Category: Fun & Resources

Learn about fun and/or interesting things to do around MSU or interesting bits of MSU trivia.

Schedule an Office Clean-Out for Recyclemania

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RecycleMania is an annual competition that encourages college campuses to rally together in order to increase recycling rates. This year, the event will take place from February 1 to March 28. During the eight-week competition, students are encouraged to be adamant in their recycling efforts. MSU Sustainability will make appearances on campus in order to award those “caught” green-handed.

Exercise your impact and go green for RecycleMania!
Exercise your impact and go green for RecycleMania!

The MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center is encouraging faculty and staff to participate in the festivities by scheduling an office clean-out. Office clean outs include a morning delivery of two hampers to your work space; one for confidential shred, one for everything else including paper, cardboard, boxboard, plastics, books and electronics. The hampers will be available for the entirety of your scheduled clean-out and will be picked up the following morning. Surplus items can also be picked up simultaneously if this need is vocalized in advance.

Office clean-outs present a wonderful opportunity to be Spartan green and to organize your work space. To schedule a clean-out, call MSU Sustainability at 517-355-1751.

For additional information visit http://msusurplusstore.blogspot.com/2013/02/office-clean-outs.html or view the Office Clean-out PDF.

A Look Into the Past: MSU Retirement Traditions

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The tradition of presenting a book to retiring employees is one that MSU HR has carried on for years. Recently, a current HR employee brought in her great-grandfather’s retirement book, circa 1969, to share. Tucked inside the book’s pages were old employee photographs, images depicting the timeless beauty of MSU’s campus and a letter from President John Hannah. Also included was a pamphlet distributed at MSU’s Seventh Annual Retirement and Service Award Ceremony. This recognition program, an integral part of MSU’s dedication to honoring hardworking employees, still occurs annually each spring. Now, employees are able to select a personal gift that fits their unique preferences.

While many years have passed since the first retirement books were passed out (53, to be exact) it is important to note that MSU has stayed true in its values. Technology, fashion and the community are things that change with time, yet MSU’s dedication to employee appreciation is something that will not falter.

President's Letter
A letter from MSU President John A. Hannah
Seventh Annual Retirement Program pamphlet.
Seventh Annual Retirement Program pamphlet
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MSU’s campus circa 1960

Pay it Forward Weekend!

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This Friday, January 16, “Pay it Forward Weekend” begins. This celebration is the third of its kind. “Pay it Forward Weekend” urges participants to take part in at least on random act of kindness. The only condition is that this act must be carried out without the expectation of receiving anything in return. Last year, 484,743 individuals participated in this unofficial celebration. This year, organizers hope to increase reach tenfold.

Participating in random acts of kindness creates a ripple effect. We all benefit from good deeds!
Participating in random acts of kindness creates a ripple effect. We all benefit from good deeds!

So how can you get involved? First, join the event on Facebook.  If you are not a Facebook user, don’t worry! You are not barred in any manner from participating. Next, brainstorm an act of kindness. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Pay for someone’s meal in the fast food drive through.
• Leave a bouquet at the hospital for the nurses to distribute.
• If you are in a long line, invite the person behind you to go first.
• Offer to help carry someone’s groceries.
• Tell a manager about how stellar a certain employee is.
• Load extra change into the vending machine.
• Buy a lottery ticket for a stranger.
• Give a large tip to your server when you dine out.
• Let another driver take your parking spot.
• Leave a copy of a good book with a note on the bus.

This list is just the start- random acts of kindness are simple but their impact is outlasting! Consider challenging yourself to carry out one or more random acts of kindness during “Pay it Forward Weekend” and then extending this altruism throughout the year. In life, the littlest things make the biggest difference. Feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments section of this post.

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Dr. King participates in a civil rights march.
Dr. King participates in a civil rights march.

MSU has celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. since 1980, six years before Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a national holiday. This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, January 19. MSU students, faculty and staff will join together in recognition of Dr. King’s life’s work; bringing publicity to major civil rights activities, emphasizing and encouraging peaceful protests, and providing leadership.

The tribute begins this Saturday, January 17 with a gala celebrating the commencement of Project 60/50, a year-long initiative focused on engaging the community in conversations about diversity. After the gala, a Union Activities Board event will be held to illustrate the student body’s talent and commitment to civil rights issues. On Sunday, January 18, free jazz concerts will be available as 60/50’s gift to the community. On Monday, a student leadership conference will run through the morning to be followed by a luncheon taking place in partnership with the Greater Lansing King Commemorative Celebration Commission. Other festivities include a commemorative march from the Union to Beaumont Tower and an exhibit at the MSU Museum.

As we look forward to paying homage to the heroic deeds of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., MSU HR salutes all those who have worked for equality; past, present and future.

Unleash Your Inner Videographer— Across Generations: Video Fest

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Often, the elders in our lives prove to be our most vital influences. What we gain from conversation with these role models is truly invaluable. To encourage such discussion, Project 60/50 has created the Across Generations: Video Fest contest. Project 60/50, an ongoing community conversation on civil and human rights, is committed to bringing attention to the experiences, viewpoints, contributions, value and rights of all persons, including older adults.Project 60.50.circle WITH msu wordmark CMYK

The Across Generations: Video Fest contest invites young people to tape a conversation with an important elder (anyone 60+ years of age.) This contest not only aids young people in learning more about the elders in their lives, but provides a platform for older adults to share their stories. All entrants and their elders will be invited to a ceremony in recognition of submitted films at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum on February 21. One winner will be selected from each category: elementary (k-5), middle school (6-8), high school (9-12) and college. Prizes include a film screening at February’s ceremony and the East Lansing Film Festival as well as a $60.50 cash award.

Entries can be submitted at Project6050.msu.edu. The deadline is January 31. For more information, view the Project 60/50 PDF.

A Year in Review

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Farewell 2014! We are looking forward to discovering what 2015 will bring.
Farewell 2014! We are looking forward to discovering what 2015 will bring.

While many of you may be counting down to the new year, join us in counting down 2014’s most popular blog posts on SourceLive! Our readers learned how to deal with stress, how to prevent themselves from contracting the flu, how to get a massage during lunch break, interesting locations to enjoy a meal on campus, and the true difference between sick time and family sick time, among other topics. Thank you for your readership and we look forward to further informing you in 2015!

#5: How to Deal With Stress

Stress can cause headaches, anxiety and tension. Learn how to manage stress and reduce its negative impacts on your life with this video from Employee Assistance Program Counselor Lisa Laughman.

Read the full How to Deal With Stress post.

#4: 2014 Campus Flu Clinics

The Office of the University Physician offered flu clinics at various campus locations in October and November. Flu vaccines administered at the flu clinics were subsidized by Human Resources for MSU faculty, staff, and retirees.

Read the full Campus Flu Clinics post. 

#3: New Services at Olin!

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season quickly approaching, it’s natural to feel stress and anxiety. Luckily, Olin Health Center is offering three new services that are sure to help! You can now receive reflexology, reiki, and massage therapy services through Olin Health Center.

Read the full New Services at Olin post. 

#2: Unique Places to Eat at MSU

Are you tired of your regular lunch break routine? There are delicious and affordable meal options all over MSU’s campus, you just have to know where to look. Here are a few options that we recommend trying out on your next lunch break!

Read the full Unique Places to Eat at MSU post.

#1: Sick Time vs. Family Sick Time

Have you ever wondered how sick time balances relate to family sick time balances? Family sick time is not a separate bucket of hours to be used independently. It is a subset of sick time available to use for the illness of a member of the immediate family or other household members.

Read the full Sick Time vs. Family Sick Time post.

Happy Holidays from HR!

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This holiday season, we hope that you spend well-deserved time with loved ones, allow yourself the opportunity to relax, and eat some delicious meals! Beaumont Tower in winterWith that being said, it is important to remember that this time of year presents a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude. Here at MSU Human Resources, we would like to thank all of our dedicated faculty and staff for their outstanding performance! Michigan State would not be the great university that it is without the work that you do on a daily basis and we are thankful for your talents and service.  Happy holidays from MSU HR!

Protect Yourself When Shopping Online

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smartphone
Exercise caution when shopping on your smartphone. tablet or computer.

Smartphones and tablets are some of the most popular shopping tools this holiday season. At any given time you may have your financial information, family photos and contact information on one or several devices you carry daily. It’s important to protect yourself against digital pickpockets, hackers and identity thieves by following some basic safely rules:

  • Protect your device first and its contents second. Update your apps and operating system frequently. Updates often contain security patches to help protect you. Install anti-virus and malware protection on your device.
  • Enable locks on all electronic devices requiring a password to unlock. The default lock codes are generally only four digits (Apple calls this a simple passcode), select the ‘password’ option to use at least an eight character alphanumeric password. Most devices will also allow you to limit the number of attempts before the phone locks.
  • Disable Bluetooth if you are not using it, others can discover your device without your knowledge. Remember when you paired it with your car and the password was 0000?
  • Turn OFF Location Services or Tracking; this allows apps to know where you are, where you shop or even where you work.
  • Limit online shopping to when you are on a secure Wi-Fi network, like your home. If you must do business while out, turn OFF wifi and use your phone’s 3G or 4G network, it is far more secure than a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Continue Reading… Protect Yourself When Shopping Online

My smartphone can do that?

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Nearly 72 percent of the cell phones currently in use are smartphones.   But do you know how smart your phone really is? Here are a few things you might find useful. Note: there are many versions of Android so these may not work on every phone.smartphones

You can take a screenshot just like on your computer. On an iPhone – press and hold the Home button along with the Sleep/Wake button, you’ll hear a shutter click and the image will appear in your Camera Roll or Photos section. For Android, pressing the Power and Home buttons at the same time will grab an image of the screen and save to your Gallery. Remember to press both buttons at the same time, and hold them until the shutter sound is heard. (You need to hold the Power button slightly before pressing the Home button, then hold them both down.)

Listen to music on your phone with a sleep timer. Many people use their phone to listen to music as they go to sleep, but you don’t want it running all night and draining your battery. On an iPhone, go to the Clock app and click on “Timer”, then “When Timer Ends”. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select “Stop Playing”. For Android, open the music player settings. Find “Music auto off” and set it to however long you want the music to play.

Block calls and texts. Have you ever had someone get your number and continually call or text even if you tell them to stop? To block calls on an iPhone with iOS 7 or later, open the Phone or FaceTime app. If the person is already a contact, tap his/her name, scroll to the bottom of the page and tap “Block This Caller”. Then tap “Block Contact”. If the person isn’t a contact, tap the “Info” button, then scroll to the bottom of the page and tap Block this Caller. Then tap Block Contact. If you want to block texts, open the Messages app and tap a message from the person you want to block. Tap “Contact” in the upper right and then tap the “Info” button. Scroll to the bottom and tap “Block this Caller”. Then tap “Block Contact”.   You can edit your blocked contacts later at these locations: Settings>>Phone>>Blocked, Settings>>Messages>>Blocked or Settings>>FaceTime>>Blocked. On Android, go to Settings>>Call settings>>Call block. Under “Incoming calls” tap “Call block list” and then tap “Create”. You can enter a number, or tap the picture icon to find the number in your Contacts list or in your call logs.

Take better pictures. You can take photos by tapping the screen but it’s hard not to shake when you tap. On an iPhone, the volume up button can be used as your shutter button. Android has Voice Control in the camera app settings letting you take pictures with commands like “smile” and “cheese”.

elevateU Contest Winners

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If you attended this year’s HR benefits Fair, you may have noticed that Professional Development Services ran a contest. Everyone who completed a class between October 14 and October 31 in elevateU was entered into a drawing to win one of two prizes. The winners are:

Contest Winner Jamie Lake
elevateU Contest Winner Jamie Lake poses with her State Room gift card and elevateU headphones.

Dennis Bond, Manager of Web Services, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, who won a basket full of MSU items, including a beautiful stadium blanket.

Jamie Lake, Payroll, Residential and Housing Services, who won a $50 gift certificate to the State Room.

Dennis has been making the most out of his elevateU access. “I’ve really enjoyed using elevateU. It’s quick and easy to jump into a course, and it’s also easy to return if you have to put it down. I’d definitely recommend trying it and have already started assigning courses to my own team.”

Many others have found elevateU helpful as well, both in building skills for their current job, as well as positions they may aspire to. Here are the top 10 classes that MSU employees have taken so far:Continue Reading… elevateU Contest Winners