Last week’s updates from UBC
- March 29: UBC Bulletin: 2021 Celebrate Learning Week
- April 6: UBC Bulletin: Consideration of the extension of appointment of Dr. Pamela Ratner, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Faculty Planning
- April 6: President’s Blog: Launching UBC’s Global Engagement Strategy
Updates on UBC’s response to COVID-19 are at covid19.ubc.ca.
Managing your mental health
HR has collected mental health resources to help you manage your ups and downs. Our VPFO HR staff is always available for a confidential conversation.
- April 13 (Part 1), 21 (Part 2): Self and Community Care: Building skills to manage stress: Learn to integrate relaxation and your personal needs into your daily life in this 2-part facilitated webinar.
- April 19: QPR Suicide Intervention Training: This internationally recognized suicide intervention program is designed to help you question, persuade, and refer.
- May 10, 17: The Working Mind Virtual: Mental Health Training for Faculty & Staff: Established by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, this program is designed to address mental health and reduce stigma in a workplace setting
- May 11 (Part 1), 19 (Part 2): Understanding Mental Health: The goal of this session is to increase mental health literacy while providing tools and skills to respond effectively in a caring and respectful way.
Operations updates
Facilities
Building Operations, Energy & Water Services and Infrastructure Development
- Decommission of the Power House: The new Water Supply Centre is now completed and the old water mains at the Power House is scheduled to be disconnected between April 9-14, 2021. There will be changes to the flow of water in UBC’s pipe, however, disruptions are not anticipated. There may be some cloudiness or discoloration in the water, but the water remains safe for consumption and food preparation.
- Decarbonize District Energy System: Energy & Water Services is in the process of hiring a partner to look for emerging technologies to decarbonize our district energy system (DES). For information on the DES, visit the Energy & Water Services website.
- Brock Commons Phase 2: The Brock Commons Phase 2 Mixed-use Student Housing project will be going to Board 3 in June 2021. The project was put on hold in June 2020 while the university was evaluating its financial situation at the start of the pandemic. Read more on the Infrastructure Development website.
- Belkin Gallery Fireweed Field: A development permit application has been received for the lawn of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery to be converted into an approximately 1,400 sq. m meadow containing a boardwalk. Public consultation is open until April 8, 2021. For information, visit the Campus & Community Planning website.
- Project list for Infrastructure Development/Properties Trust: April 2021 construction project list is now available on the Facilities website.
Finance
Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury
- Final stages of fiscal year end: Most of the 2020/21 fiscal year end activities impacting the wider finance community at UBC have been completed. As next steps, the first draft of the report “Ledger Summary – Distributed” for fiscal year 2020/21 will be available on April 6 for faculties and units. Feel free to add your note of appreciation to this Kudo Board to recognize the hard work of teams or individuals!
- Update on UBC’s 2021/22 Budget proposal: The finalized Budget proposal has been submitted and will be reviewed at the Finance Committee meeting this week before being discussed at full Board on April 19.
- AA+ credit rating for UBC: Credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings has re-affirmed UBC’s credit and senior unsecured debt ratings as “AA+”. Read more on the UBC Finance website.
- Integrated Service Centre’s (ISC) new hours: A reminder that as of Tuesday, April 6 the ISC hours of operation will change to 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
Operations & Advising
Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services
- UBC Alert system migration: The migration of UBC Alert to a new vendor continues to proceed on schedule. UBC IT has mapped the daily data transfers to the new vendor and will continue to troubleshoot and test the new system and integration to digital signage systems. For information on UBC Alert, visit the Emergency Preparedness website.
- VPFO HR on-site support schedule: Due to increased safety measures, the VPFO HR team will be working from home on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for the month of April. For any questions, please contact Senior HR Manager, Arvind Kang (arvind.s.kang@ubc.ca).
- April 5: Hope you had a good Easter Monday!
- April 6: WFH
- April 7: Matt Furgal, Rachel Lau
- April 8: WFH
- April 9: WFH
Other notable updates
EDI resource – Microaggressions Part 1 & 2
There is nothing “micro” about the impacts of microaggressions.
Addressing microaggressions is a crucial step to helping all students, faculty, and staff thrive to their full potential. Read the latest 2-part series, presented by the VPFO EDI Committee, to learn more:
- Part 1 — Microaggressions: What are they, how are they harmful and what to do if you commit one?
- Part 2 — How can you respond to microaggressions?
Climate Action Plan 2030 Engagement
In December 2019, UBC declared a climate emergency. As a result, the university is developing an ambitious Climate Action Plan (CAP2030) aimed at implementing strategies that will result in emissions reductions from UBC’s core operations by 2030 through clean energy solutions and energy-efficient technologies.
Members of the UBC community are invited to share insights around what we can all do to help meet our goals. For more details, please visit the UBC Campus + Community Planning website.
Helpful news
Some interesting news articles people have found informative, helpful, or fun! These are provided for information and entertainment only. Unless noted, UBC doesn’t specifically endorse or supply this content.
- Is the second dose bad? If I feel okay, is it working? Is it true that women are more likely to get worse side effects? Can I take Tylenol? This New York Times article answers the most common questions about vaccination side effects.
- Springtime in Vancouver means enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms. In celebration of the arrival of spring, here are 10 facts you might not know about these gorgeous trees!
Have an article for your peers? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.