In Brief: Update on Staff Council's flex work survey, new articles published on The Conversation
Eileen Lawless, dependent care specialist with Life & Work Connections
Climate change and jaguars are among the topics covered in new articles posted on The Conversation.
Staff Council updates survey, hears from Life & Works Connections
The flexible work arrangements survey distributed by the Staff Council and a presentation on Life & Work Connections offerings were among the topics discussed at the council's April 26 meeting.
As of Wednesday morning, a total of 1,927 staff members had responded to the survey, which is close to a 20% response rate. The survey, which was sent to staff members by email on April 25, remains open until Monday.
Once all of the responses are collected, a University data analyst who has no affiliation with the Staff Council or the survey will evaluate the results. Anyone with a NetID will be able to access the report through the Staff Council website sometime after June, said Danielle Barefoot, internal grants program administrator for Research, Innovation & Impact.
Barefoot led the committee that created the survey, with the goal of collecting input from staff members on the benefits and challenges presented by a range of flexible work arrangements, including flexible schedules and flexible work locations.
"I feel like there could be potential for another survey with more in-depth questions or even focus groups," Barefoot said. "So, this is really just the beginning of the process and not like a hard stop."
In other business, Eileen Lawless, dependent care specialist with Life & Work Connections, spoke about resources for University employees. The offerings, she said, are especially valuable as the community continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Through that time, we've all been finding that balance – especially with the changes that we've undergone in our community and as individuals and within our families – it's been a heck of a challenge," Lawless said. "So we want to let you know that we're here for you."
Among the resources Lawless shared were:
- Workshops, trainings and events on topics ranging from retirement planning to suicide prevention.
- A partnership with global employee assistance program provider ComPsych providing 12 free counseling sessions per issue per year.
- The Health Impact Program, in which employees can earn incentive payouts for participating in wellness activities.
- ComPsych Financial Connect, a free service for benefits-eligible employees, providing financial guidance on debt management, family budgeting, estate planning and tax planning.
The next Staff Council meeting is May 24. All meetings are held virtually.
April's articles on The Conversation take on climate change, jaguars, intelligent life and more
Each month, faculty members and researchers from across the University share their expertise on The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news source committed to communicating the work of scholars. The Conversation makes all of its articles available at no charge to any news organization that wants to republish them. In addition, The Associated Press distributes The Conversation articles to newsrooms across the United States.
To recognize University of Arizona scholars who are contributing to The Conversation's goal of informing public debate "with knowledge-based journalism that is responsible, ethical and supported by evidence," the Office of University Communications regularly posts links to the articles that have been published on The Conversation.
A list of the articles published in April is below.
April 12, 2022
The Zealandia Switch drove rapid global ice retreat 18,000 years ago. Has it switched to a new level?
Rocks deposited by vanishing glaciers in the Southern Alps thousands of years ago hold climate clues about the past, painting a bleak picture about the long-term survival of alpine ice in New Zealand.
Joellen Russell
University Distinguished Professor, Department of Geosciences
April 19, 2022
Jaguars could return to the US Southwest – but only if they have pathways to move north
Keeping landscapes connected can help protect wild animals and plants. In the U.S. Southwest, border wall construction is closing off corridors that jaguars and other at-risk species use.
Ganesh Marin
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment
April 28, 2022
Guilty verdict in Sankara trial shows power of activists to fight impunity in Burkina Faso
The guilty verdict on Blaise Compaoré should be celebrated as a landmark victory for democracy and peoples' movements in Africa.
Phyllis Taoua
Professor, Department of French and Italian
April 29, 2022
Blasting out Earth's location with the hope of reaching aliens is a controversial idea – two teams of scientists are doing it anyway
This year, two groups of astronomers plan to send messages containing information about humans and the location of Earth toward parts of space they think may be home to intelligent life.
Chris Impey
University Distinguished Professor, Department of Astronomy
Read previous articles published on The Conversation:
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
Interested in submitting an article? Go to the sign up link on The Conversation website to create a username and password. Do a keyword search to see what has been written on the topic you have in mind. Fill out the online pitch form. (Scholars who would like to talk through an idea before submitting a pitch can send an email to conversation@arizona.edu.)