I&S Employee Newsletter - June 2022

Dear Infrastructure and Sustainability team,

I want to thank everyone who helped make our first in-person commencement since 2019 a resounding success. Over the last few weeks, I have continued to receive praise and gratitude for the great work that you all did.

Our organization plays a crucial role in staging CU Boulder’s culminating event of the year. Many of you pitched in by leading graduates into the stadium, welcoming guests, driving golf carts, assisting with wheelchairs, coordinating waste and recycling efforts and much more.

These efforts help make the day a memorable one for our graduates and project a glowing image of the campus to the family and friends who visit to help them celebrate. Kudos for a job well done.

To recognize your great work at commencement and throughout the rest of the year, please save the date for our Summer Appreciation Picnic on July 28. This will be a time to honor and celebrate our entire Infrastructure and Sustainability team. We’ll have some great raffle prizes and refreshments for all. Keep an eye out for more information to come.

Finally, summer is often a time to take a break from work and to rejuvenate. Staff who will have excess vacation leave on July 1 must use any overage before June 30 or they will lose it. (If you were expected to have overage, you have received an email from Jen Salyers in March.) We value you taking time off to unplug and recharge, so please make sure you’re taking off the time you have earned and deserve.

With pride for all you do at CU,
Chris Ewing, interim vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability

Margaret Ashton, EH&S radiation safety officer, was recently elected to a one-year term as vice chair of the Radiation Advisory Committee. This group was created by state statute and is appointed by Governor Polis. (Margaret was originally appointed to the group back in early 2020.) The committee’s duties include providing technical advice to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) on specific issues and reviewing proposed regulatory changes. Margaret represents higher education within the committee.

Students move out of CU Boulder residence halls annually. Hundreds of hours are spent planning, organizing and staging collection and waste bins for the several days during which students wrap up their year. Then student volunteers and staff (perhaps even you!) assist with the collecting, sorting and transferring of reusables and recyclables. This year, nearly 17 tons of material were diverted from the landfill thanks to those efforts. Still, 137 tons wound up having to be landfilled. Reduce. It’s the unsung hero of the mantra you know by heart: reduce, reuse, recycle.

The Facilities Maintenance and Operations department is undergoing some interim and permanent key leadership changes. Read more about these updates.

How long have you been working at CU?  

Just a few months shy of 16 years.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? 

In the summer I absolutely love spending as much time as possible at the golf course. I really enjoy the warm (hot) weather so just about anything that gets me outside. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with myself in the winter because I’m really not a fan of cold weather!

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.  

I love the rodeo; always wanted to be a rodeo cowboy! I’ve been to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, and The Western Stock Show and rodeo in Denver is one of my favorite events of the year. I never miss it! My father grew up on a farm just east of Pueblo so I must have gotten that from him. 

What do you love about CU Boulder?  

Without a doubt all the fantastic people I have come to know and have the opportunity to work with. CU Boulder is such a beautiful campus but we are surrounded by scenic beauty in Colorado so it’s truly the people that make CU Boulder what it is.

Are you a die-hard fan of anything? 

I really do love golf and when I’m bored and can’t be out at the golf course I’ll watch replays of golf tournaments over and over.

Every summer, Colorado has some of the worst air pollution in the country. This year, commit to take action to reduce the impact of your commute on the environment. Here are some ways you can get involved, make a difference and have some fun:

• Participate in Walk and Bike Month activities like the B360 ride, Bike Show, creek cruiser ride and more. Then ride on Bike to Work Day (June 22) and visit breakfast stations along your route (check the website for location details, including CU Boulder’s).

• Check out Boulder BCycle's e-bikes and follow them on social media to keep up on promos and events.

• Take the Flatiron Flyer Challenge for a chance to win a $150 Amazon gift card.

Share a ride: sign up for Way to Go's carpool program, or check out Waze Carpool and get paid to drive a fellow commuter.

United Airlines has extended their Break from Business promo. Thanks to CU's relationship with United, employees can take advantage of 10% off all personal travel booked through December 31, 2022. Friends and family (booked on the same reservation) are included in the discount!

Juneteenth recognizes the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and celebrates the self-determination of Black Americans, and is now an official state holiday in Colorado. Traditionally observed on June 19, Juneteenth marks the date in 1865 when the Union Army arrived in Texas, the last state in the Confederacy with institutional slavery, to proclaim freedom for enslaved people—more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

“Juneteenth is a noteworthy celebration not only for the Black community but for all of us to value U.S. history," said Sonia DeLuca Fernández, senior vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. "As a place for lifelong learning, CU Boulder has a responsibility to perpetually renew our commitment to freedom and justice––understanding important legacies of both tragedy and triumph.”

University Libraries has assembled an online resource guide to share more about the holiday. In addition, Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood will hold its annual Juneteenth celebration, June 17-19.

The university will offer Juneteenth as a floating personal observance day for all leave-eligible faculty and staff, who can take the time off between now and Dec. 31 in consultation with supervisors, campus human resources officials said. More information is available on the Human Resources website.

Find more information and ways to get involved on the Infrastructure & Sustainability Inclusive Excellence Committee (ISIEC) website.

NEW HIRES

• Terence Granado, Custodian, Campus Building Services
• Joseph Sanchez, Project Manager, PD&C
• Holly Opansky, Project Coordinator, PD&C
• Parichehr “Patty” Roma, Project Manager, PD&C
• Nicole Arena, Project Manager, PD&C
• Jennifer O’Neill, Project Manager, PD&C
• Dara Schenck, Admin Assistant, Distribution Center

PROMOTIONS/TRANSFERS

• Mark Lapham, Director of Environmental Compliance, EH&S
• Tim Lockhart, Director of Occupational Health & Safety, EH&S
• Chris Ewing, Interim Vice Chancellor, I&S
• Brian Lindoerfer, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor, I&S
• Derek Borrego, HVAC Technician, FM Operations
• Joan Dolloff, Preventative Maintenance Mechanic, FM Operations
• Andrew Calvo, Interim Work Process Manager, FM Operations
• Carolina Pire, Interim Integrated Work Management System Training and Development Lead, FM Operations

MOVING ON

• Robert An, Chemical Inventory Specialist, EH&S
• Chip Horner, Arborist, Outdoor Services
• Dev Chaudhary, Team 12 Supervisor,Campus Building Services
• Izabella Soliday, Custodian, Campus Building Services
• Ron Ried (retired), Director, Business Services
• John McCammon, Hazardous Materials Specialist, EH&S
• Cyntia Buenfil-Alpuche, Custodian, Campus Building Services
• Bertie Knowles, East Main Campus Work Leader, Outdoor Services
• Louis Todd, Sheet Metal Worker, FM Operations
• Megan Larson, Administrative Assistant, RES
• David Kang, Vice Chancellor, I&S
• Sunita Subedi, Custodian, Campus Building Services
• Edgar Mandujano, Plant Operator, Utilities

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