News - November 9, 2017

City of Long Beach Construction on Bellflower Boulevard
Starts November 27

We have just been informed that the City of Long Beach will perform construction work on Bellflower Boulevard between Pacific Coast Highway and Atherton Street starting November 27. This project will provide bike lanes on Bellflower Boulevard and connect the street to the City’s larger bike network. Road resurfacing, curb and gutter repair and ADA upgrades to all crosswalks and curb ramps will also occur. The planned construction duration is 60 days, with an estimated completion date of February 22, 2018.

During the course of this project the City anticipates increased traffic congestion on Bellflower Boulevard due to reduced traffic lanes during some time periods and sidewalk section closures. All on-street parking along the east side of Bellflower will be closed during construction. We do not know if parking spots will be added back after the project. No full closure of the Bellflower Boulevard/Beach Drive intersection is planned at this time.

The City is coordinating with Long Beach Transit to re-route bus lines and provide any necessary temporary bus stops.  As Long Beach Transit information becomes available it will be posted on the CSULB Traffic and Map page and tweeted to the campus community.

New Parking Lot Signage and Wayfinding

As part of a university-wide signage and wayfinding improvement project, all parking lots on campus will be renamed.  Signs with new names will be unveiled during the Winter Break and fully unveiled by January 15, 2018.

This project will introduce an improved naming convention for our parking lots. The new naming convention will add a designation letter before each lot number to facilitate easy identification of the lot type. The letter “G” will be added before all General Lots, an “E” before all Employee Lots, and an “R” before all Resident lots.

Further information is available at the Signage and Wayfinding website, including digital maps and parking lot conversion charts. For additional questions regarding this project, please call ext. 5-8292 or email ParkingGeneral@csulb.edu.

Staff Council’s Annual Toy Drive Through Monday, December 11

Staff Council is currently holding its 20th Annual Toy Drive through Monday, December 11. Toys collected will be given to foster children and children in need at CSULB’s Cherishing Children Holiday Party on Thursday, December 14 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Pointe. Any extra toys or toys that come in after the deadline will be given to Long Beach Fire Department’s Spark of Love Toy Drive. Please drop off toys at one of the following collection boxes.

  • Office of the President
  • Bookstore and The Nugget
  • College of Continuing and Professional Education - Foundation Building Lobby
  • Human Development – LA3-202
  • History – FO2-106
  • Information Technology Services – Brotman Hall 188
  • Nursing – NUR-60F
  • Office of Research Sponsored Programs – FO 5-111
  • Sociology – Psychology 144
  • University Library - Reference Desk

For more information or to add a toy drop-off location, please contact Stafford Cox (ext. 5-7801), Berta Hanson (ext. 5-8716), or Kristin Bonetati (ext. 5-7711).

Important Employee Survey: How Did You Get to Campus Last Week?

Each year, faculty, staff, and student assistants are required to complete a brief survey for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to measure our transportation emissions as well as our effectiveness in reducing single-occupancy vehicle commutes to campus.

Please complete the mandatory AQMD Survey, which asks how you traveled to campus the week of October 30 – November 3, 2017. The survey takes no more than five minutes to complete.

If you prefer to complete the survey by phone, on paper, or for additional information, contact the Sustainable Transportation Coordinator at ext. 5-7433 or ride@csulb.edu.

Address Updates for W-2 Forms

The State Controller’s Office (SCO) will mail 2017 W-2 forms in January to the mailing address listed on the CSULB Employee Center. Please be sure to verify that your mailing address on file is current. All address changes and updates must be completed in CSULB Employee Center by Monday, December 11 to ensure that the SCO has time to update their records. If you prefer, you may visit the Payroll Department located in Brotman Hall Room 344 to update your address in person prior to December 11. Their hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Annual Holiday Cart Parade Friday, December 8 at 10 a.m.

In conjunction with the Division of Administration and Finance and Staff Council, Physical Planning and Facilities Management is hosting the Annual Holiday Cart Parade on Friday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. If you are interested in registering your cart (or reserving one) please contact Diana Trujillo, ext. 5-4139 by Friday, December 1. Please provide your cart’s name or theme and department contact information and you will receive details via email.

CalPERS Planning Your Retirement Workshop December 15

If you have a minimum of five years CalPERS membership, this workshop is for you! Presented by a CalPERS retirement specialist, this workshop will cover the new retirement options for 2018, retirement pension calculation, service credit accruals, survivor continuance and the retirement application process. It will be held at the Barrett Athletic Administration Center (Room 223) on Friday, December 15, 10 a.m. –12:30 p.m. RSVP deadline is Friday, December 8. To confirm your attendance email benefits@csulb.edu or call Benefits Services at ext. 5-2381.

Wi-Fi Calling on Mobile Devices

If you experience poor mobile phone cellular reception within University buildings, consider using Wi-Fi calling as a way to stay connected. Wi-Fi Calling is an available feature on most mobile devices that enables you to make and receive phone calls using Wi-Fi networks by seamlessly switching your phone service between cellular and Wi-Fi when needed.

See Configuring Wi-Fi Calling on Mobile Devices for more information. Availability and terms of use may vary by mobile carrier, plan, and device type.

Click. Learn. Grow. November Skillsoft Spotlight
Using Overlooked Outlook Features to Save Time and Manage Tasks

People tend to use Microsoft Outlook solely for email and basic calendar functions. Two other overlooked features are Quick Parts and Tasks.

Quick Parts

The Outlook Quick Parts tool is an excellent productivity function if you're constantly reusing pieces of content in your e-mail messages. For instance, if you find that you have to type an e-mail response to a frequently asked question, or craft a similar welcome message for a new employee, Quick Parts will save you time. In a nutshell, it lets you save content you repeatedly use to the Outlook Ribbon. To learn how to do this, check out the following videos:

In the course Formatting E-mail and Configuring Message Options in Outlook 2013 you can go to a specific video section, Inserting Tables, Graphics, Links, and Quick Parts, which demonstrates how to create and insert Quick Parts.

If you use Outlook 2016 instead, navigate to this course, Configuring Message Options in Outlook 2016, or the specific video section, Inserting Links and Quick Parts in Outlook 2016.

Tasks

The Tasks tool is also a task-master – you can use it not only for your own to-do list, but also to either forward or assign tasks to others. Since you can use due dates and assign prioritization and track status with Tasks, it can be more efficient than using your “old-school” paper to-do list.

In the course Collaboration and Customization with the Calendar, Contacts and Tasks in Outlook 2013 you will find a specific video section, Managing Tasks in Outlook 2013, which instructs you on these features.

For Outlook 2016, use:

A professional development plan can be created in conjunction with your ASM and appropriate administrator, which can be completed electronically through this program. Appropriate administrator approval must be obtained in advance to complete coursework during work hours.

Access to these training resources is available on the Staff HR Skillsoft training spotlight webpage. Questions? Contact SHR-Training@csulb.edu, ext. 5-1052.

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