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Nov. 19, 2020

Contents

  • A Note to @PimaNews Readers
  • College Updates
    • Info for Students, Employees and Community on Pima’s COVID-19 Web Page
    • COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing at West, Desert Vista and West Campuses
    • COVID-19 Health and Safety Considerations During the Holidays
    • Employees Asked to Make Suggestions for Time Capsule
    • Annual Leave Buyout Restrictions Lifted Through December
    • Pima Theater's Project: Our America
    • Sculpture-On-Campus Virtual Exhibit
    • Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery – Reimagining Still Life – Virtual Exhibit
    • Employees Honored for Years of Service, Time Capsule Shown Dec. 15
    • Grease Collection and Recycling Event at Pima's West and Northwest Campuses Jan. 9
    • Cababi Art & Literary Magazine Looking for Art and Literary Submissions
    • Adobe Flash Player Support Ends Dec. 31
    • Library Online Request and Curbside Pickup Improvements
    • Library Course Reserve Textbook Scanning Appointments
    • Changes to Improve Network Security
    • EvaluationKIT Online Course Evaluation and Survey System
    • Virtual Web Intelligence Interactive Reports Training
    • College Simplifies the Purchase Card Process
    • Volunteers 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
  • Employee Wellness
    • Sign Up for Employee Wellness Virtual Workshops and Challenges
    • 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:

For up-to-date COVID-19 trackers and dashboards visit:

COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing at West, Desert Vista and West Campuses
Pima’s Facilities, Police and Environmental Health and Safety partnered with the Pima County Health Department and Arizona State University to open new COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites. Appointments are required. When registering for your appointment, use agency code “SALIVATEST.” If you have scheduling issues or questions, email COVID19info@ASU.edu.

COVID-19 Health and Safety Considerations During the Holidays
This holiday season, consider how your plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep friends, families and communities healthy and safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers this guidance to slow the spread of COVID-19 during the holidays:

The Pima County Health Department offers healthy recommendations to protect you and your loved ones as well.

Employees Asked to Make Suggestions for Time Capsule
The College wants employees to help decide what to put in a 2020 Time Capsule to be buried at West Campus on Dec. 15. The Time Capsule is planned to be unearthed in 2044, Pima’s 75th anniversary year.

Email suggestions to collegeevents@pima.edu by Nov. 30.

Annual Leave Buyout Restrictions Lifted Through December
College employees who have not been able to use annual leave, do not want to lose accrued hours or who need funds to cover additional expenses may request a leave buyout through December provided that the remaining balance after the buyout is at least 40 hours.

In the event an employee utilizes this provision and their leave balance is subsequently exhausted, the employee will be ineligible to receive donated leave until the unpaid leave status exceeds the number of weeks paid under this provision or until a new fiscal year commences.

Employees may request a payout of up to 80 hours of annual leave per pay period (requests must be made in one or two-week increments). To request a payout of annual leave, complete and send the Covid-19 Leave Payout Request Form to ESC@pima.edu. Employees must have completed their new hire probationary period. If you have questions, contact the Employee Service Center.

Pima Theater's Project: Our America
Pima Theater students interviewed people from across the country to see how they were handling this year. They turned these stories into monologues and compiled them into five volumes, released on Wednesdays starting Nov. 11. Remaining volumes will be released at 7 p.m., on Nov. 25, and Dec. 2 and 9. Donations are accepted online through the Pima Foundation: $10 for one volume, $45 for all, or (with student discount) $5 for one volume, $20 for all. Proceeds from this project will go toward the new Achievement Award fund for low-income new students pursuing theater. If you have questions, email centerforthearts@pima.edu.

Sculpture-On-Campus Virtual Exhibit
Seven new works of art have been added to the Sculpture-On-Campus exhibit at East Campus. The artists are Olivier Mosset, Willie Ray Parish, Kevin Caron, Joan Waters, Jorge Caballero and Ivan Castro, Carlton Bradford, and Piper Bast, SOC’s first Pima art student selection. View the new sculptures and hear from the artists behind them on the PCCTV YouTube Channel.

Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery – Reimagining Still Life – Virtual Exhibit
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.

Employees Honored for Years of Service, Time Capsule Shown Dec. 15
Save the date of Dec. 15 for the Chancellor’s Special Virtual All College Meeting: Employees Years of Service Celebration and Time Capsule Presentation.

The event will be livestreamed from 3 to 4 p.m., on the PCCTV YouTube Channel. All employees soon will be receiving an email with details. If you have questions, email collegeevents@pima.edu.

Grease Collection and Recycling Event at Pima's West and Northwest Campuses Jan. 9
Pima’s Facilities and Environmental Health and Safety are partnering with the Pima County Wastewater Reclamation Department to host a grease collection and recycling event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 9. The collected grease will be recycled into biodiesel fuel. For more information and additional site locations, visit pima.gov/grease.

Cababi Art & Literary Magazine Looking for Art and Literary Submissions
Cababi Art & Literary Magazine is looking for art and literary submissions for the 2020-2021 edition. Cababi is the official Pima publication that features art, literature and special projects by full-time and part-time faculty, staff and administrators. Cababi is seeking submissions in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, all visual arts and live performances through Jan. 13. Visit cababiartliterarymagazine.submittable.com/submit.

Adobe Flash Player Support Ends Dec. 31
Adobe Flash officially will come to the end of its life on Dec. 31. In early 2021, Microsoft will begin rolling out an update that removes Flash from all Windows and Mac operating systems. So, employees should not use Flash Player after Dec. 31. Adobe strongly encourages users to migrate to other open web standards like HTML5. To learn more about the Adobe Flash Player end-of-life roadmap, visit the Adobe Flash Player EOL General Information Page.

Library Online Request and Curbside Pickup Improvements
While the campus libraries remain closed, you still can borrow books and DVDs using the Books and More search option on the Library’s homepage. Additional options for daytime and evening pickup options at West Campus now are available.

Library Course Reserve Textbook Scanning Appointments
Students now can make an appointment to use one of the Library Course Reserve Textbooks to scan, photograph, take notes from or read. Appointments can be scheduled between 4 and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and noon and 2 p.m. on Wednesdays. For more information, go to libguides.pima.edu/course_reserves.

Changes to Improve Network Security
In the interest of protecting student data, the following applications now require employees to connect to the College’s Virtual Private Network (VPN):

  • Student Academic Profile
  • Student Academic History Classlist
  • Veterans Dashboard
  • PLA Workflow (application used by employees)

If you need to request VPN access, submit a service ticket by selecting ”VPN Access“ under Popular Services on MyPima.

EvaluationKIT Online Course Evaluation and Survey System
Over the past few months, the Office of Strategy, Analytics and Research (STAR), the Faculty Evaluation Workgroup and the D2L team have been working to streamline the process of capturing student feedback with EvaluationKIT. EvaluationKIT, a web-based course evaluation and survey software, has been implemented for some courses this fall. Full implementation is planned for the spring. If you have questions or concerns regarding course evaluations/EvaluationKIT, email pcc-feedback@pima.edu.

Virtual Web Intelligence Interactive Reports Training
Organizational Effectiveness & Development is offering a Virtual Web Intelligence (WebI) Interactive Reports Training workshop. In this course, participants will learn how to find, customize and filter reports, and how to sort, delete, restore and convert simple tables to simple charts and more. To register, log into MyPima and MyCareerCenter. For questions or assistance, email Organizational Effectiveness & Development or Ozlem Kacira. To request a reasonable accommodation to participate, email esc-ada@pima.edu.

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.

Volunteers 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.

Employee Wellness

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

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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