Three new positive cases of COVID-19

Since Tuesday’s notice in @Rochester, there are three new cases of COVID-19 among River Campus students. Please note that the University’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily. Whenever a new case is known, the contact-tracing process begins immediately with confirmed exposures being contacted and required to quarantine.

It’s extremely important for the health of the University community that individuals continue to adhere to the face masking and social distancing protocols. Even as some individuals are now receiving their first or second dose of the vaccine, these practices to prevent the transmission of the virus cannot be relaxed.

If you think you’re experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, it’s important to report them through Dr. Chat Bot—for non–Medical Center faculty, staff, and all students and for Medical Center employees—immediately. Even if you think your symptoms might be something else—like a cold, seasonal congestion, or allergies—it’s still important to tell University health professionals and contact tracers what you’re experiencing.

Nominations open for annual staff awards; new award added

Recognize the hard work and dedication of a colleague by submitting a nomination for one of the annual President’s Staff Awards. The nomination period is now open for the following awards:

• The Witmer Award for Distinguished Service honors a select number of employees for careers characterized by outstanding and sustained contributions to the University.
• The Meliora Award recognizes a staff member or team of staff whose work and performance exemplify the University’s motto, Meliora.
• The Staff Community Service Award honors a nonmanagement staff member whose volunteer service to the University or a nonprofit within the Greater Rochester community is outside of their usual assignment.
• The Lamar Riley Murphy Leadership Award is a new award that recognizes a staff member for innovative and proactive leadership.

The deadline to submit a nomination is Thursday, March 25. Find more details here.

A virtual recognition event was held on January 22 to celebrate recipients of the 2020 President’s Staff Awards. An article describing the work of each honoree along with a video recording of the event is available on the Awards and Recognition website.

New research sheds light on vision loss in Batten disease

New research led by Ruchira Singh, an associate professor of ophthalmology, of biomedical genetics, and at the Center for Visual Science, shows how the mutation associated with the Batten disease could potentially lead to degeneration of light-sensing photoreceptor cells in the retina and subsequent vision loss.

Introducing: Wellness Wednesdays 

Wellness Wednesdays are making students aware of the various programs and services available to help you cope physically, mentally, academically, emotionally, socially, and all the other “-allys” not mentioned.

Today is focused on your coursework. Need help? Check-in with the nearest librarian. Whether you use Rush Rhees, Sibley, or Miner Library, you have access to experts who can jumpstart your research, format citations, find resources, and more. Need inspiration? Head to iZone. Set up an appointment to consult with the iZone team on any ideas or problems you may have—big or small. Check in next Wednesday for more tips and resources that will help you stay focused, healthy, and connected.

University offers opportunities to research its energy system

The University’s generation, use, and management of energy includes electricity, steam, hot water, and now solar with the new array of panels atop Goergen Athletic Center.  This involves a complex web of people, processes, equipment, and data. The Utilities and Energy Management (UEM) Office of University Facilities would like to provide access to this information to students for use in independent study programs, senior design projects, and research. Grand Challenges Scholars also will find opportunities to address issues of sustainable energy. Students can review a manual of projects and how to participate. If interested, you can contact Mike Whitmore or talk to your department’s UEM contact listed in the manual.

Upcoming changes to the retirement program

As announced on February 3, the University is making changes on or about March 5 to the investment options available under the Retirement 403(b) Program and Deferred Compensation 457(b) Plan. To get more information on current investment options, visit Tiaa.org/Rochester. If you need help with your retirement goals, TIAA offers virtual counseling sessions for personalized retirement planning and guidance at no cost. To schedule an appointment, call (800) 410-6497 or visit Tiaa.org/URschedulenow.

Detecting academic dishonesty for faculty and teaching staff in AS&E

When it comes to detecting and reporting academic dishonesty in AS&E, it is important to understand what resources are available within the College and to use them only for their intended purpose. While instructors and advanced graduate students may use iThenticate to review their own writing (for instance, when preparing a manuscript for publication), they should not use it to check student writing for matched text (a possible indicator of plagiarism) in the context of any courses they teach.

Instructors, graduate teaching assistants, and others with questions about determining the originality of students’ work should consult Greer Murphy, the College’s academic honesty liaison, at honestyliaison@ur.rochester.edu.

Information about additional resources instructors in the College can use to support students’ honest completion of work, and about additional responsibilities instructors have under AS&E Academic Honesty policy, can be found on the AS&E Academic Honesty website.

Financial Health Bite: Home ownership incentive program

The Office of Total Rewards invites you to a webinar on Wednesday, February 17, at noon EST to learn about the home ownership incentive program for benefits-eligible faculty, staff, residents, and fellows. This is a joint program from the University, the City of Rochester, and participating banks and credit unions to offer you $9,000 toward the purchase of a primary residence. Learn more and register to attend. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Using EAP in supervision

Improve your ability to recognize employees whose personal problems are adversely affecting performance. Join Well-U and UR Medicine EAP on Thursday, February 18, from noon to 1 p.m. EST via Zoom for a workshop that will help you to use EAP as a productivity tool when addressing performance concerns. This training is for those in a supervisory or managerial role. Register here.

Go Green: 'Campus Race to Zero Waste 2021' begins

The University is participating in the annual “Campus Race to Zero Waste” competition—formerly Recyclemania—for the12th year in a row. Read more about the competition and the lineup of scheduled events.

An evening with triple threat Ron Funches

Join stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Ron Funches for a live Q&A with a comedy performance today, Wednesday, February 10, at 9 p.m. EST. Funches has been featured in projects including Trolls, Bob’s Burgers, Adventure Time, The Goldbergs, Black-ish, New Girl, Transparent, Powerless, and Undateable. This is part of a virtual tour series featuring a different performer each Wednesday. Register online for access to this exclusive virtual show.

Faculty-led reading and discussion program on nature and human society

Workshop on race and restorative justice

Join the M.K. Gandhi Institute for a workshop on race and restorative justice on Tuesday, February 16, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. EST. Learn more about the event and suggested reading, and register to attend.

Virtual cooking class with the Green Reps

Join the Green Reps for a virtual cooking class with the University’s Meliora Kitchen. The theme of the event is “Eat What You Grow” and will feature a sustainable meal. The event will be streamed live by the Meliora Kitchen on Wednesday, February 17, from 3 to 3:30 p.m. EST. Email greenreps@rochester.edu by Friday, February 12, to register.