Published: March 1, 2023

3-1-23 Staff Update

In this message:

Staff Info

  • Staff Meet-Up next Wednesday 3/8 with Pizza & Repair Your Wear
  • Recycling Round-Up shifts this Friday 3/3
  • Customer Service/ Public Interaction training 3/15 - how to represent the E-Center (and future employers)
  • Changes coming to Compost Guidelines!
  • Access to the Environmental Center outside of office hours

Upcoming Events and Opportunities for Engagement

  • Food Carbon Labels Pilot tabling and survey
  • Lug Your Mug every Wednesday

 

And other Resources for student staff such as schedule of pay days, paid sick time info, staff contact list, and more.

Read on for details…

 

Staff Info

Staff Meet-Up next Wednesday, March 8th:  Pizza & Repair Your Wear Workshop
Join other students of the Environmental Center staff for pizza and a clothes repair workshop on March 8th from Noon - 1:30 pm.  Sarah Fitzpatrick from the Promotions and Outreach team will teach us how to repair buttons and use patches - bring ailing or undamaged clothing to add patches to!  Come hang out, eat pizza, learn some repair skills, and learn more about other opportunities this month at the E-Center.  Feel free to come and go as your schedule allows.  Environmental Center conference table, UMC room 355.  Sign up here and let us know of any dietary restrictions.

 

Recycling RoundUp this Friday afternoon March 3rd
Help to hang educational door hangers about recycling and EcoVisits on every door in residence halls on campus.  Sign up here.
 

Customer Service Training Wednesday March 15th - How to represent the E-Center (and future employers)
Everyone who works at the E-Center should have the same foundation of how to represent the department and yourself, and sustainability in general, in a professional manner.  Attend this paid Professional Development training and take the info you learn into your future professional work.   Mark your calendar: Wednesday, March 15th at 6:30 pm.  Room to be announced.

 

New Changes to Colorado's Compost Guidelines beginning April 1!
Environmental Center staff should be aware of new guidelines on the Front Range to clean up Colorado's compost.  How these will affect CU Boulder collections will be announced soon.  In the meantime, check out these resources, which you can share with anyone with questions.

 

Access to the Environmental Center outside of office hours
Students affiliated with the E-Center can access the office space/storage anytime the UMC is open.  If you encounter a locked door, you can check out a key at the UMC Reception Desk.

  • Stop by the main reception desk on the 2nd floor of the University Memorial Center. 
  • Give them your name and ask for an access card to the E-Center.  They may check your BuffOne Card the first time.
  • Your electronic access card will open the main door to the E-Center.
  • When you open the office, you are responsible for it!  Keep the door closed if you are unable to monitor who is entering.
  • If you are the last one to leave, close the door.  If you are leaving another E-Center staffer as the last one alone in the office, ask them if they want the door closed.

 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities for Engagement

Carbon Food Labels: an Action to reduce food-related emissions
Following the lead of the Cool Foods Campaign, CU's Climate Action Team is piloting putting labels on campus dining food (in the UMC Dining area) to help students make low-carbon-emission choices.   E-Center staff can help!  Sign up for a tabling shift to educate others on Monday 3/13 or 3/20 and to  Take the carbon food labels surv
 

Lug Your Mug every Wednesday for free coffee
The Zero Waste Outreach team is back on campus every Wednesday with Lug Your Mug:  free hot drinks when you bring your own reusable mug!  Follow on Instagram for more info @cuzerowaste #mugsofcu
 

 

 

More Environmental Center events listed on our online calendar.

 

Resources

Past E-Center staff email updates
www.colorado.edu/ecenter/student-staff-resources

Pay Dates for the Spring 2023 semester

Two-Week Work Period Time sheet Complete and Submit Deadline Friday Pay Day (2 weeks after work period ends)
Dec 25 - Jan 7 Monday, Jan 9 January 20
Jan 8 - Jan 21 Monday, Jan 23 February 3
Jan 22 - Feb 4 Monday, Feb 6 February 17
Feb 5 - Feb 18 Monday, Feb 20 March 3
Feb 19 - Mar 4 Monday, Mar 6 March 17
Mar 5 - Mar 18 Monday, Mar 20 March 31 - Friday of Spring Break
Mar 19 - Apr 1 Monday, Apr 3 - day after Spring Break April 14
Apr 2 - Apr 15 Monday, Apr 17 April 28
Apr 16 - Apr 29 Monday, May 1 - Final Exams Week May 12
Apr 30 - May 13
** Last Day graduating seniors can work is Thursday May 11		 Monday, May 15 May 26

 

E-Center Staff Contact List
Online list of all E-Center student and professional staff contact info

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wRHxnmVzLTUq9yyy8dgbQq6i6zxBmaH0HXOqqDcBmZ0/edit#gid=0
 

Follow Environmental Center social media channels!

  • Connect on LinkedIn  www.linkedin.com/company/cu-environmental-center/
  • Redditor?   Upvote Anabel as she shares resources and engages in dialogue, and helps bring sustainability to the CU subreddit.  Search for posts @ justasustainablebuff
  • Tweet us
    • @ EcenterCU
    • @CUGreenStampede
  • Follow us on Instagram
    • @EcenterCU
    • @cuzerowaste
    • @ecosocialjustice
    • @shouldertoshoulder
  • Facebook like us
    • @CUBoulderECenter
    • @envjustice.cu
  • View us on Vimeo, https://vimeo.com/cuecenter

     

Sick leave - Paid time off for CU student staff
All CU student employees accrue paid sick leave to help when you have to miss a work shift (for any work since Jan 1, 2021).

  • For every 30 hours you work (beginning Jan 1, 2021), you accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave (.034 hr leave for every 1 hour worked). 
  • Your earned sick leave balance can be viewed on a tile in your MyCUinfo employee portal, under CU Resources, My Info and Pay.  
    • Hours worked across all jobs at CU are eligible for leave that can be taken at any CU job.
    • You can only request as much paid time as you have accrued - any time off beyond your sick leave balance will be unpaid. 
    • Sick leave may be used for physical illness, mental illness, health condition, medical treatment or diagnosis, preventative medical care, or non-work injury, or to care for a family member.  It can also be used when an employee or family member has been the victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or harassment and needs to be absent from work.  There are some other instances when sick leave can be used, which can be viewed here.  
  • Always reach out to your supervisor with advance notification of any work you have to miss.
  • To request paid sick leave on your timesheet for an Environmental Center shift that you have to miss, select "Sick (part time) Paid Time Off" from the Program drop-down list in your Quickbooks Time/TSheets timesheet, then enter the amount of time you want to take (within your balance available). 
    • For sick time to be used at other CU jobs, check with your supervisor or departmental payroll administrator at that job to find out how to request sick time off. 
    • Note that the sick leave balance in TSheets is an estimate and may not accurately reflect your balance, especially if you work other CU jobs.  The balance in your MyCUinfo employee portal is correct - if you notice a discrepancy, get ahold of Dana to correct it in TSheets.
  • These instructions are available in every Staff Update, in the Resources section below.
  • Questions?  Reach out to dana.kelly@colorado.edu

 

Work-Study:  What is it?  Are you Eligible?
Work-Study is need-based financial aid that allows students to earn money for college expenses by working a part-time job.   Work-study jobs are funded by the federal and state government and include both on and off-campus positions.  Work-study is a program that benefits both the employee and employer:  Students earn a pay check, as with any job, but a majority of the wages are paid by financial aid funds rather than the employing department.  When students with work-study awards work with the Environmental Center, our staffing budget goes further and we can hire more students!

Are you eligible for a work-study award?  First you have to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).   CU Boulder receives a limited amount of work-study funding from federal and state sources each year. Not all eligible students receive a work-study award.  If you think you might be eligible, please check with the Student Employment office to find out more! 
 

Ergonomic Recommendations for Healthy Work Habits
When you work on a computer for hours at a time, proper office ergonomics — including correct chair height, adequate equipment spacing and good desk posture -- can help you and your neck, shoulders, wrists, and back stay comfortable and healthy over the long term.

The goal is for your shoulders, neck, back, arms and wrists to be relaxed and not stressed, reaching, or at angles.

  • The top of your display monitor should be straight in front of you or *slightly* below eye level
    • Use a laptop stand or books, box, etc on a table, to prop display up to correct level
  • Use remote keyboard and trackpad/mouse, preferably on your lap,  so that you are not reaching up onto a table or out in front of you, or bending your wrists to type/ point
  • When sitting
    • feet should be flat on the floor or on a footrest
    • back should be straight and supported by the back of your chair
  • Vary positions throughout the day.  Stand sometimes, sit sometimes.
  • Take lots of breaks.  Get up and walk around.  
  • Give your eyes a break too: Every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds and focus on something 20 feet away.

More info and visuals available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-ergonomics/art-20046169
 

Food Resources

Campus Financial Aid & Payment Assistance

 

Campus Technology

Health & Well-Being

  • And, anyone on the E-Center staff can provide you with information and resources if you or your family/friends/roommates etc. are struggling or sick and need help. We are here for you!  Email staff individually or at ecenter@colorado.edu.
     

University of Colorado COVID Updates and resources
www.colorado.edu/covid-19
 

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
www.aashe.org/
Explore AASHE resources and programs to find materials to support campus sustainability leadership, and ways you can develop and prepare yourself for entering the workforce.
 

Environmental Center Student Staff Handbook
A summary of best work practices and expectations for student staff
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zijwkEkzw7rcEEGCS-scYGOnqRU_X0gWlvh4rkBgeIM/edit?usp=sharing
 

Environmental Center New Hire Information
www.colorado.edu/ecenter/newhireinformation
Info for new student hires at the Environmental Center, including new hire forms, instructions for Direct Deposit, timesheets, required trainings, and more
 

Environmental Center Job Postings
www.colorado.edu/ecenter/jobs