Osprey Update for Faculty and Staff

Most University offices will be closed to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18. For special hours, view Osprey Connector shuttle information and Dining Services' Hours of Operation. All hours of operation can be viewed on the hours website. 

Free, walk-in COVID-19 testing will be available to all UNF students, faculty and staff during the spring semester at Osprey Landing, Building W, Room 106, as follows:

• Monday: Open noon to 3 p.m.
• Tuesday through Thursday: Open 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Testing is also available by appointment as needed. For questions or to schedule a specific testing time, email UNFcovid@unf.edu.

In coordination with the University's response to protect the UNF community from the spread of COVID-19, the Carpenter Library building is open with the following modifications:

• Open only to current UNF students, faculty and staff
• Valid Osprey 1Card required for entry 
• Masks required at all times 
• Social distance, keep 6 feet apart from others

More information about available Library services and resources can be found on the website.

Paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) expired on Dec. 31, 2020. Paid leave under the FFCRA is no longer available for UNF employees observing isolation or quarantine periods where they are unable to report to work on campus. If the University requires that an employee isolate or quarantine due to exposure and they are able to perform their job duties remotely, it is not necessary to request leave time. Please coordinate accordingly with your supervisor. Employees may take their own accrued sick leave for illness related to COVID-19 or caring for other members of their household who are ill from COVID-19, or they may take annual leave for quarantine periods with no illness upon approval from their immediate supervisor. Leave donation is not applicable to leave related to COVID-19, unless the circumstances meet the criteria for a catastrophic or severe medical condition contained within the Leave Donation Procedures.
 

As a reminder: Employees should submit the Daily Self-Screening via the Safe Ospreys mobile app each day that they intend to report to campus. Employees who are (or have been in close contact with someone) exhibiting symptoms consistent with the published symptoms of COVID-19 or have recently received a positive COVID-19 PCR test result; or have interacted with others, during which time neither they nor those around them were wearing a face covering or maintaining six-foot social distancing (ex. domestic and international travel, attending a family or social gathering) should submit the HR Self-Reporting Form for guidance, self-isolate away from others, seek medical advice, and monitor symptoms.

The Help Desk is experiencing a high volume of service requests this time of year, which will occasionally result in an extended wait time. If a matter is urgent, users are encouraged to visit support.unf.edu to start a chat session. Students, faculty, and staff having issues with their login credentials on the new sign page should visit the Login Help account recovery page.

The electronic 2020 W-2 wage and tax statements will be available through the myWings Employee Self-Service portal Wednesday, Jan. 20, to employees who elected to receive the statement in electronic format. The deadline to elect electronic W-2 is Friday, Jan. 15. Please refer to Instructions for Electronic Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement, Navigation Guide: Online W-2 Consent Form and Navigation Guide: Online W-2 Wage and Tax Statement for assistance. No action is required of active employees who already provided consent.

Paper 2020 W-2 wage and tax statements will be mailed on or before Friday, Jan. 29, to all current employees who didn't elect to receive statements in electronic format and former employees who are required to receive the W-2 statements in paper format. The paper W-2 wage and tax statements will be mailed to each employee’s permanent address, the address printed on payroll checks and myWings pay stubs. Employees should revisit permanent address information and make necessary changes via myWings Employee Self-Service portal by the end of the business day, Friday, Jan. 15, for the W-2 statement to be mailed to a new address.

Questions can be directed to the Payroll Office via email.

All UNF Employees are now required to complete a cyber security awareness training once each calendar year. The 15-minute training course will cover the current hot cyber security topics and be available through myWings under "Employee Tools" or "Student Tools". Employees will get an email when the training is released and they are enrolled. The video course uses real-life examples to show the dangers of the internet and what you need to do to stay safe. Each section has a live demonstration and finishes up with a “security check” quiz at the end. Have fun and remember to "Stop, Look, and Think!"

Students, faculty, and staff have a new login page when signing into UNF services. Users having issues with their login credentials should visit the Login Help account recovery page. The link can be found on the myWings home page. The new login screen instructs users to first enter their UNF email address in the format of (N01234567@unf.edu). Once a valid email address is accepted a password will need to be entered. To finish a secure login, users are required to use DUO for two-factor authentication to verify identity. Visit the Single Sign On page for more instructions.

The Spring 2021 Technology Update is now available for UNF faculty and staff. The Tech Update features recent headlines and developments for UNF ITS. 

• Dr. Thomas G. Carpenter, first president and namesake of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library, passed away at age 94. Read more from UNF and in The Florida Times-Union.
• Dr. Nirmal Patel's, physics lecturer, and his new US patent for a toxic gas sensor was covered by Industrial Equipment News.
• Whitney Meyer, VP diversity and inclusion, named to PS27 Foundation Board of Directors. The Jax Chamber had the story.
• The Military and Veterans Resource Center’s Facilitated Growth Program for military veteran businesses was highlighted by the Florida BOG. Learn more about the program.
• A Seed Grant from the UNF Environmental Center was utilized by Dr. Amber Barnes, public health assistant professor, to conduct the first ever large-scale analysis on water pathogen circulation among Florida residents and animals. Read more.
• Drs. Sean Freeder and Josh Gellers, political science professors, were interviewed by the Tampa Bay Times on the Capitol insurrection and the 25th Amendment.
• UNF sculpture professor Jenny Hager is currently exhibiting “Rust and Satin” at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. Read more.
• Dr. Josh Gellers, political science associate professor, spoke with First Coast News about a class action lawsuit regarding the chemical smell issue in Jacksonville.
• Dr. Tracy Alloway, psychology professor, offers mental health advice for 2021 on First Coast News.
• UNF Student Government hosted Mental Health Awareness Week with daily events for UNF students, faculty and staff. The Closing Ceremony is a 1 p.m. today. Learn more and participate.

Keep up with all the latest Osprey happenings in the UNF Newsroom and UNF in the News. 

The UNF Media Relations team is committed to distributing University news to both the Osprey community and to local, national and global media outlets. Send us any potentially newsworthy information, initiatives, grants, projects, announcements, events or interesting information so we can best share the news. Email the media relations team at communications@unf.edu or contact us directly at:

• Ginny Walthour, director, ginny.walthour@unf.edu
• Amanda Ennis, coordinator, Amanda.ennis@unf.edu
• Nichole Vanderpool, specialist, n.vanderpool@unf.edu

Part of the Field House, Building 26, is being used as a campus tour check-in hub. There are barriers located in Lot 34 near the athletic fields. These pre-purchased spots are reserved for campus tour guests only from now through Friday, April 23.

The Town Center shuttle route has added two additional stops that include Target and Publix. The new route starts on campus in front of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library, Building 12, and stops at the Town Center, near the Men's Warehouse store, then arrives at Target, followed by stopping at Publix, before returning to the Library stop on campus. This route can be viewed through the shuttle map and can be tracked in real-time via DoubleMap app.

The Carpenter Library's featured database for January is Checkpoint. RIA Academic Advantage Core Library uses Checkpoint to provide access to a full-text tax research library and includes United States Tax Reporter, tax cases, IRS material, State and Local Tax, news and tax journals.

The Carpenter Library has launched a digital exhibits program. Curated thematic exhibits will feature resources held by the library and provide an additional means of discovery of materials held by Special Collections and University Archives. 

Instruction librarians are available to provide online training on the Carpenter Library's numerous electronic resources and collections. Sessions are tailored to class needs and cover research tools specific to the subject being taught. Faculty are encouraged to work with librarians to fit course needs with a live session or a completely asynchronous library instruction experience for online courses. Schedule a class.

Interim Provost Karen Patterson and President David Szymanski authorized the two-tier Faculty Development Pandemic (FDP) Funding Program to support the ongoing professional development of faculty. Tier-1 FDP funds, allocated to each college, are accessible through the department. If Tier-1 funds have been exhausted, eligible faculty may request Tier-2 FDP Funding, which will be facilitated by the Office of Faculty Enhancement (OFE) in monthly rounds. The first round is open for submissions through Sunday, Jan. 31. The second submission round will be open from Monday, Feb. 1, through Sunday, Feb. 28, etc. Tier-2 FDP Funding guidelines and a proposal template are available on the webpage.

Cheer on the women's basketball team as it hosts crosstown rival Jacksonville University in the River City Rumble at the UNF Arena as follows:

• Saturday, Jan. 16: 2 p.m.
• Sunday, Jan. 17: 2 p.m.

Admission is free to all at a limited capacity. Per University Guidelines, all fans must wear masks, socially distance, and abide by the clear bag policy. View all game day protocols.

UNF Student Government is hosting Mental Health Awareness Week with daily events for UNF students, faculty and staff. The schedule is as follows:

• Monday, Jan. 11: 1 p.m. Opening Ceremony
  • Registration link: https://unf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZZ3SO1IZSQK8owIVDxMqlQ
• Tuesday, Jan. 12: 11 a.m. Eating Disorder Awareness Conversation
  • Registration link: https://unf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NlICclFMRnWXw3mr-CA6yw
• Wednesday, Jan. 13: 2 p.m. Race, Ethnicity, and Identities: An Open Conversation about Intersectionality of Mental Health
  • Zoom link: https://unf.zoom.us/j/94811798541
• Thursday, Jan. 14: 4 p.m. Empathy in Strange Times: Student and Faculty Conversations
  • Registration link: https://unf.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cRUG2n2jRaSSJ9QH-VkqqQ
• Friday, Jan. 15: 1 p.m. Closing Ceremony
  • Zoom link: https://unf.zoom.us/j/98955255891

The 2020 Senior Art, Art History and Design Exhibition is currently on display at the Delaney Student Union, Building 58E, Lufrano Intercultural Gallery, Room 2401. For more information, email unfgalleries@unf.edu. 

This senior Art, Art History and Design exhibition featuring student artwork from the spring and fall 2020 semesters is on view at the Lufrano Intercultural Gallery in the Delaney Student Union, Building 58E, Room 2401, and the UNF Gallery of Art in Founders Hall, Building 2, Room 1001. Exhibited artwork includes ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. For more information or to make an appointment, visit the Facebook page or email unfgalleries@unf.edu. 

The Taylor Leadership Institute presents the Leading Ladies Speaker Series, a free online webinar series showcasing and celebrating successful, inspiring and innovative women leaders from the community. The first session features special guest Rachael Tutwiler Fortune, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. Access via Zoom at https://unf.zoom.us/j/99258640463.

The Environmental Center will present a workshop discussing single-use plastics and their impact on coastal and marine ecosystems. The workshop will feature Catherine Uden, campaign organizer for Oceana in South Florida. Uden is currently working on numerous Oceana campaigns, including reducing plastic pollution. Oceana is the world’s largest international non-profit organization that focuses solely on protecting the oceans through science-based policy work. Access via Zoom at https://unf.zoom.us/j/92836267639.

Virtually meet Chantel Williams, transition coach for the Military and Veterans Resource Center, who helps students navigate military and community resources, benefits and programs to pave the way for their academic success and beyond. Chantel also oversees the MVRC's scholarships for veterans and military dependents. Access via Zoom at https://unf.zoom.us/j/99997790439.

The Intercultural Center for Peace is looking for individuals who are passionate about promoting cultural awareness for the Asian-American/Desi community to join the Asian-American Pacific-Islander Heritage Month Committee in planning an eventful programming calendar to pay homage to UNF's diverse Asian-American cultural community. Contact Danyelle Stokes at danyelle.stokes@unf.edu for more information. 

If you know students who are actively involved in promoting social justice, civic engagement, and community service, encourage them to apply for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship. Scholarship recipients will be awarded $1,000 towards their fall 2021 tuition at the 40th Annual Martin Luther King Scholarship Luncheon in February. The application deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 20.

The African American Faculty and Staff Association invites the campus community, family and friends to join together to march in the 2021 MLK Parade on Monday, Jan. 18. For more information, email aafsa@unf.edu by noon on Friday, Jan. 15. 

Dining Services is proud to offer guests the option to pre-order and skip the line with Grubhub at Ozzies, Pita Pit, Panda Express, Einstein's and Starbucks.To learn more, visit the Dining Services website. Use coupon code "NOMS" for $3 off your first purchase of $7 or more.

In honor of National Bagel Day, Einstein's in the Delaney Student Union Food Court, Building 58W, will offer the following special offers today, Friday, Jan 15:

• Add a medium drip coffee to any bagel and schmear purchase for $1
• $2 off boxes of 1 dozen bagels and schmear
• $1 off boxes of 1/2 dozen bagels and schmear

To place your order in advance for bagel boxes, call the store during operating hours from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at (904) 620-3013.

The Florida Retirement System offers free financial planning workshop webcasts for FRS-covered employees. Upcoming workshops take place on Friday, Jan. 15, as follows:

• Taking Control of Your Finances (90 minutes): 10 a.m. to noon
•  New Employee Retirement Plan Choice: 1 to 3 p.m.

Employees must register separately for each workshop they wish to attend. Employees will receive a confirmation email after registration and a reminder email the day prior to the webinar date. To register by phone, call 1 (866) 446-9377 and select Option 2 (TRS 711). To register online: 

• Locate the Webinar Link or Meeting ID via the website (these workshops are located under Leon County).
• Click on Webinar Link and you will be directed to the Webinar Registration on Zoom
• If registering with Meeting ID:
  • Go to Zoom.us
  • Click “Join a Meeting”
  • Enter the Meeting ID and click “Join”
  • Enter your first name, last name and email address
  • Click “Register”

ITS is hosting live, instructor-led training sessions for faculty and staff highlighting the Planner and Tasks capabilities of Microsoft Teams. Attendees will learn how to streamline task management by using the Teams Planner and Tasks features to organize, collaborate, and manage. Workshops are as follows: 

• Wednesday, Jan. 20: 10 to 11:30 a.m. for a live session and demonstration on how to use the Teams Planner and Tasks features to organize, collaborate and instruct.
• Thursday, Jan. 21: 2 to 3 p.m. for a virtual drop-in with live Q&A that you can pop in at any time to ask a question for a Microsoft Education team member to walk you through.

No registration is required. Visit the website for the session links.

The Open Education Resource (OER) Initiative is now accepting applications for the spring 2021 cohort. Faculty who participate in the OER Initiative will work with an instructional designer and online learning librarian to:

• Discuss the needs of their content and explore OER repositories and library databases
• Redesign their selected course so all required textbooks are available at no cost to students
• Structure OER content in their Canvas course

A $1,000 stipend will be awarded for the successful completion of the OER Initiative. Applications for the spring 2021 cohort are due by Friday, Jan. 29. For additional information, visit the website.

• Canvas Bites - Assignments: Noon to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, Online
• Zoom for Synchronous Sessions: 11 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Jan. 12, Online
• Accessibility in Canvas: 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, Online
• Canvas Bites - Studio: Noon to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, Online
• Tools for Student Engagement in Canvas: 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, Online
• Canvas Gradebook: 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, Online

Visit the CIRT events webpage to register. If you have a disability and require an accommodation for this occasion, please contact k.commissaris@unf.edu before the event to enable us to provide you with a reasonable accommodation.

• Introduction to UNF Faculty Domains: 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, Online
• Tools for Student Engagement in Canvas: 11 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Jan. 20, Online
• Canvas Bites - Discussions: Noon to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, Online
• Effective Online Office Hours: 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 21, Online

Visit the CIRT events webpage to register. If you have a disability and require an accommodation for this occasion, please contact k.commissaris@unf.edu before the event to enable us to provide you with a reasonable accommodation.

The upcoming professional development training sessions are available via Zoom, and invitations will be provided by email 24 to 48 hours before the class:

• Anatomy of an Investigation: 3 to 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11
• Finance Self Service TRS: 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Jan. 12
• CMS Training: Beginner TRS: 9 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13
• Accepting Credit Card Payments- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Compliance (PCI DSS) TRS: 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13
• Originating an ePAF TRS: 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14

The upcoming professional development training sessions are available via Zoom, and invitations will be provided by email 24 to 48 hours before the class:

• Faculty/Non-Faculty Supplemental ePAFs: 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19
• OASys Position Management Training TRS: 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20

If you know a graduating student who has contributed greatly to the community through activities such as community-based learning, volunteerism, community or social advocacy, community-based Federal work-study, and/or political engagement during their years at UNF, consider nominating them for the Osprey Community Engagement Medallion. For more information about the distinction and eligibility, visit the website or contact the Center for Community-Based Learning. Nominations must be submitted by Friday, March 12.

The University is accepting nominations for Osprey Heroes, a campaign that highlights heroes around campus. These heroes are making a real difference, whether it is a simple act of kindness or a major scholarly achievement. To nominate a student, faculty or staff member, visit the website.

JCPenney at the Avenues Mall and its online store will provide UNF students and alumni up to an extra 30% off on select men’s and women’s career dress apparel including suits, dresses, sport coats, dress pants, scrubs, shoes and accessories. To receive the 30% off coupon, text "OSPREYS" to 67292. These discounts are available Friday, Jan. 15, through Sunday, Jan. 17, both online and at the JCPenney at the Avenues Mall, 10308 Southside Blvd.

Earn a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate.  The program consists of formal instruction, practicum, and teaching hours with UNF's English Language Program. For more information, visit the website.

The UNF Bookstore is holding a sale on Jansport backpacks through Friday, Jan. 29. All eligible items will be 25% off both in-store and online. Visit the website to browse. 

The UNF Bookstore is holding a sale on drinkware from Tuesday, Jan. 12, through Friday, Jan. 15. All eligible items will be 20% off both in-store and online. Visit the website to browse.