Vol. XXXVIII, No. 32, August 24, 2009

This Week at Valencia

Monday, August 24

SALT mtg., 10 a.m., Osceola Campus, 2-219B

Data Team mtg., 2 p.m., East Campus, 3-113

Tuesday, August 25

Student Development Collegewide Team mtg., 8:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, 1-258

Wednesday, August 26

Academic Assembly, 8:30 a.m., East Campus, PAC

Outlook Tip-of-the-Week:  Using the Distribution Lists (DLs) in the Global Address List (GAL)

As you know from a previously published tip, Personal Distribution Lists can be a great time saver and help you organize your communications. The Outlook system's Global Distribution Lists serve the same purpose, but generally target larger audiences. For that reason common sense dictates using them appropriately. Using a Global Distribution List falls into the category of “bulk mail” and should be treated accordingly.

Here are some suggestions for Dos and Don’ts:

Do:

• Do know your audience. Who do you really need to communicate with? Note that an email to the Collegewide Email Distribution List is delivered to approximately 2,500 recipients.
• Do be professional and assure the email is appropriate to the college audience represented by the distribution list. Bulk email is not the place for a “soap box” in a college environment.
• Do be considerate of others and try not to clog the email systems. Be sure the message you are sending is pertinent to your audience.
• Do use the Blind Copy (Bcc). This keeps someone from using the Reply to All option (intentionally or unintentionally).
• Do use a Subject that clearly defines the purpose of the email. This helps define legitimate emails from SPAM.

Don’t:

• Don’t be disrespectful in tone or content. If you have a “beef” take it to your supervisor or other appropriate sources.
• Don’t use distribution lists to announce overstock of office items or to sell personal items. In the Employees Tab in Atlas there is an Employee Bulletin Board called:

“A community bulletin board for Valencia employees to list announcements, classifieds, discounts and reviews. Need a home for that last package of toner or displaced puppy; this is a perfect place to post it.”

• Don’t use the Collegewide Distribution List unless you have identified that the message is appropriate for all levels at the college.
• Don’t send bulk emails with attachments. Use your departmental network shares for attachment sharing when possible. Larger attachments may also be placed on websites with a link in the email to the attachment. Personal photos, music, movies, and such can be shared using many Internet web resources

For more tips and FAQs please click on the OIT Tools icon on your desktop and select “Ask a Question”.

Community Chorus Group Opportunities

Valencia Community College’s ensemble and chorus groups are looking for new members for the fall term. Opportunities are available to all students, staff, faculty and community members. There are three opportunities available:

Voices of Valencia - Now in its13th year, the Voices of Valencia is a musical group for singers of all levels. The group performs all over Central Florida, including at theme parks and convention centers, and every so often they record an album. This holiday season, the group will continue building its very own production, N.O.E.L. (Night of Everlasting Light) with music arranged by Derric Johnson (creator of Epcot Candlelight Processional and Voices of Liberty). Anyone can join Voices of Valencia and no auditions are required.

To be a part of this group, you must register for the Valencia course MUN 1311, CRN # 11221. The group will meet every Tuesday night, beginning Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. on Valencia’s East Campus.

West Campus Choir - Valencia’s West Campus now has a music ensemble of its own. The West Campus Choir (formerly known as the Valencia Chamber Chorus) offers its members a chance to be a part of some holiday shows in the Central Florida area, including the Epcot Candlelight Processional. No auditions are required.

To join the chorus, you must register for the Valencia course MUS 2930, CRN #14882. The group will meet every Thursday night, beginning Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. on Valencia’s West Campus.

Valencia A Cappella Chorale - The Valencia A Cappella Chorale is seeking members for its premier a cappella group, Intone. Intone’s musical style is characterized by a unique variety of lush vocal harmonies and its high-energy patriotic and holiday numbers. Intone has been a regular in the local resorts (including Disney) convention centers, conferences and other venues over the years.

Those interested in joining must have music skills and a great work ethic. Auditions are required. For more information about this group or any other, please contact Mr. James Jones at 407-582-2340 or jjones2@valenciacc.edu.

News from Procurement

Review of College Policy - According to Valencia Community College Policy 6Hx28:5-10, the following spending thresholds require:

$3,500 - $24,999 - Three (3) written quotes are needed and each quote must be only from one company.

$25,0000 - $250,000 - A formal invitation to Bid (ITB) or Request for Proposals (RFP), depending on the circumstances, is solicited and advertised by the Procurement Department for comparative bids. Award is approved by the Procurement Director with concurrence from requesting department.

$250,000 and up - Procurements exceeding this amount require the District Board of Trustees approval. 

Best business practice suggests written quotes for any goods/services under $1,000. 

FedEx Office - FedEx Kinko’s is now called FedEx Office. Valencia has entered into an agreement with FedEx Office for printing services. This is another source for your copying needs with convenient locations and many operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also place orders on-line with a quick turnaround time!  Have your job delivered to you or pick it up on the way to or from work!

To receive Valencia pricing, you will need the account number associated with your campus. This is for business use only. See below for account numbers.

Copy cost sheets are located above all college copiers. The breakdown is as follows:

Watch your mailbox for more information regarding the FedEx Office Corporate Account Program for Valencia Community College.

Procurement Cardholders/Coordinators - For a vast collection of helpful PCard information, look no further than the “links” section of the PaymentNet welcome screen. From here you have access to the PCard manual, the Valencia tax exemption certificate, a PaymentNet cheat sheet, and JPMorgan Chase’s learning website!

Cheaper is not always better - Price is not always the deciding factor when buying goods. Other deciding factors include:  lead time, quality, vendor service record, and delivery/shipping charges. Use caution when selecting a vendor. Some vendors may tell you what you want to hear just to earn your business.

Leadership Valencia

Preparing Yourself for Retirement, a four part series, presented by Helen Von Dolteren-Fournier and sponsored by the Valencia Chapter of AAWCC. A continental breakfast will be served at each presentation.

• Session I of IV: Budgeting Your Needs - Budgeting your needs will be based on your current habits, your retirement picture, and any social security income, defined benefit income, etc.We will forecast federal income taxes and average inflation with all of these figures for your personalized retirement plan. September 8, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GBYN-3
• Session II of IV: Different Retirement Savings Choices, Which is Best - What is the best for you? How can you know? Does your tax bracket today influence your decision? Investment choices include 403B, Roth 403B, 457, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, full pension versus partial pension with cash plan. So many choices! September 15, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GDRC-3
• Session III of IV: Picking Your investment - After you determine your risk tolerance and asset allocation, we will utilize Morningstar to determine which mutual funds fit into your allocation perfectly. We will discuss when you should consider cutting loose your mutual funds due to poor performance, etc. Additionally, you will have an opportunity to review the Morningstar report on your current mutual fund holdings. September 3, 9-10:30 a.m., East Campus, Room 5-112. Registration Code: GPYR-1; September 10, 9-10:30 a.m., West Campus, Room 6-202. Registration Code: GPYR-2; or September 22, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GPYR-3
• Session IV of IV: Wrapping Up, Completing an Analysis –Completing this analysis based on your personal income and expense information that we have compiled throughout this workshop. You will know if you need to save a little more to reach your perfect retirement or if you can actually retire earlier than you thought. September 17, 9-10:30 a.m., East Campus, Room 5-112. Registration Code: GWU-1; September 24, 9-10:30 a.m., West Campus, Room 6-202. Registration Code: GWU-2; or September 29, 9-10:30 a.m., Osceola Campus, Room 3-239. Registration Code: GWU-3

21st Century Learning Environments – (Presenter: Jim Belcher) Creating environments for learning and exchange, not just delivery - applying research to design. We will have fun experiencing first hand, not just talking about, some of the more innovative and effective recent ideas including:

• Parker Palmer's "community of truth" vs. "the objectivist myth of knowing".
• Juanita Brown and David Isaacs' "World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter" technology.
• Margaret Wheatley's "calling of circles to give birth to new ideas, new courage, and new companions for the journey".
• Harrison Owen's "Open Space Technology".
• The three new R's - relevance, resonance, and response.
  Lessons learned from three years of experimental room design
• in EC Room 8-144.
• And, YOUR best practice ideas, for designing more effective learning environments.

Please send any questions and comments to Jim Belcher, jbelcher@valenciacc.edu. September 24, 12:45-3 p.m., East Campus, Room 8-144. Registration Code: G21CLE

Consensus Building: How to Effectively Reach an Agreement within a Group – (Presenter: Joseph Sarrubbo) Participants will work individually and in groups in order to learn techniques for effective consensus building. Sponsored by the Valencia Chapter of FACC. September 30, 10:30 a.m.-12 Noon, West Campus, Room SSB-110-D. Registration Code: PCS-1

To register for all classes go to http://www.valenciacc.edu/leadership/. Please be sure you have the approval of your direct supervisor prior to registering for a workshop. If a workshop is canceled, only those registered can be sent a cancellation email. To view the status of a particular workshop and to see a full listing of workshops check the Leadership Valencia calendar located online.

A Warm Welcome to New Full-time Employees

Angelika Carroll, administrative assistant, Financial Services, DTC, mc DTC-3, ext. 3300

Karen Cowden, College Reading Prep. faculty, West Campus, mc 4-11, ext. 1024

A Fond Farewell to Retiring Full-time Employees

Mary Ann Moore, West Campus, retiring 11/30/09

Emilio Cesar Vazquez, West Campus, retiring 8/6/09

Welcome back to everyone who was off for the summer and hope it was a healthy, relaxing one! We have LOTS of exciting Wellness activities kicking off this fall. They begin the week of September 7th and end December 12th.

The most exciting addition to the Wellness Program is the Wellness points you will be earning. You should have received an email with the points you have accumulated for any wellness activity you participated in and signed in for. You received one wellness point for each signature which then turned into Wellness bucks. There is a website you can redeem those bucks for some really nice gifts. Beginning in the fall, there will be sign-in sheets at the East and West Fitness Centers. Each time you sign in to work out you will receive a point. Please print your name so there is no problem reading it and you are given proper credit. You can go to the valenciacc.edu/wellness website for additional information.

Be sure to look on the back page to see the list of all the activities planned for the fall. No pre-registration is required, just show up for the class and remember - you can attend any campus.

A new Step by Step Walking Program will begin September 14th. Walking is a great way to become physically active. This is a 12-week program. For each step you record you earn wellness bucks. You will receive an email with the sign-up form or you can download the form at the wellness website. Contact Debi Jakubcin at djakubcin@valenciacc.edu with any questions.

New Fall Wellness Class Schedule

East Campus

• Yoga PM - Monday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., dance studio (6-104)
• NEW! Yoga AM - Wednesday, 7-7:45 a.m., dance studio (6-104)
• Boot Camp - Tuesday/Thursday, 6:45-7:45 a.m., gym (6-105)
• Basketball - Tuesday and Thursday, 5-6 p.m., gym (6-105)
• Weight Watchers - Wednesday, 1-2 p.m., 6-217
• Dancing - Learn ChaCha, Rhumba and Foxtrot - Thursday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., gym (6-105)
• NEW! Zumba - Monday/Wednesday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., gym (6-105)
• NEW! Guided Relaxation – Tuesday, 1-1:45 p.m., 6 weeks only, 9/8 thru 10/14

West Campus

• Yoga - Monday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., dance studio (HSB-123)
• NEW! Yoga – Wednesday, 12 Noon-12:45 p.m. - dance studio (HSB-123)
• Cardio Sculpt - Tuesday/Thursday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., dance studio (HSB-123)
• Weight Watchers - Friday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 5-258
• NEW! Guided Relaxation – Wednesday, 1-1:45 p.m., 6 weeks only,10/21 thru 11/25, dance studio (HSB-123)

Downtown Center

• Yoga - Wednesday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., first floor conference room

Winter Park Campus

• Yoga - Tuesday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., rm. 224
• Boot Camp – Saturday, 8-9 a.m., Lake Island Park (across the street from Winter Park campus)
• NEW! Boot Camp – Wednesday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., Lake Island Park (across the street from Winter Park campus)
• Weight Watchers, Thursday, 12:30-1:30 p.m., rm. 108

Sand Lake Center

• Yoga - Tuesday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., 2-120

Criminal Justice Institute

• Yoga - Tuesday, 5:15-6:15 p.m., Auditorium

Brown Bag Lunch and Learn Workshops:

• Nutrition & Cholesterol - September 15, East Campus, 11 a.m.-12 Noon, 3-113 OR West Campus, 1-2 p.m., 1-212
• 5 Secrets to Feeling and Looking Good - September 17, East Campus, 1-2 p.m., TBA OR September 29, West Campus, 1-2 p.m., TBA
• Emotional Eating - September 22, East Campus, 1-2 p.m., TBA OR September 24, West Campus, 1-2 p.m., HSB-211
• Preparing a Healthy Lunch - September 28 OR October 19, West Campus, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 9-139  reservations are required for this workshop
• Taking Sleep Seriously - October 1, East Campus, 1-2 p.m., TBA OR October 13, West Campus, 1-2 p.m., TBA
• Breast Cancer Awareness - October 22, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., East Campus, 3-113 OR West Campus, 1-2 p.m., 6-202
• Healthy Living Tips, October 27, East Campus, 1-2 p.m., TBA OR October 29, West Campus, 1-2 p.m., TBA
• Diabetes and Associated Health - November 10, East Campus, 11 a.m.-12 Noon, 3-113 OR West Campus, 1-2 p.m., 1-212.