Monday Update

April 19, 2021

Last week’s updates from UBC

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.

Operations updates

Facilities

Building Operations, Energy & Water Services and Infrastructure Development

  • Water Supply Centre: The old water pump station located in the Power House is now disconnected from the University Boulevard transmission main, and the new UBC Water Supply Centre is fully running the campus water distribution.
  • Major capital project approvals: The Gateway Health Building and School of Biomedical Engineering Building projects have received Board 2 approval for issuance of development permits and completion of detailed design. The Beaty Biodiversity Research Centre Addition project has received Board 1 approval to commence schematic design. For more information, visit the Infrastructure Development website.
  • COVID-19 safety reminders when working on campus: With the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in BC, John Metras, AVP Facilities is reminding all of us that it is more important than ever for each and every one of us to follow required safety protocols Read the full Facilities Update on the Facilities website.
  • Cherry blossoms on UBC Vancouver campus: In collaboration with UTown@UBC, Building Operations created and installed photo frames for the campus community to enjoy the short blossom season. Visit the UTown website for an interactive map.
  • Free menstrual products on campus: Menstrual dispensers have been installed in approximately 300 washrooms across campus offering free menstrual products. For more information on this initiative and to view an interactive map of the dispensers, visit the Building Operations website.

Finance

Comptroller, Finance & Operational Excellence and Treasury

  • Operational Excellence team: In alignment with the UBC and VPFO Strategic plan, new team members will be joining the Operational Excellence team within Finance & Operational Excellence. This newly integrated team will support the VPFO and UBC to drive improvement for efficient and effective service delivery, and act as a centre of excellence for the university. For more information, visit the VPFO website.
  • Month end dates for April: The month end dates for April have been added as a PDF and on the Important Dates feed on the Finance website.
  • Ordering from Workday Catalogues: Reminder to update work contact information (i.e. primary phone and primary email) to enable Workday catalogue orders/deliveries. For details, please refer to this Knowledge Bases Article.

Operations & Advising

Communications & Engagement, Human Resources, and Safety & Risk Services

  • Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) vaccination site temporarily paused: VCH has temporarily paused the COVID-19 vaccination site at UBC to consolidate this clinic with the Vancouver Convention Centre (East) clinic. Please refer to ImmunizeBC for the list of available clinics located in Vancouver and other communities across the VCH region.
  • UBC’s safety planning framework: In consultation with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), Safety & Risk Services is in the process of redesigning UBC’s safety planning framework. The final safety planning framework will be presented at the Leadership Advisory Committee, and align with the revised provincial post-secondary Institutions Go-Forward Guidelines, WorkSafeBC, and VCH.
  • Compliance Support Program: The program was recently endorsed by the UBC IT Capital Planning Committee. Once implemented, this program will continue to measure and report on compliance with UBC’s Information Security Standards, as well as identify and advise on systemic gaps and initiatives to remediate.
  • What is UBC Bulletin?: There are many ways to get the word out to the wider community and UBC Bulletin is one of them. Learn about what UBC Bulletin is and how it may be used to communicate important messages, on this VPFO Communications & Engagement page.
  • 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 19: Matt Furgal, Rachel Lau
    • April 20: WFH
    • April 21: Sonia Lachar, Kasia Burza
    • April 22: WFH
    • April 23: WFH

Other notable updates

UBC leads as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2021

For the tenth consecutive year, UBC is recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2021.

This special award recognizes Canadian employers that lead the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness, developing exceptional sustainability initiatives, and – because of their environmental leadership – are attracting employees.

UBC puts sustainability at the heart of teaching, learning and research and is integrated through our operations and infrastructure. We are committed to leadership in Climate Action, and our sustainability efforts are proudly delivered by students, faculty and staff — learn more about how you can get involved.

Read the full announcement on the UBC Focus on People website.

EDI resource – How do we foster cultural safety in the workplace?

Cultural safety is an environment where people of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds can feel respected and safe from discrimination and denial of their identity and needs.

Culturally safe practices are key to building an inclusive and welcoming workplace at UBC. As UBC works on EDI initiatives across the campus and VPFO accelerates on our EDI journey, we invite you to think about the role you can play in creating a safe and productive environment where we all can thrive to our full potential.

Learn more in this latest article by the VPFO EDI Committee.

Last week to register for Virtual Staff & Faculty Sports Week

At UBC, we recognize the foundational importance of wellbeing to our success as individuals, as a university, and as a community.

As part of this commitment, UBC Human Resources and UBC Athletics & Recreation are pleased to invite you to participate in the FREE virtual Staff & Faculty Sports Week from May 3-7 2021.

Register as a team or as an individual by April 26 on the UBC Recreation website.

Webinar (April 20) – Fact vs. Fiction: Countering the Spread of Misinformation on the COVID-19 Vaccines

What are common vaccine myths, and what is the science behind the truth? How can you discern fact from fiction? What new tools are governments, public health, scientists, and physicians using to combat spread of misinformation?

Hear from UBC experts from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the School of Biomedical Engineering as they dispel common vaccine myths with science and facts.

When: Tuesday, April 20, 2021 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Register for this webinar here.

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.

  • Simple verbal habits or tics can actually get in the way of clear communication. Find out which 7 phrases can help you sound more powerful and clear at work, in this Fast Company article.
  • Researchers followed 5,000 adults around for 30 years and learned a thing or two about what keeps people healthy. According to this study, 2.5 hours each week may not be enough.
  • Cherry blossoms in Vancouver are in full bloom. Here is how to prepare for a cherry blossom viewing party, also known as Hanami — the traditional Japanese way.

Have an article for your peers? Email communications@vpfo.ubc.ca.

Be Part of the VPFO Monday Update

Each Monday we capture a snapshot of important university updates, the work across our departments, and other resources relevant to the VPFO team. This will be reposted, along with all past issues, at vpfo.ubc.ca/news.

Additions or questions can be sent to communications@vpfo.ubc.ca at any time.