

Virtual Author Talk: Heather B. Moore, Nov. 13
The College Library is hosting a virtual talk with historical fiction author Heather B. Moore discussing her new book, based on true events, “The Paper Daughters of Chinatown.” This free event will take place from 11 a.m. to noon, Nov. 13. Register now to receive the Zoom link. If you have questions, contact Alexis Kopkowski.

5th Annual Raquel Rubio Goldsmith Lecture Nov. 13
Activist and educator Ericka Hart, M.Ed. will deliver the keynote presentation for the Ethnic, Gender, Transborder Studies and Sociology Department’s 5th annual Raquel Rubio Goldsmith Lecture on Nov. 13. This virtual event is free, open to the public and will take place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hart’s presentation “Racial and Social Justice 101” will be a timely discussion on the meaning of social justice and ways that we can put ideas and beliefs of equality and justice into action.

Hart, an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University’s School of Social Work, describes herself as a Black queer femme activist, writer, speaker and sexuality educator. Taken from Hart’s website, “Audiences around the world admire Ericka for her ability to challenge anti-blackness everywhere it rears its head – from the front pages of magazines, fashion week runways to the lectern. She is committed to empowering students to make a difference in the world and with each other, opening up robust discourse that connects sexual health and wellness to the systemic issues at the root of social injustice.”

The event also will include a poetry/spoken word performance by community member, educator and artist Teré Fowler-Chapman. There will be a student-led question-and-answer session after the presentation and an announcement related to the newly developed African American Studies courses that soon will be offered at the College.

Register for this event online. It will be streamed on the Pima YouTube channel.

Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery – Reimagining Still Life – Virtual Exhibit Nov. 5
This exhibit features 21 artists and more than 200 images from the Dan Leach collection, as well as works from 11 independent artists, including Louis Carlos Bernal, Susan Conaway, Diane Dale, Ernesto Esquer and many more. Additional artwork from many of these artists will be on display at Tucson International Airport – American Airlines arrival gate area. For more information, email dandres@pima.edu.

Pima Music – Faculty concert – Michael Lich Guitar – Nov. 6, 7 p.m.
Pima Guitar instructor Michael Lich is performing the College’s first music concert of the semester. He’ll be performing music by Bach, Debussy, Satie and Hedges, as well as original compositions.

This is a free virtual concert and will be streamed Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. on Pima Arts YouTube channel.

Striving for Excellence in Teaching Award Nominations Due Nov. 16
The provost and the Teaching and Learning Center present the Striving for Excellence in Teaching Award. This award will recognize 10 teaching staff members (full- and part-time faculty, and staff instructors) who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to improving teaching and learning at the College.

Each recipient will receive a monetary award of $100, courtesy of the Pima Foundation, be honored during All Faculty Day, and have their name engraved on a plaque displayed in the Office of the Provost.

Nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m., Nov. 16.

What is Academic Freedom?
As the College moves through the review process for the Board Policy on Academic Freedom, the office of Faculty Affairs and Development and the office of General Counsel invite employees to a conversation about academic freedom. Seth Shippee, the College’s Deputy Counsel, will be giving a virtual presentation on the history of academic freedom, and will talk about how it intersects with the First Amendment and freedom of speech, and how it contours in current times.

The presentation is 10 to 11:30 a.m., Nov. 2. at meet.google.com/uvw-ibts-njv.

College Simplifies the Purchase Card Process
In an effort to improve the purchasing card (P-Card) reconciliation and internal auditing process, the College is implementing Concur Company Bill Statements. With this program, P-Card transactions automatically will be captured in detail and pre-populate Company Bill Statements based on a monthly reconciliation period.

Some of the benefits include:

  • One central location to access, review and reconcile all P-Card transactions
  • Elimination of unassigned P-Card transactions
  • More detailed and accurate spending data
  • Greater transparency to card approvers and administrators

The Company Bill Statements will go live during the first week of December. If you have questions, email Graciela Dominguez.

Volunteer to Be Trained to Support New Title IX Compliance
The College is seeking employee volunteers who are familiar with College policies and employee and student processes to serve as advisors or hearing officers in the event a hearing is needed in response to a formal Title IX complaint. Volunteers must be willing to serve in either role. Administrators, faculty, exempt staff and nonexempt staff all are welcome to participate.

Title IX dictates how institutions must respond to incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking. Although Title IX is commonly associated with students’ rights, recent updates to the regulations extend protection to employees and prohibit sex-based discrimination in an institution’s hiring and employment practices. As a result of the changes, the College must provide live hearings and cross examinations, and follow very specific processes. A live hearing must be held at the end of the formal grievance process, and the College must provide and train advisors and hearing officers to participate in the process.

If you have questions or would like information on training or to volunteer, email:

  • Diane Deskin, Title IX Deputy Coordinator (Student Affairs - Students), sddeskin@pima.edu
  • Staci Shea, Title IX Deputy Coordinator (Student Affairs - Students), sshea1@pima.edu
  • Michelle Wiltshire, Title IX Deputy Coordinator (Human Resources - Employees), wiltshire@pima.edu

UA Special Offer for Taking Arizona Online Courses
The University of Arizona is partnering with the College to offer 15% tuition discounts on online bachelor programs and 10% tuition discounts on online graduate programs and an application, placement test and student ID fee waiver for Pima employees, their dependents, spouses and domestic partners taking Arizona Online undergraduate and graduate courses. Classes begin in January and March. Learn more online.

Faculty Services and Resource Centers Available Virtually
Campus staff from the Faculty Resource centers and Campus Resource centers are available to assist you. Faculty services and resource centers also have new contact information, Faculty-Services@pima.edu and 520-206-6511.

Exempt Employees: Consider Joining the ACES Group
The Association of Classified Exempt Staff (ACES) invites exempt employees to join ACES. ACES represents all exempt employees to College administration on matters related to wages, salaries and working conditions. For more information about how ACES can support you in your networking and professional development goals, visit pccaces.org.

Students First

Former chemistry student Luke Addington is a researcher at Arizona State Museum’s Conservation Laboratory. He recently had his first scientific paper published by the Western Association for Art Conservation is titled Surfactants & Solvents: Potential for MCP-Designed Nanostructured Fluids for the Removal of Polymer Films. WACC is one of two conservation publications in the U.S., and one of the three major international conservation publications.

Employee Wellness

Sign Up for Virtual Workshops
Sign up online for Employee Wellness virtual workshops:

Employee Wellness Resources and Program Info
Visit the Employee Wellness Intranet page to access free resources and tools. Employees also are encouraged to visit the Employee Wellness website for additional resources, news and information on the Pima Healthy Rewards Program and wellness-related activities that qualify for Pima Wellness Activity points. You also can keep current on the latest wellness news.

@PimaNews is an electronic newsletter for employee news of Pima Community College. It is published by the Pima Community College Marketing office. @PimaNews is published Thursdays, except when the College is closed, during the semester and every other week during the summer. Please send announcements and news items – 75 words or fewer ─ to pimanews@pima.edu by noon on Monday. Back issues are available on the @PimaNews Web page. The newsletter also accepts submissions about Pima employee accomplishments.

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