HR Newsletter – August 2020

ULTIPRO

UltiPro® Time and
Attendance Features:

Time and Attendance brings new capabilities and significant enhancements that deliver:

• A brand-new user experience to improve usability and navigation, including:
  • A modern electronic timesheet view that displays information clearly
  • A visual paid-time-off request option that simplifies request and approval processing
• Employee and manager access through a mobile device

Using UltiPro is one more way to make your work—and your life—better.

Beginning on September 1, 2020, for Monthly employees and September 6, 2020, for Biweekly employees, Time must be entered into both systems, Colleague and UltiPro. This is a critical step in the testing phase of implementation, if you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to contact us.
 
View the training on HR’s webpage by selecting UltiPro, then Training Videos or contact Tarnya Brooks at tbrooks@occc.edu to schedule Zoom training on Entering Time and UltiPro Supervisor Training.

Email questions to HRtraining@occc.edu.

UPDATES TO COLLEGE POLICY 1012

In case you missed the email on Friday, August 14, we wanted to make you aware that OCCC’s newly revised Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy, become effective on that date. This policy will be used to address all forms of discrimination and harassment based in a protected status, including the specific types of sexual harassment and sexual assault contemplated by the new Title IX regulations. The new College Policy No. 1012 Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination is now posted here:

College Policy No. 1012 Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy

This new policy provides the following:

1. Prohibition of discrimination and harassment based on all protected categories;
2. Information about how to report discrimination and harassment;
3. All College employees are deemed Mandatory Reporters, and must report actual or suspected discrimination and harassment;
4. A procedure for investigation and resolution of certain forms of sexual harassment;
5. A procedure for investigation and resolution of all other forms of harassment and discrimination; and
6. Restrictions on faculty/student relationships, staff/student relationships, and staff/subordinate relationships.

OCCC will include information about the new Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy in its upcoming training.

OCCC aims to ensure a safe, secure, and healthy work environment for everyone, and its employees work very hard to ensure OCCC improves its policies and operations. Following the May 8, 2020, release of the new federal guidelines on Title IX in higher education, a committee was formed. This committee has worked for many weeks to revise and streamline OCCC’s Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy.

We would like to especially thank the members of the Title IX Implementation committee:  Dr. Cary Pirrong, Coordinator of Equity and Compliance; Dr. Kathleen Smith, Director of Employee Relations; Chris Snoddy, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs; Chris Shelley, Assistant Registrar and Student Conduct Officer; Dr. Makenna Green Garrison, Interim Associate VP for Academic Affairs; Kim Jameson, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Vincent Bridges, Dean of Health Professions; Doralicia Sandoval, Director of Community Outreach and Education; and Dr. James Murray, General Counsel.

Who's Who at OCCC

Lisa D. Brown

Lisa D. Brown, Director, Career Transitions, 8 years
 
Brief background history
(education, prior work history, etc.) - Master’s in Management and Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership, Southern Nazarene University, Master’s studies in Adult Education and Training , University of Central Oklahoma; Retired, Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Human Resources Manager III (last ten years)
 
What do you love about working at OCCC? - Education is my passion and lifelong learning is my heartbeat. I love my students.  Single parents, often first generation college students, discovering themselves and accomplishing their goals.  I was once where they are.  I share my life’s journey with them and let them know that they are not alone, life is real but they can accomplish their goals in a non-traditional way, sometimes without a lot of family or other supports.  I did with the loss of my mother at age six, my grandparents passed away, single parent, worked full-time with young family and continued education, loss of a son…..  I probably never should have made it this far.  But I did. SURVIVOR!  I let them know they can do it too.  A real live example.
 
How do your daily duties directly impact OCCC’s faculty, students & staff (what are your duties)? - My duties are to guide and assist students through the college environment by assisting in admission, enrollment, resources and addressing any defaults or other issues that may impact their progress.  My gift is encouragement and sometimes a listening ear and a lot of tissues to catch the tears we share. I connect students with other staff as well as teach them the assertive, not aggressive way to address issues with their faculty.  Help them to build their professional reputation in class and through internships, on and off campus.
 
What advice would you give someone who is new to the Higher Ed industry and/or OCCC? - Stay open, listen, learn and share when you can.  Be real. It is a journey and you meet people along the way where you can provide support or resources to help them along the way, big or small but very impactful none the less. They will appreciate and never forget words of wisdom.  They may not accept them in the beginning but they will come around and we have to be patient for that moment. I tell my students when they attend college, yes, they will learn academics but they will learn more about life in meeting people who are different, from different places, different experiences and to be open to these experiences as they will re-visit them in their career life.
 
What do you find most challenging about working in Higher Education? - My work is under direction/supervision of the Oklahoma Board of Regents and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services with federal TANF guidelines and of course, in alignment with OCCC.   And now, add the Covid 19 pandemic and on-line learning for students who never had an on-line class and from a distance.  WOW… lol.  Career Transitions’ students still maintained a 91% passing rate for Summer and 85% for Fall even with switching to on-line.  My favorite quote “I am the crazy person who celebrates the accomplishments of others.”
 
What inspires you? -  I have been blessed with some lifetime mentors so I want to always mentor.  The memory of my mother as she had graduated from college.  I always wanted her to be proud even with the detours I took in my life. To see my students’ lives changed through their education, graduation and employment.  To see them earn good grades, meet their goals, grow and start to think openly toward their goals.  And of course, once they achieve those goals, we celebrate together.  To defeat the myth that people on “welfare” are living off of others’ tax money.  Not true, any one’s life can use “Temporary Assistance” at one point or another from somewhere and someone. 
 
What are your hobbies or interest? - I  love family.  I love to cook and have people enjoy my meals.  I have a really extended family as my sons’ two football teams and my daughter’s girlfriends.  I had the “kool aid” house.  They still call me Mama Brown and they remember my kindness and having a safe space in my home. I love music, concerts, dancing and travel when I can.  I have thousands and thousands of pictures of clouds, sunsets and sunrises which I may someday convert to post cards.