Dear Roadrunners,

Today feels like the unofficial beginning of the fall semester. The first President’s Cabinet meeting of the new academic year is today at 11 a.m., and I hope you’re all planning to attend tonight’s Convocation festivities. The event will feature food, games, prizes and more, including opening remarks from President Davidson and words of wisdom from author and keynote speaker Dudley Thurmond.

As we prepare to come together for our first big event of the year, it’s also a great time to drive home the importance of campus safety.

Safety trainings available 

The Auraria Campus Police Department and the Office of Emergency Management offer a variety of free training opportunities to current Auraria Campus students, faculty members and staff members. 

Active Harmer Preparedness Training
The goal of these training opportunities is to help you feel empowered and prepared in the unlikely event of an active-harmer incident on campus. Trainings will be at the Auraria Campus Center for Safety, 1200 7th Street. 

Stop the Bleed®
Stop the Bleed® (Civilian Trauma Training) teaches participants basic lifesaving medical interventions. Trainings will be at the Auraria Campus Center for Safety, 1200 7th Street. 

See the schedule and register here for ACPD/OEM trainings.

Adult CPR/First Aid/AED training
The MSU Denver Department of Facilities is sponsoring training that will prepare you to recognize and respond appropriately to cardiac, breathing, and first aid emergencies.

Friday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.-noon – Register here.
Friday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m.-noon – Register here. 

Review or create a Departmental Emergency Procedures Plan

Additionally, September is Emergency Preparedness Month. I invite you to use this as a reminder to create or update your Departmental Emergency Procedures Plan. To get started, please visit the Department of Facilities’ Emergency Preparedness page and download the Departmental Emergency Procedures Plan template. This document helps MSU Denver departments develop a solid plan of action for shelter, evacuations, rally points and emergency-contact lists in crisis situations.

More ways to stay prepared and respond to emergencies

  • Make sure your RAVE contact info is up to date.   
  • Ensure that your emergency-contact information is up to date through the Personal Information section of Workday.  
  • Ensure that your office maintains an updated list of employee contact information and where team members are working — on campus or remotely.  
  • Bookmark the University’s Emergency Communications webpage , and in an actual emergency, share only official, validated information.  

Additional health and safety resources 

  • Stay tuned to the latest campus health and safety updates, including any new Covid-19 information.   
  • Do not place discarded furniture or equipment in hallways as it can present a fire hazard. Instead, please submit a work order with Worktags to the Auraria Higher Education Center. 
  • Check this list to see when your building or area will undergo planned fire drills and refresh yourself with reminders.   

Additional updates and reminders

 

Campus construction
I’m excited to announce that the new IT Service Desk, located in the lobby of JSSB, is now open for in-person appointments!  Meanwhile, as part of the Health Institute Simulation Labs project, construction continues on the third floor of the Admin Building to remodel spaces for Criminal Justice and Criminology and the Center for Teaching, Learning and Design.

For more information on construction zones, schedule and temporary office relocations, please visit the regularly updated project SharePoint site.

All Roadrunners are invited to join the Project Update meetings. The next meeting will be held Sept. 19 from 1-2 p.m. Click here to join the meeting, and please submit any questions or feedback to Martha Nelson ([email protected]), senior project manager for Facilities Planning, Design and Construction.

 

Wi-Fi improvements
Information Technology Services recently completed infrastructure upgrades in the Science Building as part of our Network Modernization project.  This upgrade replaced outdated and end-of-life technology with state-of-the-artsolutions to improve the overall wireless experience.  Students and employees will see improvements in wireless reliability and overall speeds, and improved wireless coverage throughout the entire building. A special thanks goes out to AHEC, Community College of Denver and University of Colorado Denver for their help and support in completing this project.

This work closes out the second phase of the Network Modernization project.  Work has already begun on the third phase, which will bring similar upgrades in the Admin, Plaza Health Center, and West Classroom buildings.

Register for LEAD
Leaders with at least three direct reports are encouraged to register for our LEAD leadership-development program. This opportunity covers a wide range of topics to learn and practice essential leadership skills. Click here for program details, dates and registration. Additional programs and resources are available on the MSU Denver Leadership and Organizational Engagement site.

Free public transit through August
While MSU Denver employees already receive free Regional Transportation District access via the EcoPass program, RTD and 30 other transit agencies across the state are waiving fares for all riders through August to reduce ozone impact and improve air quality.

Also, all RTD customers ages 19 and under can ride for free for one year, beginning Sept. 1, as part of RTD’s Zero Fare for Youth program.

If you work with students and/or employees who are not enrolled in the CollegePass or EcoPass program, please help spread the word.

Thank you for staying up to date on all the exciting things happening at MSU Denver.

Sincerely,
Larry Sampler, chief operating officer and vice president for Administration