Time is running out to put your nomination in for the annual Larry Atkins award to be awarded at the Fall Employee gathering in October.  Please take a minute and nominate a very deserving employee. (One from each employee category Wage, Classified and Admin Faculty, will be selected).  You can submit your nominations through the nomination form.

The following message is from Facilities Services:

Closure of Woodard Hall has been extended through Wednesday, August 19, due to construction. The Post Office will continue to operate normal hours with access from Campus Walk, however all other portions of the building will not be accessible during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience. If you have questions, please contact Sid Lambiotte or Joey Straughan at 654-1047.

The following message is from the Vice President for Student Affairs:

As the new Vice President for Student Affairs, I write to you with an important announcement about the reorganization of two club sports, rugby and crew. With the commencement of the 2015-16 academic year, the male and female squads of rugby and crew will no longer be a part of the University’s club sports program and will, instead, come under the supervision of Director of Athletics Ken Tyler. While not varsity teams under the NCAA banner, crew and rugby are in a distinct category in that they both have national governing bodies and they participate in collegiate championships.

According to Ken Tyler, this move indicates “an additional layer of oversight for the four squads as well as increased eligibility standards.”  He also said that each participant will be expected to sign the Athletic Department Code of Conduct and will be subject to random drug testing, the same as all varsity athletes.

Men’s rugby at UMW, which has been under suspension and inactive since last March, will have a new coach, Min Sae Chae, when it becomes active again, effective August 15, 2015. In addition, the squad will be guided by a six-member advisory committee that includes a parent and faculty members.

With the exception of incoming members, all rugby players completed requirements of the sanctions imposed last semester. In addition to being under probation for the coming year, all members of the men’s rugby squad will participate in an additional sensitivity awareness session, according to Ken Tyler.

Juliette Landphair, Ph.D.

Vice President for Student Affairs

University of Mary Washington

540-654-1062

jlandpha@umw.edu

Note from Sabrina:  Washington National is also offering a  guaranteed issue  life insurance policy for up to $50,000 and other voluntary coverage options, which include Cancer, Heart and Intensive Care policies  This issue is contingent upon the enrollment of 74 employees. All employees, full and part time, are eligible.  If you have not enrolled in the state’s optional life insurance program, think carefully about your life insurance beyond your UMW employment.  If you have  enrolled in the state’s optional life insurance program… you are encouraged to  check and compare your current premiums and coverage.  Part time employees are  eligible for this guaranteed issue.   You may contact Denise Frye at dfrye2@umw.edu, with any questions. 

The following announcement and attached flyer have been prepared by Washington National for your information. 

Washington National Insurance Company,

one of the Commonwealth of Virginia approved payroll deduction supplemental health insurance companies for over 20 years, will be introducing the offering of Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance that will be available to the University of Mary Washington Staff.

It is highly encouraged that you attend to learn about the significance of this offering.

Representatives will also review their supplemental voluntary health benefits which include Cancer, Heart, and Intensive care policies which have a unique return of premium feature and accident policies with or without short term disability.

Everyone that meets with a Washington National representative receives a free gift and a ticket for a special drawing.

When: August 10 – 14, 2015;  8 am – 5 pm

Where: GW 106

Additional Dates in Lee Hall 412

September 8,15, 21, 29 & 30

October 13,14,15

The following message is from the Office of the President: 

University of Mary Washington President Richard V. Hurley has received the first set of recommendations from a special task force he established fall semester 2014 in the wake of heightened awareness about sexual assaults on college campuses.

Among numerous recommendations from the President’s Task Force on Sexual Assault are two that are already in progress: UMW will hire a full-time sexual assault prevention specialist, and all members of the campus community will take mandatory sexual assault prevention training.

In announcing establishment of the task force, made up of faculty, staff, and students, President Hurley stated that he was “committed to taking a strong preemptive stance” and he charged the task force with “proactively considering issues of campus sexual assault and sexual misconduct and making recommendations to ensure that UMW is appropriately addressing these matters.”

While the task force is finalizing its report, many of the recommendations are already being implemented. Selection is near completion for the sexual assault and prevention specialist. This full-time staff member will centralize education and prevention strategies for staff, students, and faculty. In addition, educational software has been purchased so that the online sexual assault prevention training, required for every student, staff and faculty member, can begin this fall.

Also under way is another task force recommendation: bystander intervention training for all incoming students, as well as separate training for all orientation leaders, resident assistants and athletes.

Dr. Leah Cox, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion and UMW’s Title IX Coordinator, chairs the task force. She is well versed in Title IX and sexual assault issues and was invited to serve on the statewide task force appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe to deal with matters of sexual misconduct and sexual assault on college campuses.  Based on a statewide mandate, a campus-wide “climate” survey will be conducted this fall to measure the true incidence of attempted and actual sexual assaults on campus.

Further, task force and other discussions among campus constituencies have led to the following:

• An on-campus sexual assault support group will be convened this fall.
• A showing of The Hunting Ground, an exposé of the startling prevalence of sexual assault at bastions of higher learning and of the powerful interests that re-victimize vulnerable students while shielding perpetrators, will take place at the ITCC on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m., followed by a panel discussion. This initiative is a partnership of various local agencies, community colleges and foundations.
• An innovative new mobile safety app has been procured and is now available for the university community beginning with the fall semester. Known as RAVE Guardian, the app can be downloaded free of charge by anyone in the UMW network to their smartphones. Users will have one-touch connection to UMW police or 911, be able to discretely send a text or digital image during an emergency, and have their location tracked when at risk.
• Title IX Tuesdays will begin in the fall semester. These monthly forums and workshops will include an open dialogue on various issues related to sexual assault, consent, prevention and intimate partner violence.
• A year-long series on civility will get under way in early September with the first forum  focused on ”Anonymous Speech in the Age of Social Media.” The forum will discuss the ethical, responsible and civil use of apps such as Yik Yak. Other sessions will focus on conflict resolution and on topics such as racism and feminism.

The following message is from the UMW Emergency Communications Center: 

The University of Mary Washington introduces an innovative new mobile safety app to the university community beginning in the fall semester. Known as RAVE Guardian, the safety app can be downloaded free of charge by anyone in the UMW network to their smartphones.

“Ensuring a safe and secure environment is paramount at UMW,” said UMW Police Chief Michael Hall. “This app is targeted toward students, but it will provide an added level of security for anyone in the university community. We recommend that everyone take advantage of this tool.”

Once activated, the app provides the user one-touch connection to UMW police or 911, displays the user’s GPS location and enables a text or digital image to be sent. The user also can set a safety timer to share with a selected group of friends or family members within his or her virtual safety network. For instance, before walking alone at night, a student could set the timer in order for the student’s trip to be monitored by GPS, Hall said. The timer will alert friends, family or emergency officials if the clock expires before the student has reached his or her destination.

To download the RAVE Guardian app, go to the Apple Store (iPhone users) or Google Play (Android users).

Even with the app, Hall urges the UMW community to continue to exercise sound safety practices. Everyone should always be aware of their surroundings, watch out for each other and take precautions wherever possible. He reminds students to walk in groups, especially late at night.

In addition to the safety app, the University provides a “Blue Light” emergency phone system strategically placed throughout the Fredericksburg campus that connects automatically to the Emergency Communications Center. Members of the UMW community can ask for a Safety Escort by calling from a Blue Light phone, dialing 4444 from a campus landline or 540-654-4444 from a cell phone. The university also has adopted the UMW Alerts notification system to inform the UMW community of an emergency or inclement weather.

Coming September 1st, 10th & 14th, 2015:

New York Life Insurance Company “Commonwealth of Virginia” Voluntary payroll deduction Guaranteed Issue Employee Whole Life Plan

What has changed? For a limited time only New York Life Insurance Company is allowing any full time employee and their family members to participate in a one time offering. Each employee has the option to purchase a portable, cash value whole life insurance policy ranging from a minimum $5,000 to a maximum $200,000 death benefit on a guaranteed issue basis, No medical questions and no physical.  Employees also have the ability to extend a guaranteed issue whole life policy with a minimum $5,000 and maximum $25,000 death benefit to their spouses, domestic partners, children and grandchildren with no medical questions if the employee participates. 

Why is this benefit important? Many employees or family members may not be able to otherwise qualify for or be highly rated for an “individually owned” cash value whole life insurance policy due to medical or other reasons. Guaranteed issue is the ability for any employee to participate with no exclusions. Employees or family members who have suffered a heart attack, cancer, stroke, or other preexisting condition can now participate. 

Where and when do these enrollments take place? At the University of Mary Washington our introduction enrollment dates are September 1, September 10 and September 14, 2015.  The enrollment process takes about 15 minutes per employee and can be completed on site. Representatives of New York Life will set up in Lee Hall room 412 from 9:00am to 5:00pm.  Brief presentations about the product will be given at 9:00am, 12:00pm and 3:00pm. It is important that you meet with an agent to make sure you understand what is being offered. Employees may sign up for a brief individual meeting to complete paperwork. It is important to understand that during the initial open enrollment period employees will be given the opportunity to elect or decline the benefit. Because of the guaranteed issue provision, after the open enrollment period, only new hires and those who initially elected to take at least a minimum $5,000 policy will be allowed to add to their coverage on a guaranteed issue basis.

What do you need to bring? For any family member you plan to insure, please bring their date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number and expiration date of driver’s license (if applicable).

Eligibility: The requirements for eligibility are:

• Must have been employed by Commonwealth of Virginia on a full time basis for at least six months.
• During the last three months, the employee has been actively and continuously at work on a full time basis (at least 30 hours per week) except for vacations, normal non-working days, and other absences totaling no more than 5 days.
• If an employee is working part time at multiple qualifying departments, but cumulative hours are above 30, they are eligible for this benefit.
• Employees also have the ability to extend a guaranteed issue whole life policy with a minimum $5,000 and maximum $25,000 death benefit to their spouses, children and grandchildren with no medical questions if the employee participates.

If you have questions, please contact one of these Representatives directly.

Mark P. Riley                                Albert R. Copland                       

211 McLaws Cir. Ste 1                    4732 Longhill Rd. Ste 3101               

Williamsburg, VA 23185                 Williamsburg, VA 23188

Office: (757) 229-2900                  Office: (757) 229-2054

mpriley@ft.newyorklife.com           acopland@ft.newyorklife.com

Below is a link to a video that briefly explains the New York Life Employee Whole Life Insurance Plan.

*One disclaimer to the video is that Commonwealth of Virginia Employees are able to keep a portion of their group term life insurance coverage at retirement.

http://www.newyorklife.com/new-york-life-at-work

IT Support Services – Notice of Planned Downtime

System:  Faculty and Staff email systems

Maintenance Start Time:  5pm Friday, July 31, 2015

Maintenance End Time:  12am, Saturday, August 1, 2015

Impact to You:  On the evening of Friday, July 31, UMW technicians will be performing maintenance on the Faculty and Staff email servers.  This maintenance will require some configuration changes.  When these changes are made, any users connected to the Outlook client or to the Outlook Web interface will be disconnected.  If you are in either of these applications, close the application and log in again.

As part of this maintenance, the login page for the Outlook Web interface will look very different.  A sample of the new login page is provided below.  After you log in, the interface will be the current web interface.

Updates:  If needed, updates will be posted to our Twitter feed:  twitter.com/umwIT

Thanks for your patience as this work is completed.  Please contact the IT Help Desk if you have any questions or concerns.

Edward Gray

Systems Integration and Support Specialist

Information Technology Support Services

University of Mary Washington

IT Convergence Center, Room 112

1301 College Ave

Fredericksburg, VA 22401 Help Desk Phone: 540-654-2255

This message is from the UMW IT Help Desk:

On July 29th, Microsoft releases the new Windows 10 operating system. This OS is a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 computers, and Microsoft is providing ways for users to download and install it on or shortly after July 29th.  At this time, UMW IT staff asks that you DO NOT upgrade any UMW-owned computers to Windows 10.

As with any new operating system, the UMW IT staff will need some time to test Windows 10 to understand that it operates as we expect, works with all of our systems, and that sufficient antivirus and other software is compatible and available.  In most cases, we have set up UMW-owned Windows 7 computers so they WILL NOT automatically upgrade to Windows 10.  If your UMW-owned system does ask you to upgrade, please DO NOT upgrade, but instead contact the Help Desk and our staff will follow up.

Some UMW-owned computers running Windows 8 may receive notifications from Microsoft asking them to upgrade to Windows 10.  For the same reasons stated above, DO NOT upgrade at this time.

Personally owned Windows 7 and 8 machines will also have the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost.  It is certainly your decision to upgrade your personal computer, but until we better understand how Windows 10 interacts with UMW systems, we recommend that you delay the upgrade, especially if you have special needs and configurations necessary to connect to specialized systems (VPN, Banner INB, MyTime, etc.) or for working remotely.  If you do upgrade a personally owned computer, please understand that the Help Desk will initially have very limited ability to diagnose or fix issues related to a Windows 10 upgrade. We will do our best to assist, but there may be some issues that take time to resolve, or may only be resolved by rolling back to Windows 7 or 8.  The Help Desk will not be in a position to assist users in such a roll back to Windows 7 or 8 on their personal machines.  If you upgrade and need to roll back, you should plan to have that work performed on your own.

UMW IT will be looking at Windows 10 immediately as we expect new personally owned computers (faculty, staff and students) to have Windows 10 installed by default soon after release.  We expect to have some preliminary testing of Windows 10 completed by mid August.  IT staff will follow up with the community on their recommendations for Windows 10 at that time.

All UMW labs, classrooms and conference spaces will continue to use Windows 7 for the entire 2015-16 academic year.

Please contact the Help Desk if you have any questions or concerns.

Phone:  540-654-2255 In Person:  ITCC Room 112 Email:  helpdesk@umw.edu Website:  technology.umw.edu/helpdesk