Dear OIT Family,

Welcome to our updated newsletter! I am excited to have another avenue for communicating with you, and will use this space as a touch point on the things happening here at the ROC.

I am continually proud of the work we are doing, the support we provide the UT Dallas community and the relationships we have built with our campus and industry partners. I appreciate the efforts each of you play in the important role we have in meeting the strategic goals set forth by President Benson.

In the coming academic year, I look forward to working with you as we embark on OIT 3.0, and implement the important shifts within the department to better support the institutional strategic goals. As a reminder, our focus will be to:

As you know, we’ve had an extremely busy summer in preparation for the academic year ahead. We completed a number of important projects that had a direct impact on the customers we serve. I am pleased with all of the successful results, despite the aggressive timelines and expectations we had in achieving our goals. While we worked very hard this summer, it was also important that we also had some fun! The Staff Appreciation lunch was a way for us to all come together, and for the leadership team to remind you how much we appreciate the hard work you put in each and every day. We also celebrated birthdays and retirements, and plan to continue with those events as a way to build the camaraderie of our teams.

Thank you again for believing in the work we are doing, and continue to do on behalf of our great University. I am proud to lead such a dedicated and talented team. d

© Copyright 2019. Office of Information Technology. All rights reserved. September 2019Published Monthly

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For questions or comments about bits & bytes, please contact Lacy Fenn at 972.883.6669

• Provide cyber-infrastructure services that help advance research and attract

tenure-system faculty.

• Drive digital transformation to help increase enrollment, retention and graduation rates.

• Leverage/offer a thorough suite of Public Cloud services.

• Keep IT systems/data secure and available.

• Offer elite customer services.

• Improve the student experience and post-degree employment value.

• Increase UT Dallas’ local, national and international exposure.

“I spent a week in Austin learning the new Blackboard features and taking in the sights!”

Letitia DavisDigital Transformation

From the CIO Frank Feagans

Tell us something fun you did this

“I flew a plane by myself! I already have my license, but don’t ever get the time to fly. This summer I got

to go up after two years.”

Steve KuhloHPC/HPN Services

“I traveled to Minnesota and Lubbock, and ended the summer with a trip to Maine. We visited several

beaches and lighthouses, and ate lobster rolls, creamy clam chowder, blueberries and Whoopi pies.”

Pat McEachernDigital Transformation

“We took a road trip to New Orleans and Orlando with the family!”

Ryan MeyersDigital Transformation

AnniversariesCongratulations to our incredible

teammates, who are celebrating their work anniversaries this month!

Team Member SpotlightBRISEIDA

Family: Parents, Armanda and Simon;

younger brother; dogs, Omie (5-year-old

Bichon Frise mix) and Sam (6-year-old Border

Collie mix)

Position: Administrative Assistant

What do you enjoy most about working here? The various

ways I can help others. It keeps me entertained either

by setting up for a meeting/event, completing a task

with an AA or making sure the printer works.

What would make it even better? If people were more

willing to help out each other.

What is a normal day like at work for you? Doing lots

of scheduling, student worker forms, and submitting requisitions.

If you weren’t working for UT Dallas, what is your dream job? Something with the Texas Rangers if they didn’t have

so many games during the season (162 games in a season

sounds intense).

Tell us something people might not know about you? I am the first ever in my family to receive a degree (SMU) –

including extended family.

What movie have you watched 100 times? All Harry Potter movies.

If you could have a super power, what would it be? Super strength

Favorite colors? Pink, purple, blue, red and green.

Favorite Band or music: Rap and R&B

What are your favorite TV shows? The Office, Parks and Rec, Friends, HIMYM, and

every Marvel series on Netflix. Favorite Restaurant? Ojedas. It is a family tradition to go there for big celebrations.

What is your favorite thing to do away from work? Workout, shop and spend time

with family and my pets.

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• Darius Bruno• Shannon Cepica• Frank Feagans• Wayne Peterson• Eric Romine• Bryan Sherwood• Morgan Shockey• Brad Skiles• Glen Van Noy

Luna

Briseida’s Faves!

Did You Hear?Best wishes and good luck to our

teammates as they move on to their next adventures!

• Tabitha Ehrhart• Ben Oakley• Lynne Perler

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By LACY FENN

I really enjoy writing about things that are meaningful to me, and once in awhile I feel like they may be worthy of

sharing. I had a wonderful experience recently that has really stuck with me; so much so that I feel compelled to express my gratitude that it happened in my little world.

Because I am an observer and I try to be very positive by nature, I make it a point to take note and recall all of the little things that made my day brighter. It can be so easy to get lost in the cloud of stress and focus on the negative things that are happening in our lives and in our world, but I always strive to end my day remembering something positive.

Some days it could be a visit from one of the cardinals in my backyard that makes me smile and think about my Dad, while others it is a conversation with one of you, my wonderful co-workers, or being moved by witnessing someone extend kindness to another person. That’s not to say I don’t have days where I am a bit overwhelmed and my faith in the goodness of others isn’t shaken; in fact, that’s how I was feeling when something wonderful happened.

I met Robin.

After attending a party recently in Dallas, I caught a Lyft home and planned to relax in the back seat and decompress from my evening.

But thankfully it didn’t work out that way.

Robin was an older African American woman, and we soon began chatting about her day and her life. I learned that Robin grew up with 15 brothers and sisters, and that although life wasn’t always easy, she always felt loved and was surrounded by a houseful of built-in best friends. She spoke at length about her parents and all of the lessons they taught her and her brothers and sisters. Most importantly, she said, her parents always stressed to love all people, to try to make a difference where they could, and to never allow anyone to make them believe they weren’t “enough.”

We spoke briefly about everything that has happened in the world recently and

some of the controversies we are facing, and Robin said that because of her core beliefs, she cannot and will not ever be shaken by any hatred or bigotry. She said that she lives her life through the motto “don’t allow anyone to kidnap your feelings.” She said no matter what happens, she looks for the light in the world and returns to her motto to lead her through her life.

She then took time and asked me about my life and it brought us to the topic of kindness because that is the life lesson my parents always stressed. “Be kind to others and treat them as you want to be treated.” I admitted to her that I struggle with how to brush off unkind people, or how to handle the unkind things currently happening in the world, and to not allow it to affect my spirit.

Robin said to me “hate can happen anywhere at any time and we need lights like you in the world to share your heart with others. You can only control how you are treating people, so just keep being you.”

I have continued to think about everything we talked about, and the feeling that I keep going back to is that of gratitude for the incredibly positive impact her words have had on me. At a time when there has been so much ugliness and divisiveness in our world, I am so inspired by her positive outlook on life. She said that when she faces people who are unkind, she shows kindness. When she meets someone who has wildly different opinions and beliefs from her own, she listens. When someone treats her like she isn’t enough, she reminds herself that she is.

As I sit and think about Robin, I am most struck by the fact that in just an hour, the two of us – despite having different backgrounds, connected as if we had known each other forever. When I told her I was feeling down on life, she brought me back to center and allowed me to remember all of the wonder that is in our world. I’m so grateful that of all of the people who could have picked me up that evening that it was Robin. Isn’t that the great thing about interacting with others? To meet people — even if it is by chance, who allow you to see the world differently simply by sharing their time, energy and light with you?

Look for the light in others, friends. Share your story with someone. You just never know how one conversation—one sentence — or even one word could inspire someone ... like me.

Thank you, Robin, for being my light! Y

Lyft ride home ends with lasting impression“Each and everyone’s existence is deeply tied to that of others: life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions.”

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WHAT WHEN WHERE OIT Monthly Happy Hour 4 to 7 pm Northside Draft House6

September

WHAT WHEN WHERE Frontiers of BrainHealth Lecture Noon to 1 pm International Reception Series: The Complexity of Meta Hall, Center for Plasticity in the Motor System: Implication BrainHealth to Rehabilitation Medicine

Visit: utdallas.edu/calendar/event.php?id=1220452671

6

WHAT WHEN WHERE Celestial Celebration: Music, 8 to 10 pm Eisemann Center Art, and Technology for Performing ArtsVisit: utdallas.edu/calendar/event.php?id=1220451331

7 WHAT WHEN WHERECommuniTEA: The X, Noon to 1 pm Galerstein Gender Y, Zs of Feminism Center SSB 4.300

Visit: utdallas.edu/calendar/event.php?id=1220452106

10 WHAT WHEN WHEREEmployee Resource Noon to 2 pm Visitor Center & Group Signing Day Bookstore -VCB Atrium

Visit: utdallas.edu/calendar/event.php?id=1220453374

12 WHAT WHEN WHEREGalerstein Gender 10 am to 3 pm Student Union (SU)Center SAFE ZONE Galaxy Rooms Ally Training

Visit: utdallas.edu/calendar/event.php?id=1220452112

20 To find more events happening on campus, visit the

Comet Calendar at utdallas.edu/calendar/

Do you have a co-worker or student who rocks? Give them a shout out in the newsletter!

Shout Outs!

u I would like to thank Shawn Joseph, Valerie Enriquez and Glen Van Noy for their efforts. I’d also like to recognize the computer lab student assistants: Jacob Paullus, Nick Morrow, Marcus Mohammadi, Matthew Kelley, Naseem Knaish, Nara Im, Dhairya Pawar, Gelareh Nobahkt, and Farishah Nahrin. c Jaby Abraham

u I am throwing out a gigantic shout out to the amazing Briseida Luna! She is such an incredible ray of sunshine and a huge asset to me. My days would not be the same if she was not a part of them. Thank you so much for all you do for me, Briseida. I am so grateful for you! c Lacy Fenn

u I want to thank the Microsoft Stack team that was responsible for deploying Teams! c Casey Foulds

u I would like to give a shout out to the Microsoft Stack team’s student worker, Siddharth “Sid” Joshi. His professionalism and skillset have helped the MSStack team immensely over the past several months and he consistently exceeds my expectations. c Casey Horn

KUDOS!

“I’m still happily amazed at how quickly SHIVANI (NARAIN) has taken care of the previous two NetID issues that have arisen for 19f.” ~Rosa Thompson, Provost Technology Group

“Yesterday afternoon I visited the Sonora Lab. I was stressed to finish my dissertation and needed help. EMILY (TUCKER) was on duty and helped me so much. She was patient and kind. When I asked questions, her explanations were simple and clear. When I left, I was so relieved. She was awesome!” ~Tracy Nicholson, Ph.D. candidate

What our friends and partners are saying about our wonderful team!

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1. What year are you in at UTD? I’m in my senior year, working my way through my last semester.2. Where did you grow up and go to high school? I grew up in Wylie, and went to Wylie High School.3. What are you getting your degree in? Arts and Technology, with a focus in design and production.4. What made you choose your degree? Art is something that has always been in my life, and I love learning about technology, so meshing the two together seemed like a good idea for a career.5. What made you choose to come to UTD? My sisters attended UTD, so I just followed in their footsteps. I also wanted to stay close to home and not have to live on campus.6. What do you do in OIT? I help out with graphic design, such as making digital signs around the office, and work to make invites to parties, as well stuff for OIT events, like the 2020 Summit.7. What do you want to do once you graduate? I’d love to travel the world before devoting myself fully to a job.8. What is your dream job? A freelance digital illustrator! I’d love to illustrate while being anywhere I want to be, so I can travel while I work.9. Tell everyone a fun fact about yourself! My name is a palindrome!

Maham HussainStudent Assistant, Outreach, Events & Communications

STUDENT SP TLIGHT

“Alexa, Ask Maham.” Maham Hussain, a student assistant for the Outreach, Events & Communications team, designed the artwork for the Alexa Echo Dots that were recently installed for students in the Residence Hall South as part of the Alexa Pilot Program.

Reminders!Parking permits for FY 2020 are now available. You may purchase your permit online or by visiting the Parking Office located in the Parking Structure 3 (PS3).

The deadline for processing FY19 requisitions has passed. Requisitions using FY20 budgets will resume on Tuesday, September 3.

Let’s start the new fiscal year by keeping our breakroom nice and clean. Be sure to dispose any expired items left in the fridge.

123

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EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDUREActions you should take in emergency situations

EMERGENCY CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS

RICHARDSON EMEGENCY SERVICES:911

UT DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT:972.883.2222

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:972.883.2420

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY:972.883.4111

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT:972.883.2141

ENERGY MANAGEMENT SERVICES:972.883.2147

TO VOLUNTEER FOR CERTOR SAFE LEADER CALL:972.883.2831

Not receiving alerts? Go to utdallas.edu/textmeand log into Galaxy to update your phone number. UT Dallas will send you text alerts in the event ofan emergency or disruption to normal University operations.

“Run. Hide. Fight.” ©2012 City of Houston Used with permission from the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

CERT OR SAFE LEADER

NAME LOCATION PHONE

EVACUATE >>>WHEN BUILDING ALARMS SOUND - LEAVE the building immediately - DO NOT use elevators - ASSIST the disabled - TAKE valuables & cell phone with you

SEEK SHELTER >>>WHEN OUTDOOR WARNING SOUNDS - ENTER a safe place in the building - SEEK interior rooms away from doors & windows - LISTEN for instructions from indoor warning system or KEEP TUNED to media - WAIT for the “all clear” from campus officials

RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.® >>>WHEN THERE IS A VIOLENT INTRUDER - ASSESS the threat, respond appropriately - RUN if it is safe to do so - HIDE if you can’t run - FIGHT if you must

• Ansel Chetty• Trent Duncan• David Fenner• Joseph Fickle

• David Jackson• Briseida Luna• Morgan Shockey • Mike Ramsey

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OIT Staff Appreciation Lunch!