@PimaNews

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May 30, 2024

• College Updates
  • @PimaNews Summer Schedule
  • Request to Transfer Sick to Annual Leave by June 30
  • 2024 High School Equivalency Graduation Ceremony June 6 at TCC Linda Ronstadt Music Hall
  • Card Reader Enhancements
  • DEI Updates
  • Staff Professional Development Funds Applications for Non-Exempt and Exempt Employees
  • Celebrating Outstanding Student Workers and Their Supervisors
  • Tips on D2L in the Brightspace Bulletin
  • Submit a Pima Story Idea
• Pima Arts
  • Check out the ongoing and upcoming shows
• Employee Wellness
  • Sign Up for Virtual Workshops and Challenges

College Updates

@PimaNews Summer Schedule
The remaining @PimaNews summer publication schedule is June 13 and 27, July 11 and 25, and Aug. 8 and 22. The first issue of fall 2024 semester is Aug. 29. The deadline for submitting announcements is noon, Mondays, the week of publication. Items should be limited to 75 words. 

Request to Transfer Sick to Annual Leave by June 30
To encourage the practical use of sick leave, the College allows staff and administrators to request the transfer of up to 40 hours of unused sick leave to annual leave each June. All eligible staff and administrative personnel have until the end of June to submit a request. To be eligible, an employee must be:

• A regular, full-time staff or administrator
• Have passed the initial hire probation period at the time of the request, AND 
• Have used no more than six days of sick leave during the fiscal year. 

All eligible transfers will take place by July 31.  

To check your sick leave usage for the current fiscal year, you can log into your Self Service Dashboard in MyPima and click on Full Leave Balance Information. Personal leave days charged to sick leave are not considered when determining eligible leave to transfer. For details, refer to the Transfer of Sick Leave to Annual Leave portion of the Sick Leave section of the Employee Handbook. For any questions, please contact the Employee Service Center, at [email protected].  

2024 High School Equivalency Graduation Ceremony June 6 at TCC Linda Ronstadt Music Hall
Pima Community College will celebrate this year's High School Equivalency graduates at 6:30 p.m., June 6. The event will take place at the Tucson Convention Center Linda Ronstadt Music Hall. Family, friends, fellow students and community members are invited to attend. 

The one-hour ceremony will be recorded and available to view after the ceremony for those who are not able to attend. TCC has a clear bag policy that can be found on the arena’s information page. 

Card Reader Enhancements
Facilities have added the following card reader enhancements to support the college community’s safety and resource security. The College uses a combination of access measures including schedules, classroom lock buttons and double tap. Double tap is the process of presenting a card twice at a card reader with the second presentation reversing the prior lock status (i.e., unlock to lock). Access will continue through keys and push button codes for doors without card readers, as appropriate. Verify the door is secure when leaving an area after use of the classroom lock button or double tap. 

• Classrooms:  Classroom push buttons allow individuals with access to reverse the prior lock state (i.e., unlock when arriving and lock when leaving) with a push of a button. College employees shall be present when a space is open. 
• Public spaces: Campus vice presidents determine operational hours for public spaces. Examples of public spaces are main entrances to buildings and restrooms. 
• Do not leave occupied spaces unattended due to security and liability risks.
• Thank you for your diligence in keeping yourselves, each other and our college community safe.
• Always contact College Police if you will be accessing college spaces outside of operational hours. 

DEI Updates
Welcome to a series celebrating the rich tapestry of cultures within the academic community at Pima in honor of AAPI Cultural Heritage Month in May. Over the next few weeks, stories will spotlight the diverse backgrounds and invaluable contributions of Pima’s esteemed faculty and staff members. Through their stories, experiences and expertise, you can explore the myriad ways in which Asian and Pacific Islander heritage enriches and shapes the College. Recognizing and celebrating the vibrant mosaic of identities that make Pima’s campuses a truly inclusive and dynamic place to learn and grow, this week’s spotlight is on Vivian Knight, Darryl Wong and Sruira Loylom Weirich. 

Staff Professional Development Funds Applications for Non-Exempt and Exempt Employees
Starting June 3, the Staff Professional Development (SPD) Working Group will accept Professional Development/Educational Funds applications for fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025) for eligible regular full-time non-exempt and exempt staff (director level and below).

Do not use the current application that is on the intranet to apply for FY25 funds, as a new form will be posted on June 3. FY25 applications received using the FY24 form will be deleted. The first round of SPD applications will be reviewed after July 15. The application form, as well as related guidelines and policies, can be found on the Human Resources>>Organizational Effectiveness & Development intranet page. For questions, email [email protected]. Supervisors and employees should discuss their SPD application prior to submitting it and supervisors must send their approval email to [email protected]. Any application without a supervisor’s approval email, will delay review of that application.

Faculty and adjunct faculty should contact their division for assistance with applying for Faculty Professional Development Funds.

Note that the cutoff to submit current fiscal year applications (FY24) is 5 p.m., June 14.

Celebrating Outstanding Student Workers and Their Supervisors
Pima celebrated National Student Employment Week (NSEW) April 8-12 with the Student Employee of the Year Awards Ceremony. Nominations for student employees and student employee supervisors were received and evaluated.

See the list of nominees and winners and photos from the event. Congratulations to the “Student Employee of the Year” Sam Salapanov and the “Student Employee Supervisor of the Year” Jodi Perin. Please join the College in congratulating them on their contributions to Pima and the community.

Thanks also to the event volunteers and evaluation committee, as well as Charles Wacker, Michael Lich, Greg Wilson, Irene Robles-Lopez, Marcy Euler, Haziel Lopez, Micah Turpin and Jeff Thies, and to the Pima Foundation for supporting the event. If you hire students, don’t forget to submit a nomination next year in January 2025.

Tips on D2L in the Brightspace Bulletin
The Brightspace Bulletin is a newsletter providing updates and tips on D2L, upcoming training and important announcements. It’s designed to keep you informed about all the latest developments related to Brightspace.

Submit a Pima Story Idea
The College wants to highlight the incredible achievements of our outstanding students and alums. We need your help! We want stories to inspire current and potential students, stories that deserve to be shared with our community. If you know of any inspiring success stories or remarkable accomplishments by our students or graduates, we would love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your story ideas. Together let’s shine a spotlight on their achievements and highlight the diverse and remarkable journeys in our Pima community. If you have questions, contact Web Systems. 

Pima Arts News

Check out the ongoing and upcoming shows:

• "Invisible Borders," through June 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tubac Center for the Arts, 9 Plaza Road, Tubac. This exhibit features 31 female photographers, 19 from the Northern States of the Mexican Border and 13 photographers from Tucson.
• “The Oppenheimers: One is Dad, Dimensions of Engineering,” through June 7, Desert Vista Art Gallery, Desert Vista Campus. Free. This exhibit is a narrative of Ernesto A. Trujillo’s father’s tenure in the defense industry through mixed-media prints. His father’s military experience was marred by the quest for more efficient weapons, leading to haunting nightmares. Trujillo’s exhibition offers a glimpse into the darker aspects of innovation. For more information, contact David Andres.
• “Dreamscapes and Other Stories – Student Art Exhibition,” through Aug. 18, The Art Gallery @Downtown Campus. Free. This annual exhibit features paintings and drawings created by Pima art students. For more information, contact Mariana Carreras.
• “PERCEPTION by PaperWorks – The Sonoran Art Collective,” through Sept. 6, Visual Arts Gallery, Second Floor, Santa Rita Building, West Campus. Free. For more information, contact David Andres. Celebrating the endless creativity of paper, this exhibition highlights diverse paper art forms, such as artist books, drawings, paintings and paper prints.

For details, visit the Pima Arts Calendar. For questions, contact 520-206-6986 or [email protected].

Employee Wellness

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

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. The Marketing Office publishes this e-newsletter every Thursday, except when the College is closed for a holiday or break, during the semester and every other week during the summer. Please send announcements and news items – 75 words or fewer ─ to [email protected] by noon on Monday. Check any links before sending. Back issues are available on the @PimaNews webpage. The newsletter also accepts submissions about Pima employee accomplishments.