The inside scoop on the people and projects that support UNLV

In this issue:

• Department Highlight: Telecommunications
• Take Your Child to Work Day Partnership Opportunities
• January Employee Appreciation Recipients
• Business Affairs Classified Length of Service Honorees
• Facilities Management Corporate Challenge Winners
• Business Affairs DocuSign Migration Update
• Employee Assistance Program Resources
• Facilities Management 2024 Spring Barbeque
• Spotlight on Service
• Updating Your Digital Literacy
• Dates to Remember

Department Highlight: Telecommunications

Providing feature-rich, cost-effective campus phone and emergency communication services, the Telecommunications team plays a vital role at UNLV.

Also known as Telecom, the department is led by Director Darren Paulson, who oversees a group of knowledgeable engineers and technicians. These experts provide campus constituents with the top-tier tools necessary to teach, recruit, research, administer, coordinate, and succeed as our university grows.

“Our department provides and facilitates wired, wireless, and emergency phones by collaborating with units and teams across all UNLV campuses through various methods,” says Darren.

Telecom initiates cross-campus collaborations and provides customer service through:

• Work orders and repair requests 
• Email, phone, and Google Chat
• The dissemination of information via their website, user guides, and training materials
• Serving on various committees
• Contributing to architecture and design

Additionally, they work with various stakeholders to design and support emergency services and work directly with resellers and upstream service providers (e.g. the Office of Information Technology’s (OIT) Network Design and Engineering (NDE) and Cox Communications). Their in-house experts are equipped to provide the latest and best innovations in telecommunication services.

The department is involved with various campus-wide projects. The team recently completed quarterly emergency phone testing and monthly inverter tests, which are machines that provide backup power to emergency phones, ensuring they are operating properly in the event of a power outage.

“We also recently transitioned to eFax… and are currently working on transitioning to cloud calling,” says Darren.

Telecom is responsible for deploying and managing “softphone” applications that enable employees to make and receive calls from their UNLV extension using smartphones or PCs on and off campus. The department is in the process of replacing Jabber, the original softphone application used by UNLV, with the Webex App, which boasts enhanced, user-friendly features, such as quiet hours and multi-call windows, as well as:

• Long-term support and development
• Improved installation, reliability, and audio quality
• Automatic updates

The best way for other departments to work with Telecom is to reach out to them with their telephone needs (e.g., upcoming moves, personnel changes, new service requirements) as soon as possible. This helps Telecom provide effective and timely service.

“We are bonafide Rebels, with 150 years of collective experience either in the industry or at UNLV. We are not your typical service provider,” says Darren. “We deeply care about UNLV’s mission and success.”

Telecommunications collaborates with the OIT’s Operations Center (OC) for 24/7 monitoring tools (Solarwinds and PagerDuty) that provide notifications for emergency phone outages or interruptions to telephone service. Telecom can be reached via email, through their website, and by phone at 702-895-3011.

Take Your Child to Work Day Partnership Opportunities

UNLV will celebrate Take Your Child to Work Day (TYCTWD) on Thursday, April 25! The event invites UNLV employees to bring their children to campus to participate in activities showcasing the university's diverse offerings.

• Programming will take place from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Lunch will be provided at the Student Union Amphitheater from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 
• Activities should appeal to children 3-18 years of age
• In previous years, the event has brought approximately 200 children to campus

To make this event successful, the Women’s Council’s Family Advocacy Committee is seeking groups, departments, and individuals to host an interactive event and/or sponsor an activity during lunch. 

Departments interested in participating should complete the TYCTWD Activities Around Campus Form by April 5. A representative from the Family Advocacy Committee will contact you to finalize arrangements. 

Examples of past activities hosted by Business Affairs teams include: 

• Rebel Recycling tour and Community Garden scavenger hunt
• Risk Management & Safety Fire Training

Contact tyctw-group@unlv.edu with any questions. 

January Employee Appreciation Recipients

Cory Martin, Facilities Management

Cory was nominated for his tenacity and commitment to providing top-tier service to the university community. As a building automation specialist, he is part of the team that manages devices that control and collect data on HVAC units. When he noticed the devices that measure chilled and hot water flow were malfunctioning, he took it upon himself to learn how to troubleshoot these recurring issues without enlisting the help of an outside vendor. His research resulted in substantial cost savings and quicker response times. 

Thank you, Cory, for going the extra mile to support our mission. Your work ensures that students and faculty can learn and perform research in environments with consistent temperatures and humidity.

Karlie Passey, Human Resources Business Partner

Karlie was nominated for demonstrating integrity and compassion in her role as a strategic HR partner to Business Affairs. As part of her responsibilities, she regularly helps team members navigate challenging situations with coworkers. She approaches these conversations with professionalism and provides honest and thoughtful feedback.

Thank you, Karlie, for exemplifying the CARE standards in all you do. Your actions build trust with colleagues and make Business Affairs a great place to work.

Business Affairs Classified Length of Service Honorees

The annual Classified Staff Award Ceremony, sponsored by The Classified Staff Council, took place on February 27. The event honors and celebrates classified staff members who have attained 5,10,15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service, as well as those who have retired.

Congratulations to the following Business Affairs employees who celebrated 2023 service milestones!

25 Years of Service

David Jordan, Facilities Management

Salvador Villanueva, Facilities Management

20 Years of Service

Antonia Contreras, Facilities Management

Gary Gray, Facilities Management

George Ebner, Facilities Management

Isabel Higgins, Facilities Management

Jason Simmons, Facilities Management

Jose Miramontes, Facilities Management

Kenneth Hughes, Facilities Management

Melvin Russell, Facilities Management

Monica Maley-Sidwell, Facilities Management

Shana Rivers, Work Order Control Unit

15 Years of Service

Christopher Chavez, Facilities Management

Edward Barone, Facilities Management

Ema Quiroz, Facilities Management

Fernando Nuno-Ramirez, Facilities Management

Francis Rossana, Facilities Management

Nelson Paredes, Facilities Management

Robert Howard, Facilities Management

Robert Williams, Facilities Management

10 Years of Service

Andres DeLeon, Facilities Management

Brian Maley, Facilities Management

Christopher Lane, Facilities Management

Daniel Davis, Telecommunications

James Drollinger, Facilities Management

Justin Garrison, Facilities Management

Konstantino "Dino" Toutoulis, Parking & Transportation Services

Rebecca Bernal, Facilities Management

Thomas Bean, Facilities Management

5 Years of Service

Al’lesha Moore, Facilities Management

Annakaren Sanchez, Facilities Management

Carmin Caballero, Delivery Services

Delano Varner, Facilities Management

Elissa Berrington, Facilities Management

Francisco Zavala, Facilities Management

J.R. Myers, Facilities Management

John Pagan, Facilities Management

Kim Goss, Facilities Management

Logan Cohen, Parking & Transportation Services

Marvin Rodriguez, Facilities Management

Michael McVoy, Delivery Services

Miguel Ayala, Facilities Management

Persiaale Wilson, Facilities Management

Richard Carter, Facilities Management

Ronald Ligon, Facilities Management

Sean Smyth, Facilities Management

Victor Reza, Financial Services

Retired

Daniel Bush, Facilities Management

David Veith, Facilities Management

Gary Horan, Facilities Management

Jeanne Becker, Facilities Management

John Padilla, Parking & Transportation Services

Linda Lucken, Facilities Management

Nancy Johnson, Planning & Construction

Paul Orr, Facilities Management

Ricardo Gutierrez, Facilities Management

Rick Agrellas, Facilities Management

Tessa Jacobs, Risk Management & Safety

Vern Belford, Delivery Services

Facilities Management Corporate Challenge Winners

Edwin Cardona, left, and Billy Estrada, second from the right, with the LEAD Corporate challenge Dodgeball team

Congratulations to Facilities Management team members Edwin Cardona Cortez and Billy Estrada for winning third place as part of the UNLV dodgeball team during the Las Vegas Corporate Challenge!

Thank you for representing Business Affairs and UNLV. Great job!

Business Affairs DocuSign Migration Update

The Business Affairs DocuSign account migration is in progress. All DocuSign users now have access to the original data center, NA3, and the university data center, NA4. Users are no longer able to send documents from NA3. All new transactions should be conducted through NA4 accounts.

Until the original data center is deactivated, users will see two account options when logging in. Select the Business Affairs NA4 account and use DocuSign as usual.

Please note that data from the original account is not visible within the new account. However, no data will be deleted or lost. All historic data will remain accessible in the original account until March 27 and any pending tasks or business within the original account must be finalized by March 27. After this date, all data from NA3 will be securely archived. Details about the archival plan will be shared via the vpbusinessaffairs@unlv.edu email once they are confirmed.  

The account migration will not affect DocuSign features or the process for sending and signing envelopes. 

Please contact Chantel McDonald, the Business Affairs Docusign administrator, for assistance with any issues during or after the migration.

Thank you for your cooperation as we align with the University’s DocuSign enterprise and enhance collaboration with campus units.

Employee Assistance Program

Getting the Best Value Out of Your Health Benefits Webinar

From understanding the difference between in-network and out-of-network providers to knowing valuable options and incentives for your healthcare plan, learn more about your benefits in a free webinar from UNLV's Employee Assistance Program provider ComPsych on Wednesday, April 3 at 2 p.m. Register via GoToWebinar.

Facilities Management 2024 Spring Barbeque

Thank you to everyone who attended the Facilities Management (FM) Spring Barbeque. The team spent the afternoon enjoying conversation, cornhole, putting games, jenga, and, of course, plenty of great food. Seeing the FM teams and colleagues from around Business Affairs coming together and showing CARE for one another is a great sight.

Spotlight on Service

In October 2023, we distributed our annual Business Affairs customer service survey. Many of our campus colleagues replied to the survey with notes of praise for our hard-working teams. See below for some highlights for Telecommunications. 

“Telecom is very efficient and collaborative.”

“Outstanding service. New phone installed within 24 hours of request.”

“They do a fantastic job every time I call. They are very friendly and knowledgeable.”

Upgrading Your Digital Literacy

Need more information about a topic discussed during a meeting? Zoom’s AI Companion chatbot allows you to ask questions about the meeting in real-time without interrupting the live session. The new AI Companion feature allows you to discreetly ask if your name was mentioned, to clarify a term, what the action items are, and more.

AI Companion is available for all UNLV employee Zoom accounts to improve productivity and collaboration during Zoom meetings. Meeting hosts must turn on AI Companion to use in-meeting chat or additional features, including:

• Meeting summaries: Get a concise summary of your meeting, highlighting key points discussed during the live session and in the chat for participants to review later.
• Whiteboard content: Generate content based on existing content or prompts entered on the whiteboard. Share whiteboards with others to brainstorm ideas.
• Smart recordings: Record meetings and organize content into smart chapters, providing key takeaways in a quick, digestible format. 

Security & Privacy

AI Companion doesn’t use audio, chat, screen sharing, or other communications to train AI models. To ensure user data and privacy is protected, the use of AI bots like Otter.ai, are strongly discouraged during live Zoom meetings.

For more information, view the Zoom AI Companion article or visit the UNLV Zoom site. Contact the IT Help Desk with any questions.

Dates to Remember

• March 31: Easter