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Sitzabee's Soundbites
Hello there!
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Or so the lyrics of that old song go. I hope over the next two weeks you have the opportunity to spend plenty of quality time with your family and friends, catch your breath and recharge, and enjoy the magic of the holidays.
While the holidays can be a wonderful time of year, they can also prove challenging and stressful. As many of you may have heard, an employee at Penn State Beaver was a victim of domestic violence while at work. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this difficult time. With that said, please look out for one another at all times, but especially during the holidays. Please know there is help, support, and resources out there should they be needed. Do not hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or know a coworker who may need help.
Workday launched a few weeks ago with great success. As with any new program or initiative, it will continue to be a learning experience and we have a few glitches here or there. I encourage everyone to exercise patience and work with our leaders to identify any issues to get them resolved as quickly as possible. Please remember to have timecards in and approved on time.
I hope you all had a chance to enjoy our pleasant and extended fall before our first snow last week. For those that went hunting, I hope you found success. I am still unpacking and was unable to make it out this year, but am looking forward to exploring the surrounding area and getting to know the land so I can find my new favorite hunting spot and fishing hole.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! See you in 2018!
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If OPP had an organization-wide Christmas list, what might be on it? With so many divisions and different positions, the list could go on and on. Check out the list below. What did we miss? Send your fun, funny ideas and maybe more serious wish list items to
newsviews@psu.edu
.
1. Matching OPP Polos for Fridays
2.
Perfect weather
3. New PMIS
4. New HelpDesk Trailer
5. Inspirational mural in hallway outside 105B
6. Popcorn Fridays all year round
7. New lobby chairs
8.
Increased energy savings
9. Underground snow melting system
10. OPP-Only parking area
11. Donuts
12. One more day of hunting season
13. PPE for the whole family
14. Jet-powered backpack vacuums and leaf blowers to fly through work
15. That all employees work together to be injury free in 2018
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Welcomes
Sending a warm welcome to all new employees in OPP. Best wishes in your first few weeks!
Levi Bisel accepted a position as a custodial worker. His first day was November 13.
Hometown
: Snow Shoe
Hobbies: Hunting, fishing
Todd Bryan
accepted a position as a custodial worker. His first day was November 20.
Hometown: Julian
Hobbies: Family time, watching my kids in all the events they're involved in
Akile Parker
accepted a position as a maintenance worker utility. His first day was November 20.
Hometown
:Bellefonte
Hobbies: Working out at the gym, sports, cooking, shopping, creating custom pens from pure
wood and minerals
Andrea Stapleton accepted a position as a custodial worker. Her first day was November 13.
Hometown: Snow Shoe
Hobbies: Spending time with family
Anthony Toto
accepted a position as an IT support specialist. His first day was November 13. Hometown: State College Hobbies: Football, basketball, gardening, cooking, guitar
Chris Washburn
accepted a position as a maintenance worker utility. His first day was November 13. Hometown: State College Hobbies: Hunting
Dawson Zeigler
accepted a position as a custodial worker. His first day was November 13. Hometown: Snow Shoe Hobbies: Hunting, working on vehicles
Travis Chandler accepted a position as a stockroom clerk. His first day was November 20.
Hometown: Spring Mills
Hobbies: Hunting, camping, watching PSU ice hockey games
Robert Dickenson
accepted a position as a custodial worker. His first day was November 20.
Nicole Kosack
accepted a position as a custodial worker. Her first day was November 20.
Dave Porter
accepted a position as a custodial worker. His first day was November 20.
Hometown: Penns Valley
Hobbies: Spending time with family, waterfowl and upland bird hunting, fishing, any time spent with my kids
Jerry Shaw accepted a position as a custodial worker. His first day was November 20.
Sean Williams
accepted a position as a custodial worker. His first day was November 20.
**If your picture was not included, we would be glad to include it in a future edition. Please contact
Susan Bedsworth
to set up a time to have your photo taken.
Farewells
Gary Eckrote, custodial worker, announced his resignation. His last day is January 6.
Jeff Jodon, groundskeeper/horticulture worker, accepted a position in a different unit at Penn State. His last day is Jan. 1.
Harrison King
, IT Support Specialist, accepted a position with Development and Alumni Relations. His last day with OPP was November 17.
James Merrick
, custodial worker, announced his resignation. His last day was November 21.
Dave McCaslin
, mechanic (pumps), announced his retirement. His last day was November 11.
Danielle Palmer, adminstrative assistance, announced her resignation. She will be moving to Florida. Her last day is Jan. 2.
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A Thank You For Wonderful Customer Service
Tammy Zeiders, Assistant Housing Manager of White Course Apartments, wrote in to thank
Corey Lucas
and
Amy Day
for their exceptional service:
"I wanted to send you a positive feedback in regards to Corey Lucas and Amy Day. It is a pleasure working with these two and it amazes me how they put customer service ahead of anything. Amy has been in communication with Ken Fredricks and I the last couple of days and made a visit to ensure her crew is there for the residents of White Course. As you know these residents have small babies and they live here 365 days a year and can never be put on the back burner. Corey and Amy truly get this and like stated, are willing to ensure their concerns are taken care of in a timely manner. I have worked with both Corey and Amy for many years and I can say they have not lost their focus on doing their job well and giving 100 percent!"
An Act Of Kindness
Nadine O'Leary, IT Constultant at the Information Security Office, wrote in to thank
Thomas Shirey
for helping her out of a sticky situation.
"Yesterday evening as I was rushing out of the TSB building to get to my son's appointment, my evening became a bit more stressful. As I got into my car and turned the key, the car would not start. Panic set in as I did not want to be late for this appointment. After many attempts and someone trying to give me a jump my vehicle still would not start. All of a sudden a man by the name of Thomas Shirey appeared out of nowhere and took charge. He had me jump in my car turn the key and push the gas. I'm not sure what he did, but my car started and I was able to make it to my son's appointment. What a great feeling to know there was someone who cared enough to help me in my time of need. I am very grateful and thought you should know."
Kudos For Exceptional Work
Aliana Steinbugl wrote in to thank OPP staff for their help.
"I wanted to write and let you know how thankful Housing and Food Services is to your staff, Andrew Lowery, and Les Weyandt. Last night we deployed a set of emergency cores to aid our housing operation at Penn State Behrend. Les handled and vetted our request throughly and Andrew executed the locksmith work in the utmost professional and knowledgeable fashion. It is very evident that Andrew is a talented locksmith. Again, thank you to Les and Andrew for exceptional work last night. Commonwealth Campus Housing and Food Services and HFS Access & Security are very appreciative. "
Ryan McCaughey nominated
Laurie Henry,
Abby Lodge, and
Rebekah Detwiler for creating a landscape satellite storeroom.
"I would like to thank them for all their hard work in setting up the landscape and OMPEC satellite storerooms. We are including a lot of new processes in these store rooms that will be the pilot for others moving forward and took a lot of effort on their part to get them in place."
Ricky Witherite nominated
Keith Stevens and
John Rossman for an excellent job preparing the Bellisario Building for the dedication.
"The Carnegie (now Bellisario) custodial crew worked tirelessly preparing the building for the dedication ceremony that was held on October 20th. I believe these custodians went above and beyond preparing the building for this event. The building looked pristine for the dedication."
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As you may have noticed, OPP has launched its digital signage project with four monitors in the Physical Plant Building. The digital signage will serve as an additional communication tool to provide timely and up-to-date information to OPP employees and visitors. In the future, there is potential to expand the effort to other OPP campus locations.
Have an event, initiative or program you want to be considered for sharing on the digital signage? Please review submission guidelines in the
Visual Communications Content Management Guidebook found in Communications Resources on the intranet and contact
Susan Bedsworth.
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The 1st Annual OPP Holiday Cookie Contest was a great success! There were more than 25 delicious and festive entries. Bill Sitzabee, associate vice president, Steve Maruszewski, assistant vice president, and Rob Cooper, director of Energy & Engineering, served as judges.
1st Place - Ben Thomas with Ben's Cookie
2nd Place - Tara Chrzanowski with Linzer Cookies
3rd Place - Jonathan Risley with Sugar Cookie Surprise
Thank you to everyone who participated. It was a tough decision and everyone did a fantastic job. As we plan to make this an ennual event, we hope it will grow with more delicious and scrumptious cookies and brownies each year.
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At the conclusion of each summer, OPP honors one of its many interns with the Michael Eiben Memorial Intern Award. The award is given to "an exemplary intern who demonstrates creativity, innovation, and professionalism; all traits that Michael possessed in his academic and personal life."
Michael interned with OPP starting in the summer of 2013 in continuous commissioning under Steve Oskin. During his time with OPP, he volunteered with the Special Olympics and helped organize an interns vs. professionals golf outing. He was described as professional, confident, selfless and hilarious, among many other outstanding traits.
This year, Nicholas Budzynski, an Energy & Engineering intern under Matt Leah, was honored with the award. In his recommendation letter it said, "In addition to the outstanding work Nick has taken on within the Energy Savings Program..., he was also a key contributor of the success of the 2017 Special Olympics Summer GAmes. Nick not only led efforts in planning of the event, but also participated in volunteering efforts up until the last hour of tear down."
While Michael is greatly missed, the award named in his honor, displaying artwork he created, will forever serve as a tribute and reminder of the excellence Michael portrayed in each new generation of student interns in OPP.
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Nicholas Budzynski, an intern in Energy & Engineering under Matt Leah, was honored with the 2017 award. Nick, second from right,is pictured with (L-R) Jessica Dubler, John Bechtel and Terry Hansel.
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It's not too late to renew or sign up for EBA for 2018. Please fill out the
attached membership application (along with $15 dues/cash or checks made payable to EBA) and return it to Kirstin Steele in room 128A or Kelly Gilham in room 127.
John Bechtel was the lucky winner of the free 2018 membership during the membership drive in October!
The EBA also has Sheetz coupon books left. They are $10 each. Please see
Kirstin Steele or
Kelly Gilham to purchase. These make great stocking stuffers!
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Workday is here!
Remember to have timecards in and approved on time. Keep up to date by reading the regular emails from OHR and by visiting the
Workday page on the OPP site.
Make sure you keep the following dates in mind!
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Coaches vs. Cancer
Penn State vs. Nebraska
Jan. 12, 2018
7 p.m.
Fans are welcome to participate in:
- Pregame & Halftime Tunnels (12 & under)
- Post Game Photo (all ages)
- Post Game On-Court Intramural Game (Employees)
To purchase tickets, call 814-867-2541 or email szr88@psu.edu.
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e-Building Selected as PMIS Vendor
The PMIS Team is pleased to announce e-Builder has been selected as the successful vendor for the PMIS.
Next Steps
- Kick-off meeting with PMIS Core Team, e-Builder and KFA
- Implementation planning meetings over next several months
- Full contract execution pending Project Decision Review Board (PDRB) approval in January 2018
For more details, visit the PMIS Schedule page.
If you are interested in being a part of the PMIS team or involved in the next steps of the project implementation, please contact PMIS Communications.
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Trivia Question:
In the 1960s, these four buildings on the University Park campus had something in common: Hammond, East Halls, Chambers and Old Main. Which of the following characteristics did they all share?
A. fallout shelters in case of nuclear attack
B. radio relay stations for police or national guard in case of campus unrest
C. use of stone that had been part of previous campus structures
D. only major academic buildings NOT equipped with vending machines
and look for the answer in the next edition of News & Views.
Last Month's News & Views Trivia Question and Answer
How many tons of recyclable Blue Bag material was sent to the Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority after the Penn State vs. Michigan football game?
A. 23 tons
B. 30 tons
C. 25 tons
D. 18 tons
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Training Opportunities for Inclusive Excellence
Are you looking for some training opportunities this fall focusing on inclusive excellence? There are a number of sessions available through the Office of Human Resources. Please visit their seminars webpage for a complete listing of in-person opportunities.
For those on shifts other than daytime, it can be difficult to attend in-person seminars and workshops. There are a number of online training opportunities related to inclusive excellence via the Skillport Learning Resource Network, as well as on lynda.com.
All In at Penn State
A Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Penn Staters are taking an active role in making everyone feel safe and welcome. A
video was created comprised of honest, unscripted student voices speaking about their everyday challenges surrounding diversity and inclusion. Let it serve as a catalyst for starting authentic conversations.
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You can find a list of carpoolers and regional bus services through the RideShare Program and a full list of all transportation options at the Transportation Services site. Or post a request in News & Views by sending it to newsviews@psu.edu.
Huntingdon to State College
Want to save money driving back and forth from Huntingdon to State College?
A new Huntingdon-area CATACOMMUTE Vanpool group has immediate openings for new members:
- Save money and enjoy a relaxing ride to and from work every day
- Avoid excess miles on your vehicle while saving on tires, maintenance, oil changes and gas
- Monthly rate is based on the number of members - reduced fare now available!
- Hours are 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (M-F workday)
If you are or someone you know is interested, please call 935-3444 or email
dlp18@psu.edu for more information!
Altoona to Science Park
A new CATA vanpool traveling between Altoona and the Science Park Road area (including ARL and TSB) in State College is looking for additional riders.
The vanpool serves a 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekday work schedule.
Philipsburg to State College
A Philipsburg to State College CATA vanpool is looking for riders.
- Serves those working between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
- Departs across from the Philipsburg YMCA at 6:40 a.m. and return around 5:05 - 5:15 p.m., depending on traffic
- With the Emergency Ride Home Program, a taxi can provide transportation back to Philipsburg at no charge up to five times per year
- Relax on the way to work - sleep, chat or play on social media
- Save on fuel expenses, as well maintenance and miles on your vehicle, so that it lasts years longer
For more information, please email
cms324@psu.edu or call/text at (814)360-2764.
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Contact Us
If you have any comments or suggestions for News & Views, contact Susan Bedsworth by e-mail or at 863-9620.
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