Exciting changes are coming for the EcoPass and CollegePass. Starting Sept. 1, the Buff OneCard will serve as the bus pass for all eligible faculty, staff and students. You will no longer have to keep track of multiple cards. Just like before, when boarding the bus, just tap your Buff OneCard on the reader, show the driver your ID, and find a seat. That’s it!

All existing EcoPasses will begin to be phased out in the weeks following the change, so make sure you are using your Buff OneCard beginning September 1st. 

Staff eligibility details are on the Parking and Transportation bus webpage. Full details on how to replace lost or stolen cards are on the Buff OneCard website.

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Who doesn’t love a good deal? As a CU staff member, you are eligible for a number of discounts (and even free!) services that you may already be paying for. Staff Council would like to highlight just a few of those as we head into the fall semester.

Daily Camera, $12 annual unlimited digital access

Take advantage of this special academic rate (verification required). $12 for the first year, then $1 per month thereafter, gives you the following benefits:

• Unlimited access to DailyCamera.com articles
• Digital Replica Edition
• Account sharing with family members

To get started, visit , create an account, and follow the instructions to verify your CU affiliation. 

Also, did you know that you can use your identikey to access to more than 50 publications, absolutely free? Visit University Libraries digital newspaper collection webpage to learn more. 

Free ‘Calm’ app membership to Kaiser Permanente health plan subscribers

CU Kaiser Permanente health plan members may be eligible for a free membership to the Calm app, as well as several other wellness apps. Explore apps that can benefit anyone — as self-guided self-care or complements to clinical support. They’re not intended to replace treatment or advice, but they can help you build resilience, set goals, and take meaningful steps toward becoming a healthier, happier you.

Kaiser Permanente health plan members can visit the to learn more. Restrictions apply. 

Save money with CU Libraries services, including ‘Video Creation Station’, free writing consultants, and so much more

We all know CU libraries are a great study spot for students, and a resource for academic work on campus. But did you also know that they offer a wide variety of services outside of academic purposes. Just some of the resources include:

• CU Writing Center - one-on-one writing feedback and advice, including resumes and cover letters
• Video Creation Station - easy-to-use facility is equipped with video and audio recording technologies for CU faculty and staff to create instructional content like lectures for MOOOCs, podcasts, etc
• Media Conversion - digitalize or reformat a variety of analog (pictures, slides, VHS’s) and digital media for academic, promotional or personal use. 

Visit the University Libraries Services page for a comprehensive list of what they can offer! 

Know of a little-known perk you want to share with your fellow staff members? Send us a message and your perk could be featured in our next newsletter. 

Please note that this article is meant for informational purposes only and restrictions may apply. While we are happy to share this information, we are at this time unable to provide guidance on how to claim these benefits. 

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With a valid CU BuffOne card, CU faculty and staff can receive one of our Fiske Punch Cards. We ask every employee to fill out their name and department on the back of the card. The card can be punched once for each person in a group so if a faculty/staff member arrives with a family of five, we will punch the card five times. The punch card alternates between the following rewards:

1. Free ticket
2. Regular priced ticket
3. 50% discount

The rewards are redeemed each time a star is punched. 

Adult tickets for planetarium shows are $12 and student, teacher (k-12), youth, military/veteran, and senior tickets are $8.

Fiske Planetarium is also a Blue Star Museum, a member of the ASTC Travel Passport Program, and a participant in the Museums for All program. I listed detailed information about the programs below.

Blue Star Museum

We provide free tickets to any active-duty military personnel and their families starting on Armed Forces Day, May 20th, through Labor Day, September 4th.

ASTC Travel Passport Program

The ASTC Travel Passport Program includes 500+ science centers, museums, nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, and gardens. Anyone who brings in a membership card from another ASTC institution receives a 50% discount on regular shows and a 10% discount on our gift shop. (These are also the same benefits we offer Fiske Planetarium members. To become a Fiske Planetarium member and/or learn more about the program, you can click here for more information: /fiske/membership)

Museums for All

Anyone with a Medicaid or EBT/SNAP card receives $1 admission to our regular shows. Everyone in the group receives this discount. 

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In an effort to use more inclusive language in emergency alerts and other communication during critical incidents, CU �鶹ӰԺ Police (CUPD) are expanding their diversity, equity and inclusion training. 

An ad hoc advisory committee comprising of officers and staff members from CUPD, the Center for African and African American Studies, (CAAAS), the College of Arts and Sciences Office for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) recently collaborated on language changes to be used in future emergency communication, including suspect descriptions.  

CUPD Chief Doreen Jokerst reviewed alerts language shared by other Pac-12 schools, which helped the group to identify more inclusive practices. JEDI will offer CUPD officers and staff inclusive language training, introducing concepts such as microaggressions, wording intent versus impact and the importance of taking feedback. The training is designed as a space to learn from one another and come away with adaptable communication practices. 

Patricia Gonzalez, assistant dean for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences, is part of the group advising CUPD on the importance of using inclusive alerts language and will deliver the training. 

“A committee made up of different campus members is important because JEDI work should not be isolated work based on your job title or office title, but rather collective work that pushes us to strive to be better as a community for the people that we serve,” she said. 
Gonzalez worked with CUPD in spring to implement a more inclusive practice of allowing students, faculty and staff to receive alerts in languages other than English and said CUPD has shown it is responsive to receiving feedback from the community and being proactive to creating change within the department. 

Reiland Rabaka, CAAAS director and professor of African, African American and Caribbean Studies, also contributed feedback on alerts language as part of the CUPD ad hoc advisory committee. 

“Chief Jokerst and I have an open and ongoing dialogue regarding a number of important issues impacting various Black, Indigenous and other people of color on the CU �鶹ӰԺ campus,” he said. 

“Through our meetings and dialogues the chief and I have gotten to know and, indeed, humanize each other. I see her as a person, first and foremost, and second as a police chief, and she sees me as a person, first, and second as a professor,” Rabaka said. “We both believe that CUPD has a pivotal role to play, not simply in keeping CU safe and secure, but in helping diverse and often excluded campus community members feel seen and heard and, most of all, welcomed and wanted at CU.” 

Alerts language revisions are expected to include more accurate, inclusive language around suspect descriptions pertaining to race and ethnicity. Only behaviors are considered suspicious –– and not race, ethnicity or perceived gender or religious affiliations –– and CUPD will revise its statement, which appears on the to include protected class information. 

CUPD will continue to work with the ad hoc committee on an ongoing basis, looking at emergency communications through a lens of inclusivity. 

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If you’re looking to grow your skills, evaluating your proficiency can be the best way to start. And we’ve all heard of LinkedIn Learning, but navigating the thousands of classes can be overwhelming. 

That’s why in more than 42 topics, based on the most in-demand skills determined by the platform’s data and insights. By taking a skill evaluation, learners can gauge their confidence in a topic and receive personalized course recommendations based on their results. 

Skill Evaluations are a good way to ensure you select the best professional development courses to foster and grow your proficiency. Take any number of the 42 skill evaluations, which include a combination of “hard” skills (such as Excel, Project Management, etc.) and “soft” skills (such as Communication, Time Management, etc.) 

To access the skill evaluations, follow the instructions below:

1. Log on to https://my.cu.edu/
2. Open the “CU Resource” dropdown menu
3. Select “Training”
4. Click the “LinkedIn Learning” tile 

Skill Evaluations can be found on the topic page for a given skill, accessible via browse or search. In-progress and completed Skill Evaluations can be found in “My Learning”. 

If you have any questions, suggestions, or corrections, please email system.training@cu.edu. 

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The start of the academic year can be an exciting time filled with energy and potential. While this may not be your first year on campus, many of us are feeling a sense of adjustment as we head into fall semester. Too often when working in higher education, we metaphorically hold our breaths until the next extended break (i.e., winter, spring or summer break), which can lead to fatigue and burnout. Below are some events and resources we’re excited to share with all staff.

Events

• Employee Benefits and Wellness Fair, Sept. 13, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom
• CU Health & Wellness Summit, Sept. 14, all-day, panel talks in the UMC and online

Free resources

• Faculty Staff Assistance Program - Not only do staff have access to free counseling services, FSAP has just announced their Fall workshop offerings.
• AcademicLiveCare Telehealth - Free telehealth platform that allows staff and faculty to schedule and attend mental health and medical appointments from home, the office or wherever you are on the go.  
• Collegiate Recovery Center - Staff and faculty in recovery or seeking recovery from a variety of behaviors, including substance abuse, can access free support meetings, acudetox, nicotine cessation supplies and more through the CUCRC. 
• Supervisor Development - The department of Human Resources encourages all CU �鶹ӰԺ employees who supervise others to explore supervisor development opportunities. Participate in leadership trainings designed to improve communication, trust, and inclusion within your teams

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As the dog days of summer envelop us, we want to share some reflections and reminders with you all.

2023 Staff & Faculty Engagement Survey

Thank you for taking the Faculty and Staff Engagement Survey! Your 76% participation rate was outstanding, and it demonstrated how important employee well-being is to your departments and teams. 

All unit leaders/supervisors were given access to the engagement survey results report, which can now be accessed on the Faculty & Staff Engagement Survey website. Additionally, Engagement Champions have been designated to be representatives from respective units across campus who will assist in the support and facilitation of faculty and staff engagement in their specific departments. A complete list of engagement champions by unit can be found on the HR website.

In addition to the report, at the beginning of August, engagement champions from all over campus were trained/briefed on how to access the data more in depth and how to work with departments in producing a strategic plan to address the results of the survey. Note that the communication regarding specific unit results may vary across campus. 

We look forward to working with you in the coming weeks and months to strategize and support opportunities for growth and development.

CU Advantage

As the summer temps swelter, there is still time to cool off and take advantage of the incredible benefits and perks we have at CU �鶹ӰԺ. Have you checked out the yet? If you haven’t, you need to. Get information about all sorts of perks, including: 

• Deals on �鶹ӰԺ BCycle memberships 
• Savings of up to 25% on CU Presents events  
• Chiropractic care 
• Parking discounts at DIA
• Bright Horizons child & elder care
• Free group fitness classes at CU Rec
• And so much more! 

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As part of the Hellems Arts and Sciences & Mary Rippon Theatre renovation project, a construction fence will encircle the CU Museum of Natural History from mid-August through January of 2025. However, don’t let this stop you from visiting! Even with construction, our doors are open and there are lots of things to discover. 

Rotating exhibits include:

• Trash the Runway - Young local designers use upcycled and repurposed materials to create innovative garments.
• Antarctica: More Than Meets the Eye - Take a deep dive, beyond Antarctica’s ice, to the ancient Dry Valleys—where CU conducts world-class research! Disponible en Español.
• Unearthed: Ancient Life in the �鶹ӰԺ Valley - Featuring a collection of 80+ stone tools known as the Mahaffy Cache, found in a �鶹ӰԺ backyard in 2008.

Visit the museum website for more information about how to access our building, hours of operation and so much more.

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Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) is excited to announce that they will be extending their popular $5 daily parking rate through the Fall 2023 semester. 

Intended for faculty and staff who only need occasional parking on campus, the program allows users to purchase spaces in various available lots in advance for a discounted daily rate of $5 per day. Purchases can be completed via the . Additionally, step-by-step instructions are available on the Parking and Transportation Options page.

A few important things to remember:

• You must use the CU �鶹ӰԺ Parking Services portal to purchase your day permit. It will not work on the ParkMobile app or the CU-specific ParkMobile website used in previous semesters.
• This rate applies to specific lots and is dependent on space availability. If possible, always check the parking portal for availability prior to parking in a specific lot.
• Permits are available for purchase to accounts in good standing, meaning accounts with a $0 balance due. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact Parking Services directly to request an exemption.

We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues, and if this benefit has helped you, share that feedback with PTS. Positive feedback is always appreciated and is shared in discussions on continuing this program for future semesters. 
 

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Details

When: September 10th
Time: 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Where: , 800 Cherry Ave, �鶹ӰԺ, CO 80304

The City of �鶹ӰԺ is excited to invite all community members and their families to “What’s Up �鶹ӰԺ?”, taking place Sunday, September 10th. This event brings together all city departments to engage in dialogue with you about a variety of plans and projects. We’ll have free dessert, entertainment, family-friendly activities, and opportunities to chat with Council members.

Even if you are not a �鶹ӰԺ resident, CU employees are encouraged to attend as the decisions made by the City of �鶹ӰԺ may impact the work you do at CU!

Bring your outdoor blanket and chairs to enjoy a free, fun afternoon with us. For more information, visit the . 

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