Update on CAPit project schedule
Jackson Hall – June 20-21 (windows and doors, offices)
Old Medical Building – June 21-23 (windows and doors)
Bruce Wing - June 21-24 (doors only)
Sir John A. Macdonald Hall – June 21-29 (windows and doors, a few offices, mostly classes, corridors and conference spaces)
Mackintosh-Corry Hall – June 21-24 (windows and doors)
Nicol Hall – June 27-29 (windows and doors)
The work crew typically goes through a building assessing spaces/offices that are not occupied and uses that opportunity to communicate with those in occupied offices regarding the scope and scheduling of this work. Occupants should remove all personal belongings from window ledges in advance of crews arriving to their buildings.
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Queen's reducing peak electricity use
The arrival of summer also marks the return of Queen's participation in the electricity peak demand management program.
The program, part of the university's commitment to financial and environmental sustainability, involves the shutdown of air conditioning systems in a number of campus buildings on afternoons when electricity demand is at its highest.
Ahead of the implementation of the program this summer, Physical Plant Services will conduct a test of the chiller shutdown process on Tuesday, June 14, from 3- 6 pm, affecting: Beamish-Munro Hall; Gordon Hall; Jeffery Hall; John Deutsch University Centre (north retail space); Richardson Hall; Rideau Building; Stauffer Library; Dunning Hall; and Macdonald Hall. The chiller will remain running with a reduced load for: BioSciences - Atrium and Lecture Theatres; Chernoff Hall - Administration Wing and Theatres; and Douglas Library - except Special Collections; and Watson Hall. The hours for the Queen's Centre and School of Kinesiology are 4-6 pm only.
"This type of program is common in both the public and private sectors across the province, and our participation can potentially reduce the university's electricity bill by $2.5 million, while at the same time supporting a sustainable energy system," says Caroline Davis, Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration).
During the summer program air conditioner shutdowns will occur between noon and 8 pm and affect 15 campus buildings. The shutdowns will occur on days in July, August and early September when provincial electricity demand is at its highest. Building occupants will notice temperature increases, but where possible Physical Plant Services (PPS) will mitigate this effect by cooling buildings before the shutdown. PPS will issue weekly notices to inform building occupants of the timing of the shutdowns and coordinate with Event Services to minimize the effects on conferences that are being held on campus.
"Our participation in this program also helps promote a sustainable energy system in Ontario by reducing the need for the province to purchase additional power or build new generation facilities, which can have both financial and environmental costs," says Vice-Principal Davis.
In the 2015-16 fiscal year, about 50 per cent of the university's nearly $10 million yearly electricity bill is a charge called the "global adjustment," which is calculated based on Queen's share of the total provincial electricity demand during the five peak hours from the previous year. Queen's efforts last summer saved the university $1.6 million. This summer the program is being expanded and will also involve feeding energy back into the grid from the university's cogeneration facility.
Created in 2005, the global adjustment offsets the costs of renewable power generation and provides an incentive for large electricity users to cut their usage during provincial peaks. This reduces or delays the need to purchase electricity or increase power generation capacity in the province, both of which carry financial and environmental costs.
More information about the program, including which buildings will be affected, is available on the sustainability website. Anybody with questions about the program may contact FIXIT at ext. 77301, 613-533-6757 or by email.
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Vacation policy updated, ready for review
Thursday June 9, 2016
Queen's University is revising its vacation policy and procedures to reflect recent administrative changes.
"Uninterrupted time away from work-related duties supports a work-life balance, which is a key component of a healthy workplace that we seek to foster at Queen's," says Dan Bradshaw, Interim Associate Vice-Principal (Human Resources). "The revised policy and related procedures set standards for the transparent, fair and consistent accrual and usage of paid vacation time."
The policy and procedures simplify how staff earn and take vacation. Previously, staff would earn vacation from July 1 to June 30, and take that vacation from January 1 to December 31. Under the new system, vacation will be both earned and taken in the same calendar year.
Human Resources reminds managers and staff that the goal is for all staff to have a zero vacation balance by Dec. 31, 2016. If operational requirements don't allow for vacation to be used by the end of 2016, carryover may be approved if a transition plan is in place that outlines how and when outstanding vacation balances will be eliminated.
Vacation Transition Explained
Human Resources has posted on its website a list of commonly asked questions regarding the vacation time transition plan.
As always, staff are required to schedule their vacation in consultation with their manager, to ensure that departmental operations are not negatively affected. Managers have discretion as to how and when vacation balances are used, and how this transition period will be managed.
Importance of tracking vacation
The draft procedures also clearly outline management responsibilities for administering and scheduling vacation. A key aspect is that department heads or designates must ensure that vacation taken by staff is entered into the PeopleSoft system on a monthly basis by the departmental timekeeper, prior to payroll cut-off dates.
"This draft procedure reflects current practice, and reinforces that department heads or designates play an important role ensuring the maintenance of current and accurate timekeeping records," says Heather Shields, Director and Counsel, Employee and Labour Relations."
Department heads or designates must also make reasonable efforts to schedule staff vacations as requested, considering the applicable collective agreements and the operational requirements of the department.
Feedback welcome
The draft policy and procedures have been posted on the Queen's Secretariat and Legal Counsel website. Members of the Queen's community can submit their comments to policies@queensu.ca by Wednesday, June 15.
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Queen's says CAPit to emissions
The most important energy conservation project in Queen's history is moving forward under the banner of CAPit, with the desire to cap emissions, cap utility consumption and cap costs.
CAPit is a $10.7-million energy performance contract with Honeywell, an international energy services company. The project aims to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 2800 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.
"The new name reflects the importance of this project to the university's Climate Action Plan (CAP), and," says Caroline Davis, Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration). "CAPit will make a significant contribution toward reducing the university's carbon emissions, helping to achieve the goal of a 35 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, over the 2008 baseline."
CAPit BY THE NUMBERS
1,147 toilet retrofits
61 urinal retrofits
353 shower head replacements
1,523 faucet moderators installed
1,666 LED retrofits
1,364 upgraded ballasts
9,216 fluorescent tube replacements
The project will implement more than 170 individual energy conservation measures in 66 campus buildings. These include the installation of low-flow fixtures to reduce water usage, upgraded lighting and building climate controls to reduce energy consumption, as well as heat recovery systems and improvements to building envelopes.
"Work on the CAPit project is now underway, and personnel from Honeywell and Physical Plant Services will be visiting buildings across campus," says Aaron Ball, Sustainability Manager. "They are starting the first phase of work, which will target water conservation measures, building envelope enhancements and lighting upgrades."
The water conservation measures will include work in a majority of bathrooms across campus and involve combinations of toilet replacements, urinal and/or flush valve replacements, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators.
The initial phase of the lighting work includes a series of lamp replacements targeting compact fluorescent lamps retrofitted to LED lamps and T12 and T8 lamps retrofitted to more efficient T8 lamps. More than 10,000 lamps will be replaced in this phase.
Work will focus on the residence buildings during the summer season while students are away, however other campus buildings will be addressed during this time as the schedule progresses. Advance notice of affected buildings will be forwarded via Fixit.
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Queen's launches employee benefits plan review
By Celia Russell, Senior Communications Officer, Human Resources
Queen's is embarking on a comprehensive review of its employee benefits plan.
"The university last conducted a Request for Proposals (RFP) regarding the benefits plan in the mid-1990s, and so it has had an interest in reviewing the plan and going to market for some time," Caroline Davis VP (Finance and Administration) says. "Prior to initiating the RFP, we also want to review our plan to determine if it provides best value to meet the needs of our employees, and to explore what other possibilities may exist."
"Both the need to review and to tender our current plan were reinforced during 2015 collective bargaining," Dan Bradshaw, Interim AVP (Human Resources) notes.
At that time, the university signed letters of agreement regarding the employee benefits plan with the Queen's University Faculty Association (QUFA) and with all three Canadian Union of Public Employee (CUPE) locals, 229, 254 and 1302. This resulted in the formation of an Employee Benefits Committee involving the participation of unionized and non-unionized groups. The committee met for the first time on Thursday, May 12. In addition to reviewing the plan, a key role for the committee will be to make recommendations for the criteria to be used to evaluate benefits providers who participate in the RFP process.
Throughout the course of the next year, employees will be updated on the benefits plan review and on opportunities to learn more about their benefits as Queen's employees.
For more information, please contact Diane Pointer, Director, Total Compensation, diane.pointer@queensu.ca, ext. 74173.
Those with questions about the project may submit them to benefits.project@queensu.ca.
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Changes to improve efficiency of credit card program
The Queen's Credit Card Program will be revamped in the coming months as the university transitions to a new service provider.
After a lengthy review of available procurement card programs, Strategic Procurement Services (SPS) decided to join the Ontario University Procurement Management Association (OUMPA) collaborative agreement. The SPS team renegotiated several elements of this agreement in support of the university's current and future requirements.
"With our current credit card service agreement expiring, there was the opportunity to evaluate and make improvements to the program," says Donna Janiec, Associate Vice-Principal (Finance). "We are confident the revised program will offer better user experience for both card holders and financial administrators."
We are committed to offering multiple in-person training sessions so that all card holders and administrators are familiar and comfortable with the new program, policies and processes.
— Donna Janiec, Associate Vice-Principal (Finance)
Scotiabank will become the full service provider for the Queen's University Credit Card Program. This service includes procurement cards (P-Cards) and Visa Payable Automation (VPA/ghost card), as well as corporate travel cards, which will be transitioned at a future date.
The revamped program will include easy-to-use software that will make reconciliation more efficient and give cardholders and departments more detailed reporting information. Furthermore, card holders should expect more user friendly tax-related processes under the system.
Strategic Procurement Services (SPS), which is responsible for administering the program, is working with Scotiabank and a number of units on campus to develop and implement the program. SPS is also updating its P-Card policies and procedures to bring them in line with the new program and software.
SPS will begin testing the system later this month. Multiple in-person training for all P-Card holders will take place over the summer with full implementation expected in August.
"We recognize that training will be essential for a successful implementation of the new Queen's University Credit Card Program," Ms. Janiec says. "We are committed to offering multiple in-person training sessions so that all card holders and administrators are familiar and comfortable with the new program, policies and processes."
Any questions about the changes can be directed to Shirley Romain, Credit Card Program Manager, via email or at ext. 33104.
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Promoting science to young Canadians
NSERC funds engineering outreach to Aboriginal students, Science Rendezvous event.
Two Queen's University projects will promote engineering and mathematics to young Canadians – including Aboriginal students – with support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
"Both of these programs deserve applause for their work fostering an interest in and instilling a passion for engineering and mathematics in youth," says Steven Liss, Vice-Principal (Research). "Congratulations to both the Aboriginal Access to Engineering program and Dr. Colgan on their continued efforts and leadership to champion STEM education."
Melanie Howard, Director of Aboriginal Access to Engineering (AAE).
Aboriginal Access to Engineering (AAE) within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science has received $228,900 over three years from the NSERC PromoScience program. The outreach initiatives of AAE aim to get more Aboriginal youth excited about science and mathematics and encourage them to consider engineering as a potential career path.
"We are thrilled that NSERC has recognized the opportunities and potential that Aboriginal Access to Engineering opens up for Indigenous youth," says AAE Director Melanie Howard (Artsci'95, Ed'98). "We look forward to engaging more frequently with Indigenous youth through culturally relevant and exciting STEM enrichment experiences, and inspiring youth in Indigenous communities to see themselves as future engineers."
One of only three undergraduate support programs for Aboriginal engineering students in Canada, AAE is also the only program with a corresponding K-12 outreach component. AAE sets up interactive displays at various community events throughout the summer, engaging youth through storytelling, games and activities to help them learn about the importance of engineering within an Indigenous context.
The program also works extensively with teachers and schools in First Nations to inspire linkages between culture and technology in the elementary science curriculum. Aboriginal youth also have opportunities to visit Queen's each year and learn more about engineering through in-person meetings.
AAE will use the funding from PromoScience to extend its long-term, reciprocal relationships with proximate Indigenous communities and to strengthen the quality of its outreach and educational efforts.
"I thought, 'that sounds like so much fun!'"
- Lynda Colgan (Education) on the Mathematics Midway
Lynda Colgan (Education) received PromoScience program funding from NSERC to host the Mathematics Midway at Science Rendezvous Kingston.
Lynda Colgan (Education) is spearheading the other Queen's project that received NSERC funding. With the $20,000 PromoScience grant, Dr. Colgan is bringing the Mathematics Midway to this year's Science Rendezvous Kingston. The attraction features mathematics-related puzzles and games.
"Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to place a student for a practicum at the Museum of Mathematics in New York City," Dr. Colgan says. "As part of a street festival in Manhattan, they ran a Math Midway, which was an opportunity to play games with math and experience the more artistic, whimsical side of math. I thought, 'that sounds like so much fun!'"
The highlight of the Mathematics Midway at Science Rendezvous Kingston will be the square-wheeled tricycles. Participants will have the opportunity to ride these seemingly impossible vehicles along a specially designed roadway while learning about the math behind what makes them work.
NSERC's PromoScience Program offers financial support for organizations working with young Canadians to promote an understanding of science and engineering (including mathematics and technology). For more information on the PromoScience program, please visit the website.
Tags: Arts and Science|Campus Community|Education|Financial Sustainability|Research Prominence|Student Learning Experience
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Celebrating a historic decade of philanthropy
By Advancement Communications
Funds donated during the Initiative Campaign have furthered the university's top priorities in teaching, research and athletics and recreation.
Queen's University is celebrating the success of the Initiative Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its 175-year history, which concluded on April 30, 2016. Thanks to the collective dedication and generosity of volunteers and donors, more than $640 million has been donated to Queen's University during the 10-year Initiative Campaign, surpassing the $500 million goal set at the beginning of the campaign in 2006.
Queen's Bands enter during the Initiative Campaign launch event held inside Grant Hall in October 2012. Queen's is celebrating the successful conclusion of the Initiative Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university's 175-year history. (University Communications)
"This is a proud moment in Queen's history. The university is enormously grateful to all of our volunteers and donors who recognize the value of a Queen's education, and have invested in making one of Canada's top universities even better," says Daniel Woolf, Queen's Principal and Vice Chancellor.
More than 60,000 individual donors, including 35,000 alumni, contributed to the campaign since it was launched in 2006. Funds donated during the Initiative Campaign have furthered the university's top priorities in teaching, research and athletics and recreation.
Over $85 million has been used to support student assistance programs, including the creation of 473 new student awards and 22 new chairs and professorships. Campuses and facilities at Queen's have already improved greatly as a result of donations during the Initiative Campaign with further investments to be made in a number of priority areas.
"I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to the volunteers, donors, alumni and supporters who have contributed to the Initiative Campaign over the past 10 years," says Gord Nixon, Chair of the Initiative Campaign. "Their efforts have contributed greatly to the campaign, and the excitement and momentum that inspires others to make the same commitment to Queen's."
Campuses and facilities at Queen's have improved greatly as a result of donations during the Initiative Campaign. These investments support the university's programs and its people, including experiences beyond the classroom that enable the Queen's community to make a significant impact on society as an informed citizenry, nationally and internationally.
In addition to the funds raised, support from the three levels of government provided an additional $94 million that was not included in the Initiative Campaign total. Queen's partnered with the federal and provincial governments to build Queen's School of Medicine, and received support from the federal, provincial and municipal governments to bring the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts to fruition. This support was essential in making these projects possible and the university is enormously grateful for these investments.
More than $115 million has been committed in future estate gifts against the university's parallel goal of $100 million, which is counted outside of the Initiative Campaign total.
Tags: Arts and Culture|Arts and Science|Business|Campus Community|Education|Engineering and Applied Science|Financial Sustainability|Health Sciences|Student Learning Experience
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Site audits to resume May 2
Auditors from Honeywell will be resuming site audits to perform individual washroom counts and lighting fixture reviews in all spaces in the following buildings beginning on Monday, May 2:
Abramsky Hall
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
An Clachan – Units 6-12
An Clachan – Units 13-19
Beamish-Munro Hall
BioSciences Complex
Botterell Hall
Bruce Wing
Cataraqui Building
Clark Hall
Chernoff Hall
Craine Building
Douglas Library
Duncan McArthur Hall
Dunning Hall
Dupuis Hall
Fleming Hall – Jemmett Wing
Grant Hall
Gordon Hall
Goodes Hall
Goodwin Hall
Harrison-LeCaine Hall
Humphrey Hall
Jackson Hall
Jeffery Hall
John Watson Hall
Joseph S. Stauffer Library
Kingston Hall
Louise D. Acton
Mackintosh-Corry Hall
McLaughlin Hall
Miller Hall
Nicol Hall
Old Medical Building
Ontario Hall
Queen's Centre
Rideau Building
School of Kinesiology and Health Studies
Sir John A. Macdonald Hall
Stirling Hall
Theological Hall
Walter Light Hall
These audits are part of the Energy Matters Project and will have no impact for the day-to-day activities in the above-referenced buildings. Auditors will be wearing either identification badges or clothing to identify their affiliation with Honeywell. See full story on An Investment in Sustainability
Any questions regarding these planned audits should be directed to Fixit by phone at ext. 77301 or by e-mail.
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Preferred IT suppliers to visit campus
Queen's Strategic Procurement Services (SPS) will host a special trade show on April 28 focused specifically on IT related goods and services.
With the closure of the Campus Computer Store, SPS has set up a straightforward process for departmental IT orders. The preferred suppliers that SPS recently qualified – many of them familiar to departments on campus – will attend the trade show to share more information about their latest products and services.
"This is a great opportunity for the campus community to meet or get reacquainted with our preferred IT suppliers," says Andy Green, Director, SPS. "Departmental purchasers can ask sales representatives and technical specialists any questions they may have, and they can learn about the savings available when they make their purchases through the preferred suppliers."
The trade show will take place in the Biosciences Atrium on April 28 between 10 am and 3 pm. Refreshments and a buffet lunch will be served. Attendees can also fill out a ballot to win an iPad mini courtesy of SPS.
Visit the SPS website for more information or contact Steve Young at ext. 32912 or via email.
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