Donate school supplies to Fill the Bus!

Children deserve high-quality education, and that requires basic educational resources such as pencils and notebooks. Unfortunately, families and schools cannot always afford these essential tools.

Fill the Bus graphic
Small donations make big impacts. Picture courtesy of Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement.

You can help students in Greater Lansing by participating in the 7th annual MSU Fill the Bus event, which runs from August 30 to September 4.

If your department has already registered as a team, donation bins should be set up where you work. Other donation sites are already placed in all of the residential neighborhoods and at the Union.

The following items are needed the most: crayons, pens, pencils, dry-erase markers and erasers, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, pencil sharpeners, glue sticks, folders, rulers, protractors, compasses, tissues, hand sanitizer, backpacks and colored construction paper.

Show your Spartan spirit by making a positive difference in your community!

Reminder: University holiday on September 7

Kayaks on Lake Lansing
Lake Lansing is a great nearby location for Labor Day activities. Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy.

End the summer right with a day off work and in the sunshine. Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7 this year. Regular working hours resume the next day.

At MSU, classes always begin the Wednesday before Labor Day, so prepare for the return of thousands of students as well.

If you haven’t already, make fun plans for the long weekend to celebrate all the hard work you do!

Enjoy the day off!

Tips for biking in the academic year

The pleasant weather is a great motivator to commute by bike in the summer, but it can be more difficult to opt for two-wheeled transportation in the academic year with colder temperatures and increased traffic. Fortunately, there are many resources for cyclists at MSU, which earned a bronze Bicycle Friendly University award in 2011.

In addition to the repairs and other services offered at the Bike Service Center, there are eight do-it-yourself repair stations on campus.

Busy Farm Lane in the fall
Get ready for heavier traffic! Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy.

Registered bike commuters can access showers and lockers in IM Circle for free and store their bikes in secure and enclosed bike garages as well. Find out more here.Continue Reading… Tips for biking in the academic year

Thank you Veterinary Medical Center!

It’s time to recognize the Spartans that take care of our furry best friends!

Dog examination at Veterinary Medical Center
Vet Med is the only specialty hospital with board-certified diagnostic imaging and anesthesia. Photo courtesy of Veterinary Medical Center

The Veterinary Medical Center is open to everyone in the MSU community, for normal appointments and emergency situations. Its emergency room is open 24/7 for both large and small animals. We are grateful that the Veterinary Medical Center is always there just in case a beloved pet needs urgent medical treatment.

At this animal hospital, MSU employees have nearby access to more than 20 specialty services, including rehabilitation, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, dentistry and more.

MSU employees can be certain that their dog, cat, or other furry, feathered or scaled companion receives excellent care. Vet Med has a strong team of veterinary specialists, who have completed additional training that allows them to consult and treat animals within a specific area of medicine. These specialists have passed examinations to verify their skills and knowledge in that specialty.

Vet Med takes training and education very seriously. Similar to a human medicine teaching hospital, interns and students observe and participate while animal patients are treated by board-certified specialists and veterinary residents.

Thanks, Veterinary Medical Center! The MSU community appreciates your dedicated care and treatment of our much-loved pets.

MSU Surplus Store benefits environment and budgets

Do you have any unused supplies, furniture, electronics or other materials lying around your office?

MSU Surplus Store
The Surplus Store and Recycling Center opened in 2009. Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy

Drop them off or get them picked up by the MSU Surplus Store  to give these items an opportunity to be useful once more. Your department can also receive credit  for their sale.

The Surplus Store is self-supporting and works to reduce the amount of usable materials that are sent to the landfill. It takes and sells or recycles items from within and outside of MSU, acting as a medium between buyers and sellers. The facility contributes to the university’s continued advancement toward environmental sustainability and saves MSU money by redistributing these items to other areas of campus.

Items gathering dust in your home can also find new purpose through the Surplus Store. With students returning to campus soon, items such as mini fridges, microwaves, futons, rugs and so on will be in demand, and can be donated on your way to work!

You can browse the store for the hundreds of used home or work items at discounted prices. These include office chairs, industrial equipment, clothing, MSU collectibles, art, vehicles and much more. The store offers daily deals  at even greater discounts as well.

Price changes for Eat-at-State dining plans

MSU offers award-winning meal options all across campus, perfect for lunch meetings, family dinners and on-the-go food grabs. Load up on meals now with the Faculty and Staff DineOn 10+ plan. This plan allows employees to purchase a minimum of 10 meals at a time for the price of $5.99 plus tax per meal. Effective August 22, 2015, the price will increase to $6.25 plus tax.

Buying a dining plan saves you over $3 per meal compared to public or walk-up pricing. Each meal grants access to one of MSU’s 10 residential dining halls. Remember, you can always look up the menu for each dining hall beforehand. It can also be used as a Combo-X-Change at one of Sparty’s 21 locations, the Union Food Court, UP Pizzeria at Crossroads, Riverwalk Market , the Eat at State ON-THE-GO food truck or as take-out from the dining halls. The meals do not expire as long as one is used between July 1 and June 30 each year. Find purchasing information here.

Fall hours of operation for all units begin Sunday, August 30. View the current summer hours here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please visit the Eat at State website or contact info@eatatstate.com.

Volunteer to help move in new Spartans!

At the end of August, more than 7,800 Spartans will be entering the campus to begin a new chapter of their lives.

Holmes Hall student move-in
Students are assigned times to move in to organize the days-long process.

That first day at MSU is exciting and memorable, and you can be a part of this important Spartan experience by volunteering to help move in new students! The MSU Alumni Association is organizing volunteers to assist with the move-in, with flexible 3.5-hour shifts between 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 29 through Monday, August 31. Sunday is the busiest day and has the most need for volunteers.

You can bring your children to help out as well, but they must be over 13 years old. Volunteers will receive a free T-shirt that identifies them as volunteers, as wells as a free meal in one of MSU’s award-winning dining halls at the end of their shift. Parking and contact information will be sent to volunteers before August.

Register here by August 15 to sign up for volunteering!

If you have further questions, please contact the MSU Alumni Association at (877) MSU-ALUM or (517) 884-1000.

Student employees receive 4 percent pay raise

If you are a student employee, you’re in luck.

Effective August 9, 2015, current student hourly employees will receive a 4 percent pay raise. The raise was approved by the Board of Trustees, and will be processed in the HR/Payroll system starting July 27 through August 7.

Shaw Dining Hall employees
MSU has approximately 17,000 student employees. Photo courtesy of Communications and Brand Strategy.

Students who have an active record as of August 9 will receive a 4 percent increase to their current hourly wage. Please note, Retroactive pay increases that are effective earlier than August 9, and are received after the raise has been applied, will cause a recalculation of the 4 percent raise.

This is the first raise since minimum wage increased to $8.15 in September 2014. Student supervisors can view the Student Employment Manual for more information about working with student employees.

Please contact MSU Payroll at 517-355-5010 or payroll@ctlr.msu.edu if you have any questions.

Reminder: RSVP to The Big Event!

The Big Event graphic element
Everything is free at The Big Event!

If you haven’t already, mark your calendars for an evening of music, food, tours and endless fun — for free!

After 160 years, Michigan State University continues to advance knowledge and transform lives. President Lou Anna K. Simon will be hosting The Big Event on Saturday, August 15, to celebrate the extraordinary impact of MSU faculty and staff.

 Important: RSVP here by August 5 to attend this special event honoring your many contributions to Michigan State University’s success.

The Big Event is a family-friendly evening from 4 to 9:30 p.m. It features an abundance of activities, including swimming, ice skating, a carnival, a concert, fireworks and Be A Tourist, in which you can get an inside look at interesting MSU destinations! Find out more details, including parking, a map and FAQs, on The Big Event website.

Please call 517-355-6560 or email presmail@msu.edu if you require any special accommodations. If you are interested in volunteering for the event, please visit the Volunteers page.

With your hard work and dedication, MSU continues its legacy as a renowned institution.  Enjoy an evening in recognition of your contributions among fellow faculty and staff.

Events Round-Up August 2015

Here are some events happening over the next month that may be of interest to MSU faculty and staff. Please visit the links for more information. Many events require registration.

Community Events

Monday, August 3 – Saturday, August 8

Ingham County Fair, Mason

Friday, August 7 – Saturday, August 8

Lansing JazzFest, Old Town

Friday, August 7 – Sunday, August 9

MSU Museum’s Great Lakes Folk Festival

Friday, August 14

Evening in the Garden, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m., Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden

Saturday, August 15

The Big Event, 4 p.m. – 9:15 p.m., MSU

Sunday, August 16

Edible Plant Walk, 3 p.m., Harris Nature Center

Wednesday, August 19 – Saturday, August 22

Ernie – The Play, Wharton Center

Saturday, August 22

West Circle Drive Walking Tour, 10 a.m., MSU

Saturday, August 29

Pride Parade, noon, Downtown Lansing

Development, Training and Wellness

Tuesday, August 11

Recipe for Health: Cauliflower, 12:10 – 12:50 p.m., Brody Square Demonstration Kitchen

Wednesday, August 12,

New Supervisor Essentials, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Nisbet 

Tuesday, August 18

Desire2Learn Introduction, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Main Library

Thursday, August 20

Cascade Server Content Manager, 8 a.m. – noon, 210 Computer Center

Saturday, August 22

Yoga at the Broad, 11 a.m., Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum Sculpture Garden

Friday, August 28

Library Boot Camp, noon – 1 p.m., Main Library