I&S Employee Newsletter - July 2018

Dear Infrastructure and Sustainability team,

I would like you all to join me in welcoming Transportation Services to our organization. The transition became official on July 1, and I wanted to provide an update on the shift. As many of you know, Transportation Services administers the Buff Bus routes that connect our campus. The unit also oversees the university’s fleet of vehicles and coordinates the campus’ sustainable commuting options. 

Transportation Services will report to Brian Lindoerfer, assistant vice chancellor for facilities operations and services. Tim Golden, associate director of the Distribution Center, is serving as interim transportation director until a permanent director can be hired. Tim will be maintaining his duties with the Distribution Center during this time. Thank you Tim for stepping up to take on this role!

We are also in the process of hiring for a new fleet manager and hope to have this position filled by the end of August. After things settle into place, we will revisit the hiring process for the transportation director. Tom Christian, meanwhile, is interim transit manager overseeing the Buff Bus program, and Craig Miller is the fleet maintenance supervisor.

I encourage you all to introduce yourselves to our new team members from Transportation Services. The I&S employee picnic on July 17 will provide a great opportunity to mingle and get to know them. I am excited about bringing them into Infrastructure and Sustainability as we embark on multiple planning initiatives, including the Transportation Master Plan and campus visioning effort.

Sincerely,
David Kang, vice chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability

The CU Boulder Infrastructure and Sustainability Volunteer Day of Service is about inspiring and encouraging staff to engage with and give back to our campus. On Tuesday, July 24, staff from the Infrastructure and Sustainability organization will come together and dedicate a few hours of service, contributing to a variety of campus landscaping and beautification efforts. View the list of jobs and sign up to volunteer today! All volunteers will receive lunch and a CU Boulder cooling towel. Space is limited, so register early to ensure your spot.

Join your colleagues Tuesday, July 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., on West Varsity Lawn in the northwest corner of Main Campus for a picnic to honor and celebrate our Infrastructure and Sustainability team. Formerly the Facilities Management picnic, we're including the entire VCIS organization this year, so new faces will include Environmental Health and Safety, Sustainability, Real Estate Services and Transportation Services. Also new this year, we’ll have a water bottle refill station, so bring a refillable water bottle and help make this a zero waste event! No need to register, but please do bring your Buff OneCard for check-in. And don’t forget to dress for the weather, bring sunscreen, and wear appropriate footwear if you plan to walk to the event. The swing shift schedule on July 17 will be 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check with your supervisor if you are unsure of your scheduled hours on this date. Parking is not available, so please take the bus, bike or walk to the event.

How long have you been working for CU?
Almost 27 years in total. I started working at the Libby Hall cafeteria peeling onions and washing dishes in the fall of 1991. Fortunately, in the spring of 1992 I found a job working at Facilities Management Design and Construction making copies, filing and doing the mail run. I transferred to FM Information Systems after that and have been here ever since.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Over the past 5 years I’ve developed a love of playing music, learning to play the ukulele and guitar. I enjoy playing a variety of music, but focus on Hawaiian music and Ki Ho’alu, or Hawaiian slack key guitar. I find it is a nice break from technology, helping to engage my creative side. Hawaiian music also helps me reconnect with the Hawaiian islands where I grew up.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
When I graduated from CU with a Mechanical Engineering degree, I decided I’d rather go into information systems as a career, realizing that most MEs end up working on building systems like HVAC rather than the race cars or rocket ships a younger me thought I’d be designing. Fast-forward 20 years and I find myself in a world where technology and building systems have merged and a primary responsibility of mine is now focused on the security, support, operation and strategic direction of building systems like the HVAC controls systems – which I now find to be the some of the most interesting and rewarding aspects of my job. I am very fortunate to have found myself in an organization whose needs fit my skillset so well. I have yet to figure out how to incorporate music into the work I do, but you never know what might come next. ...

What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime?
The personal computer. When we got our first computer, an Apple II around 1980, it wasn’t just about staying up too late playing Pong and Space Invaders, it represented a shift that was starting from a world where computers took up large room in data centers, programmed with punch cards, to one where they were something to be found at home and interacted with on a daily basis. That trend has continued to the point many of us now carry them in our pockets everywhere we go, constantly connected with technology.

What three traits define you?
My wife says that I am compassionate, deliberate and loyal.
 

You, your spouse or partner have a baby this year? Got an addition on the way? You may be eligible for up to six weeks of paid parental leave. In case you missed it, CU Boulder announced recently that effective July 1 university staff are eligible for six weeks of paid parental leave, to be used within one year of a birth, adoption or foster placement. This includes those who became eligible for parental leave benefits on or after Jan. 1 of this year. As classified staff benefits are under the purview of the state of Colorado, this new benefit is not yet available for classified staff. However, CU Boulder is working with the state to extend the benefit to classified staff. I&S employees with questions about the new parental leave benefit can reach out to Michele Rodriguez in Human Resources at 303-735-7338 or michele.rodriguez@colorado.edu. And a big shout out goes to Jessica Gammey from Planning, Design and Construction for her work on Staff Council to help make this new benefit a reality.

Facilities Management is offering another CPR and First Aid training session for staff from Outdoor Services, Trades Services and Campus Building Services. The session is Monday, July 23, from 8 a.m. to noon in ARCE room 620. Space in the class is limited. Those interested in taking the class should check with their supervisors and contact Thomas Roller III at thro9344@colorado.edu no later than Monday, July 16, by 4 p.m.