October 2024 DEIA Calendar, The DEIA Communications team keeps a calendar of upcoming diversity awareness months and days recognized either nationally or internationally due to their cultural, historical, or religious significance. , Month-Long Events, Breast Cancer Awareness Month Bullying Prevention Month Down Syndrome Awareness Month Dyslexia Awareness Month Filipino American History Month Global Diversity Awareness Month Italian American Heritage Month LGBT History Month National Disability Employment Awareness Month Polish American Heritage Month, Date-Specific Events, Wednesday, October 2 – Friday, October 4: Rosh Hashanah (Judaism) Thursday, October 3 – Saturday, October 12: Navratri (Hindu) Thursday, October 10: World Mental Health Day Friday, October 11: National Coming Out Day Friday, October 11 – Saturday, October 12: Yom Kippur (Jewish) Sunday, October 13: U.S. Navy's Birthday Monday, October 14: Indigenous Peoples' Day Tuesday, October 15: Blind…, Additional Communications this Month , The DEIA Communications team is sending out individual communications around the following awareness events this month: Queer Theory and History of Pride Event “Anne Frank - A Life to Remember: A Story of Perseverance, Hope, and Love" Event U.S. Navy’s Birthday Diwali Event
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Throughout September, members of UPST proudly represented UMass at various prestigious conferences, symposiums, and expos. Catch a glimpse of their experiences below, and be sure to follow UPST on LinkedIn for even more updates!, Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) Expo, On September 19th, a diverse team of category managers, strategic sourcing specialists, and business associates attended MHEC’s highly anticipated annual expo at the DCU Center in Worcester. With this year's "Back to the Future" theme, the event dazzled with exciting installations and provided a fantastic opportunity for the team to connect with both current and potential suppliers. It was an…, HubSpot INBOUND ‘24, Ashley Hunter represented UMass at one of the most buzzworthy events of the year—HubSpot’s INBOUND conference, held in Boston’s vibrant Seaport district. This three-day extravaganza was packed with workshops on cutting-edge topics like AI, content marketing, and evolving office cultures. With star-studded appearances by Serena Williams and Ryan Reynolds, INBOUND ‘24 wasn’t just informative—it was…, NEU 3rd Annual Supplier Diversity in Higher Education Symposium, UMass takes pride in ensuring our procurement reflects the communities we serve. On September 24th, category managers and strategic sourcing specialists attended Northeastern University’s 3rd Annual Supplier Diversity in Higher Education Symposium. The team actively engaged with diverse suppliers, sharing the benefits of working with a state institution and discussing upcoming opportunities. A…
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September marked a significant milestone for the UMPO: one year at 50 Washington Street! We embraced our new office with enthusiasm, and it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come together. Over the past year, we’ve celebrated numerous achievements, including successful project launches, individual milestones, engaging all-staff events, training, and guest speakers. Each moment has contributed to…
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The DEIA team hosted its inaugural volunteer day on September 11th in honor of the National Day of Service and Remembrance. Volunteers represented almost all departments across the UMass President’s Office. David Asante, Denise Lindberg, Kristina England, Jacqueline Quinlan, Lisa Connor, Megan Momtaheni, Denise Barton, Jake Hewins, Jacob Sturtz, and Sara MacKenzie graciously volunteered to spend…
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The per diem rates for federal travelers and those traveling on government-contracted business will be raised in 2025 by the GSA (General Services Administration) . The new fiscal year begins October 1st and includes a $68 standard meal/incidental allowance (up $9). Standard rates apply to all destinations in the US except for 292 areas labeled as non-standard, which have higher per diems.
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In April 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a rule requiring public entities to make their digital content accessible by April 24, 2026. This rule applies to all public web content, mobile apps, and course materials. The following reflects UITS project team efforts so far:, Completed Activities, All departments have received an overview of the new legal requirements and were asked to complete a questionnaire to help the project team understand the overall state of Digital Accessibility in each department. The Digital Experience team has completed the development of three self-paced digital accessibility training courses. The first course on social media accessibility was rolled out to…, In Progress Activities, Kicking off the Digital Accessibility Liaison Program with recurring meetings, where the objective is to train liaisons on how to be the accessibility ambassador for their department, share best practices, and provide updates on their department’s digital accessibility activities. The General Counsel is working on converting all their legal advice PDFs into accessible web content. , What to Expect Next, We will work with each department to determine a timeframe for rolling out self-paced training courses. A third-party product testing strategy will be shared with leadership and then employees in the next two months. We will work with departments to define web content remediation strategies for meeting minutes, videos, articles, and other digital assets. These efforts are critical to ensuring…
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On all UMPO-owned and managed laptops, there is an application that helps employees access company resources and apps on their devices. On Windows Devices, that app is called Microsoft Company Portal. On Mac laptops, the app is called Self-Service. Think of it as a central hub where you can find and install commonly used apps and/or the default applications for the President’s Office. You can…
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The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority. Understanding and following emergency procedures at our offices minimizes risk during unexpected situations. Below are a few reminders for workplace emergencies and information about an upcoming fire drill at the Westborough office., Emergency Evacuation, In the event of a fire, drill, or other event requiring building evacuation,, when the alarm sounds, ALL employees must immediately stop whatever they are doing and exit the building., There are no exceptions to this. Familiarize yourself with all emergency exits. Evacuation maps are posted throughout UMPO offices. Follow EXIT signs to the nearest safe exit. Use the stairs – do not use the elevator. Move away from the building. Gather at designated assembly areas when applicable. Do not re-enter the building without an all clear. , Medical Emergency, In the event of a medical emergency: Call 911 or have someone else call 911. When calling 911 tell the operator: You are at the University of Massachusetts, Office of the President, and provide the appropriate office address: One Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108 50 Washington Street, Westborough, MA 01581 Someone is having a medical emergency. The exact location with floor and room number/name…, Safety Drill at 50 Washington Street , The UMPO at 50 Washington Street will hold a fire drill on Wednesday, October 23rd, at 11:00 am. All staff onsite are required to participate in the fire drill and evacuate the building. Westborough staff evacuating the building should gather at the UMPO assembly point in the grass area in front of the main building entrance. A sign noting the designated assembly point has been installed.…
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We're excited to announce that on Tuesday, November 12th, UITS will be hosting a Boomi Day at our Westborough location. This event will have representatives from Boomi, including product engineers, who will provide a presentation on Boomi’s product roadmap and introduce their latest features, including AI capabilities. This is a great opportunity to: Learn about Boomi’s new features and…
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