News for Employees
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Academic Calendar Includes Religious Observances
The Office of the Secretary of the Faculty offers a Religious Observances Academic Calendar that includes dates of religious observances representing various faiths, along with election dates. The calendar is designed to support UW–Madison’s Religious Observances Policy for students and instructors. It is not a comprehensive list of all significant religious observances, but may also be useful to anyone on campus when planning events, celebrations, and more. The calendar is available online and is also provided as a shared calendar in Outlook named “SoF Academic Calendar & Religious Observances.” Religious observances for future semesters will continue to appear on the Outlook calendar until those dates are finalized about three weeks prior to the start of the semester. The calendar, as well as instructions on adding the calendar to an Outlook account, can be found at secfac.wisc.edu/academic-calendar.
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America Saves Week Supports Financial Well-Being
UW–Madison employees can take advantage of free financial resources during America Saves Week, February 21–25. America Saves Week encourages individuals and families to set a goal and make a plan to achieve financial stability. The week-long campaign features webinars on a variety of financial topics, credit checks from UW Credit Union, and other resources. All events are free, but some events and individual consultations require registration or an appointment. Visit wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/americasaves for a complete schedule.
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Protect Yourself from Scams and Fraud
The UW–Madison Police Department (UWPD) is reporting that online scams and fraud are increasing on campus. Scammers and fraudsters are constantly coming up with new ways to steal money from people. You can protect your finances and your identity by following the tips offered by UWPD. If you are in doubt about an email, text, or phone call, contact UWPD. An officer or a dispatcher can help you determine whether it is legitimate or a scam. And remember: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Find helpful advice about staying safe at uwpd.wisc.edu/online-scams.
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Informational Sessions on Becoming a Volunteer Tutor
The Volunteer Tutoring Program matches tutors with UW–Madison employees who have individual learning goals such as practicing English conversation, improving reading and writing skills, understanding culture, or learning basic computer skills. Participating learners are UW–Madison employees and J-1 visiting scholars. Tutors can be UW employees, students, or community members. Cultural Linguistic Services is offering free online informational sessions about becoming a volunteer tutor. Upcoming sessions will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 10–11 a.m., and Wednesday, March 9, 1–2 p.m. Advance registration is not required.
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Active Badger Day Offers Something for Everyone
Rec Well will be offering a full day and evening of fitness activities for faculty, staff, and students on Active Badger Day, Thursday, March 3. Highlights include both virtual and in-person fitness classes, self-guided tours of the Chazen Museum, special menu items at Gordon Lakes Market and Four Lakes Market, yoga, meditation practice, and more. Learn more at recwell.wisc.edu/activebadgerday.
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Where to Get COVID-19 Antigen Tests and Masks
UW–Madison is making at-home antigen test kits available to employees and students, with a limit of one test kit per person each week, supplies permitting. A valid Wiscard and access to MyUHS are required. Pickup is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Memorial Union on Mondays and Fridays and at Union South Tuesdays through Thursdays. (Go to the Campus and Community Information Desk.) PCR testing remains available by appointment on weekdays at the University Club.
Free N95/KN95 masks continue to be provided to instructors and other front-line/public-facing employees. For employees in non-public-facing roles, surgical masks are available. Masks are being distributed to employees through their department or unit. Off-campus, free N95 masks are now available at many pharmacies and community health centers. Antigen test kits are also available off-campus, including four free kits offered by Covidtests.gov and up to eight free kits per person per month covered by health insurance. For ongoing campus updates, go to covidresponse.wisc.edu.
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Survey Seeks Employee Feedback on Administrative Services
UW–Madison employees — including faculty, staff, postdoctoral and graduate assistants — are encouraged to participate in the Administrative Quality Satisfaction Survey. This survey asks participants for feedback about their experience with eight categories of administrative services: communications, facilities, finance, general administration, human resources, information technology, research administration and student services. UW–Madison has partnered with HelioCampus, a third-party organization, to distribute the survey, support analysis, and keep responses confidential. Employees received an email from Provost Karl Scholz and Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Rob Cramer via HelioCampus on February 3, with a link to complete the survey. Details about the survey, including frequently asked questions and answers, can be found at vc.wisc.edu/aqss.
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New Zoom Miniumum Version Update February 17
Effective February 17, the minimum version requirement for the Zoom computer and mobile application will be updated from 5.6.3 to 5.8.6. All UW–Madison Zoom accounts and individuals attending UW–Madison Zoom hosted meetings will be required to use version 5.8.6 or later.
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Get Your Booster Dose on Campus or Share Your Vaccination Record
Everyone who is eligible for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended to get one as soon as possible for the best protection against COVID-19 infection and serious illness. University Health Services (UHS) has expanded capacity at its no-cost campus vaccination clinic and has appointments available. If you already received a booster shot off-campus, let UHS know by sharing your records through the MyUHS website or app. Please have an image of your vaccination record ready for upload in one of the following file formats: PDF, PNG, JGP or JPEG. Sharing this information will help UW–Madison maintain more accurate information about our community and continue to develop plans to keep all members of our campus community safe. For more information, visit covidresponse.wisc.edu.
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Showcase Sessions Finalized; Registration Open
Showcase 2022 will be held Tuesday, March 8, at Union South. This free annual event highlights innovations and improvements on campus, and features a poster exhibition, poster flash talks, breakout sessions, and a keynote presentation by Chancellor Rebecca Blank. As currently planned, Showcase 2022 includes in-person, live streamed, and interactive online sessions. Those who plan to attend any of the online sessions must register by Monday, March 7, at 5 p.m. to receive the links to those sessions. Event registrations will also be accepted at the door, but will not include access to the online sessions. The event schedule, including a list of breakout sessions, is now available. For details and to register, visit showcase.wisc.edu.