Health Matters

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March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, as well as National Nutrition Month. Nutrition is an important part of taking care of your body to help prevent health problems. Proper nutrition is a combination of daily exercise and having the right diet.

Both factors are important for colorectal cancer awareness and overall colon health. One of the most overlooked areas of general health and wellness is the maintenance of colon function and colorectal cancer screening. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women. Poor colon health can lead to many other problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, and chronic fatigue.

The colon stores and transports human waste material, creating an opportunity for prolonged waste storage to burden your entire bodycolon-cancer-awareness-month-no-button

Here, are some of the most common causes of colon problems:

  • Not drinking enough water
  • Eating too much sugar, white flour, or refined foods
  • Lack of exercise
  • Prescription drugs
  • Food allergies
  • Bacteria, viruses or parasites

Having your screenings done is essential for colon health, especially for people over the age of 50. In addition to cancer screening, there are many other steps you can take to improve your colon health such as stress reduction, increasing fiber in your diet, and making sure you stay hydrated. If you are unsure about your colon function, your Best Doctors benefit can help you eliminate uncertainty and add an expert perspective to the information you are gathering. For more information, call 866-904-0910 or visit bestdoctors.com.

Job of the Week 3/16/18

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This week’s job of the week is a Botanical Technologist I (#494136) for Infrastructure Planning and Facilities.

This positon is seeking an individual to participate in the collection, development and maintenance of diverse plant materials. The Botanical Technologist will assist and participate in the maintenance of the botanical garden and greenhouse, and the production greenhouse operations for the Beal Botanical Garden. This position will be responsible for service, maintenance, and activities of common and rare plants for the garden.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree in botany or horticulture; six months to one year of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in botanical gardening, pest control and plant identification; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and an Ornamental and Turf Pesticide Applicators Certificate.

Responsibilities for this role include a creative and innovative lifelong learner with the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse population, able to problem solve within a collaborative team environment, ability to understand different perspectives while utilizing expert knowledge of the technical operations of the job.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Equal Pay Day: Raising Awareness

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This is a guest post written by Lydia Weiss at the WorkLife Office.

Slowly but surely, the wage gap is decreasing. Currently, women earn on average 80 cents for every dollar paid to men. However, the reality is that even if the wage gap is decreasing over time, this inching towards parity has not really budged in over a decade, according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Although the Equal Pay Act was enacted by Congress in 1963, the wage gap persists. The gap is also particularly glaring for women of color.

In an effort to raise awareness about the wage gap, Equal Pay Day is a symbolic recognition that, in order for women’s yearly salary to reach that of men, women would have to work until April 10 in order to catch up to men’s previous year’s salary. But let’s be clear – that’s for white women. According to the AAUW, Asian American Women’s Equal Pay Day is in March, African American Women’s Equal Pay Day isn’t until August, Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day is in September, and Latina Equal Pay Day is in November.

One contributing factor to the pay gap is that women are often offered lower starting salaries than their peers who are men – and then women often do not negotiate to increase those offers. As many folks in the business world know, your starting salary is the foundation for future raises, therefore if women’s starting salaries are lower than men’s to begin with, their opportunity for raises is stunted, especially when those raises are based off a percentage of your current salary. For instance, if a woman negotiates a 1% raise and her salary is $40,000, and her colleague who is a man also negotiates a 1% raise, but is making $50,000 – the wage gap persists based on their existing salaries.

In order to address this issue, the Michigan State University MI-ACE Women’s Network Institutional Representatives, in collaboration with the AAUW and several MSU units are bringing salary negotiation workshops to campus for faculty and staff on April 11. You can register for the workshop for support staff or the workshop for faculty and academic staff.

At MSU, in addition to the salary negotiation workshops on April 11, other organizations exist to support women-identified folks in building professional skills in negotiation, mentoring, networking and confidence building. The Women’s Networking Association, Academic Women’s Forum, and Women’s Advisory Committee for Support Staff are just a few ways to get involved.

Job of the Week 3/9/2018

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This week’s job of the week is a Catering and Sales Coordinator (#493594) with Residential and Hospitality Services (RHS).

This position is responsible for selling, planning, coordinating and detailing all events for Kellogg Center Catering at the Stadium Tower and other MSU campus locations. This includes assisting in the development and implementation of sales, marketing and promotional materials for Kellogg Catering. Additionally, the Catering and Sales Coordinator will maintain all accounts and generate new business for Kellogg Catering markets, negotiate rates for events, and meet assigned monthly sales quotas.

The ideal candidate would possess a four-year college degree in Business Administration; Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management; Communications; or a related field; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in Hotel Catering Sales or Hotel Sales and Hotel Operations; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Daylight Savings Tips!

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Spring is just around the corner and with that comes Daylight Saving Time. We’re losing an hour of sleep to get ready for the warm weather. Here are seven tips to help you adjust:

  1. Make small adjustments to help you transition. That could mean going to bed a little earlier each day.
  2. If you feel sleepier after Daylight Savings, try taking a short nap each day to help you feel more rested. Make sure it is not too close to when you go to bed.
  3. Keep your regular sleep schedule. That means going to sleep and waking up each day at the same time, even on the weekends. This will allow your body to naturally adjust to the new time in a few days, and make it easier to wake up on those Monday mornings.
  4. Get active by working out! Working out is a great way to get your energy up. Being active will decrease your anxiety, stress and other sleep disorders. Try being active for at least 30 minutes each day.
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  5. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and tobacco before bed, as these can negatively affect your sleep by keeping you stimulated. Avoid certain drinks and food that has caffeine in it for at least 4-6 hours before bed.
  6. Turn off the television! It is not a good idea to watch television right before bed, as it can keep you more alert when trying to fall asleep. The same is true for other electronic devices (phone, tablet and laptop). The blue light emitted by electronic devices can suppress melatonin, which is the hormone that controls your wake and sleep cycles. It is best to get off your phone 30 minutes to an hour before bed.
  7. Try alternatives for relaxing and reducing stress and anxiety. Essential oils, such as lavender, eucalyptus, orange, and bergamot are used for increasing sleep and helping you become better relaxed.

With these seven tips, you can increase a better sleep schedule for this year’s Daylight Saving Time. Try at least one of these tips and see how you feel the next day. Remember to spring forward this Sunday by setting your clock forward one hour.

Manage Your WageWorks Account Anytime, Anywhere

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Managing your flexible spending account (FSA) healthcare benefits is quick and easy with the WageWorks EZ Receipts App. You’ll love the convenience of submitting claims, uploading receipts and checking account balances directly from your phone.

According to one happy EZ Receipts App user: “I absolutely love the WageWorks EZ Receipts mobile app. It makes using my WageWorks benefits so simple. I just snap a photo of my receipt with my smartphone and submit my claim for reimbursement. I signed up for text alerts recently, and now I check my account and card balances when I’m on the go. It couldn’t be easier!”

Watch the video below to learn how to use the EZ Receipts App.

The WageWorks EZ Receipts App is available for download from the App Store or Google Play.

Starting in 2018, WageWorks became MSU’s FSA plan administrator. Have more general questions about MSU’s FSA plan administrator? Learn more about WageWorks and watch the Welcome to Your WageWorks Account video here.

Job of the Week 3/2/18

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This week’s job of the week is an Instruction Equipment and Supplies Tech I (#492166) for the Neuroscience Program in the College of Natural Science.

This positon is seeking an individual to serve as a laboratory preparation technologist for the NEU311 Neuroscience Laboratory course. The course is required for all undergraduate neuroscience majors. This individual will provide logistical support for the lab course instructor. Responsibilities for this role include supply inventory, lab assistance, making solutions, assisting students, training teacher assistants, demonstrating experiments, maintain online courses, and performing general office duties.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree in Neuroscience, Physics, Physiology, Chemistry, Biology, or Engineering; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in electronics, working with specialized scientific equipment, instructional computer hardware and software, developing and presenting experiments and supervision; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.

Events Round-Up March

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Our Community: Engaging to Move Forward

On Friday, March 2 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. a guided conversation entitled “Our Community: Engaging to Move Forward” is being offered for all MSU faculty, academic staff, support staff, postdocs, and graduate student employees. The purpose of these sessions is to allow attendees to provide the context of where they see the university community now, and productively discuss ideas for moving forward. Find out more about this event.

Community Festivals

Saturday, March 17

Maple Syrup Festival

Community Events

Arts

Thursday, March 8

The Local Scene

March 13-18

Something Rotten! Musical

Food

Tuesday, March 27

Forks & Corks

Music

Sunday, March 11

Lansing Symphony Jazz Band

Family/Kid Friendly

Tuesday, March 6

Zoo in Your Neighborhood

Thursday, March 15

Harris Nature Center: Chipmunk Story Time

Saturday, March 31

Doggie Easter Egg Hunt & Kids Eggstravaganza

Saturday, March 31

Easter Egg Hunt at the Capitol

Sports/Fitness

Wednesday, March 14

Lansing Brew Run

Sunday, March 18

Shamrock Run

Other

March 9-11

Michigan Horse Expo

Professional Development Opportunities

Tuesday, March 13

Records Management and Retention at MSU

Wednesday, March 21

EBS Financial System-Roles/Onboarding

Thursday, March 22

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

Thursday, March 22

Engaging Teams for Maximum Performance

Wednesday, March 28

Managing Difficult Customers

Thursday, March 29

The Spartan Experience

Thursday, March 29

Fiscal Officer and Delegate Expectations

Thursday, March 29

Processing Purchasing Requisitions

 

*Additional days required to complete course

Thank You MSU Libraries!

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The MSU Libraries have something for everyone – staff, faculty and students! There are tons of resources that you may not know about, and they’re constantly adding new additions.

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MSU Main Library

Traveling out of the country soon? The library offers passport photos and other passport services in Hollander MakeCentral, located on the second floor of the West Wing. This resource also includes 3D printing and an Espresso Book Machine that can create a full paperback book in 15 minutes!

Are you a history buff? The Special Collections Library is home to books made before 1800. There is also the MSU’s extensive comic book collection which is the largest in the world! There are house works from the personal library of former MSU President Theophilus Abbot. A new Reading Room and service area on the first floor were recently added where you can spend a lunch period checking out these special items.

The library also holds events, seminars and workshops on a range of different subjects including their Coffee Break Series, a Zotero Workshop and a scholar-led book discussion. There are also programs and books covering over 70 languages. Fun Fact: the 4th floor in the west wing is home to video game labs that can be reserved for research or recreational use.

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MSU Library Video Game Room

Looking for a book or other library material that MSU does not have? They can have it shipped from another library within their network and have it available for you to pick up. In addition, the library website has an entire list of faculty services including things like D2L Help, Distance Learning Services, and articles on how to place materials on reserve. Thank you MSU Libraries for all of your help and efforts to make countless resources available to everyone!

Job of the Week 2/23/18

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This week’s job of the week is a Life Span & Family Services Coordinator (#49127) in the Worklife Office.

This position is seeking an individual who will provide opportunities for faculty and staff to more successfully meet their work/education and family responsibilities, and will make the recruitment and retention for faculty and staff more competitive. The Life Span & Family Services Coordinator will provide administrative and program coordination for child and family care assistance programs. Responsibilities for this role include conceptualization, development, implementations and administrations of the university-wide work/life programs and activities.

The ideal candidate would possess knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree in Human Resources, Public Administrations, or Business; 1-3 years related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in program planning, coordination, and evaluations or in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

For more details on the responsibilities of this position, and to view all our current postings, visit careers.msu.edu. Internal applicants should access postings through the Careers @ MSU tile in the EBS Portal.