A place to call home

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Linda

After many months of planning and organizing (and waiting!), 818 N. Tejon is now occupied by the following ITS: residents: Angie Bardsley, Dave Armstrong, David White, Eric Raczkowski, Matt Gottfried, Linda Petro, and Brian Young.

The furniture was installed on Thursday, January 14, and while work on the building continues, everything was basically ready for folks to move in.  And so we did!  Here’s a look:

David White takes a load of office stuff from Barnes to 818.

David White takes a load of office stuff from Barnes to 818.

Matt and Angie head back to Barnes for another load (although it looks like Angie has her hands full already!).

Matt and Angie head back to Barnes for another load (although it looks like Angie has her hands full already!).

Be it ever so humble...(thanks Brian for the chairs out front!)

Be it ever so humble…(thanks Brian for the chairs out front!)

Angie's office (already decorated with Angie's smile!).

Angie’s office (already decorated with Angie’s smile!).

The conference room.

The conference room.

First floor galley kitchen.

First floor galley kitchen.

Dave's office (decorated with a surprised Dave!).

Dave’s office (decorated with a surprised Dave!).

Matt's office.

Matt’s office.

Linda's office (which doesn't echo as much as everyone else's!).

Linda’s office (which doesn’t echo as much as everyone else’s!).

Brian's office.

Brian’s office.

Angie is friendly on the inside and also from the outside!

Angie is friendly on the inside and also from the outside!

The back patio, which is begging to have a barbeque in better weather!

The back patio, which is begging to have a barbeque in better weather!

While not all of the spaces are pictured here, this gives you a basic idea of what things look like.  If you haven’t been over to the new building, be sure to stop by and take a look around.  This isn’t just a space for those who have offices here, it is for everyone in ITS:!

We’ll be having an ITS: open house in the coming weeks (with a campus-wise open house to follow that), so keep your eyes open for that invitation.  A building for ITS: is something to celebrate!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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That’s absurd, but really fun!

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Linda

Today’s TED O’clock focused on the absurd, but in a really fun way:

Charlie Todd: The Shared Experience of Absurdity

Here are some of the comments that were shared after the group watched the talk:

1) We all need to look up more and take notice of the things going on around us.
2) The scenarios shown could help us generate some new communication strategies and how we share information with others on campus, so that we don’t always inundate people with email (for example, having an Internet game called, “Where’s Weston?” and when you find Weston, he is providing a demonstration about a new piece of technology).
3) If something is important to you, you make time for it.
4) Photographing and videotaping work we do provide alternative ways for ITS: to tell its story to others.
5) Play is a good thing, and you don’t need a reason to do it.  It is good to interject play into our daily lives, even (or sometimes especially) here at work.

I hope all who attended enjoyed this talk.  If you have a favorite TED talk, please be sure to share it with me so we can potentially add it to the list!

Our next TED O’clock will be on Friday, January 22 in the Yalich Board Room of the Spencer Center (the Board of Trustees board room on the first floor)…I hope to see you there!

Happy New Year, everyone…I hope 2016 is our best year yet!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Time out for ITS:

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Linda

All work and no play makes people cranky, so several ITS: folks got together, along with Max Henry, to relax and enjoy some time together at the Wild Goose Meeting House.  Jim Schulz shared a photo:

Adjusted pic - from Max's visit on 12-8-15

Looks like it was a fun time!

Thanks, Jim, for the photo!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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ITS:Division Meeting Notes from Friday, December 4, 2015

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Linda

Thank you, Angie, for providing the minutes below:

Agenda

  • Discussion Topic: What Do You Want/Need from Division Meetings – Linda Petro
  • Update on open positions – Linda Petro
  • Changes in the Audio Visual area of Frontline Services – Joseph Sharman
  • Coverage over winter break – Linda Petro
  • All day maintenance day reminder – Linda Petro
  • Update on date of new firewall installation – Linda Petro
  • Kudos – everyone

Linda led the meeting.

Linda led a discussion about what the team wants from division meetings. Ideas included:

  1. Having team members interview each other about their roles and then present a short summary about what each person does at the January division meeting. Prior to the next division meeting, team members will draw names and spend 10-15 minutes getting to know each other. If someone is uncomfortable with presenting before the group, Linda offered to read their summary.
  2. Having more frequent social gatherings.
  3. Reserving a table at Rastall’s once a month where team members can gather for an informal lunch.
  4. Reserving the ITS: conference room during the lunch hour, so team members who bring their own lunch can eat together
  5. Sharing sensitive information
  6. Learning new skills
  7. Brainstorming solutions to issues or generating ideas
  8. Sharing updates from each group, particularly what’s coming up in the next few months that might affect others’ work

Linda invited everyone to provide agenda topics or upcoming changes for future meetings.

Linda shared that the ISO search committee has conducted phone interviews. Three candidates are being invited to campus during the half block. The Data Warehouse Administrator search was failed. Vish will rewrite the job description, and the job will be reposted after the first of the year.

Joseph announced that Dave McCann resigned. Joseph thanked the A/V team members for stepping in and assuming additional responsibilities. They are looking to restructure the A/V team, possibly outsourcing video production and hiring a full-time events person who handles video.

Joseph also mentioned horizontal teams. One will be formed soon to look at the phone system.

Linda discussed winter break coverage. We will function in our normal after-hours support system. All systems are expected to be up and running at all times during break. Linda recommended that everyone print the ITS: phone directory to have in their offices and take home prior to break.  It is located in the i: drive under the folder “PhoneNumbers.”

All day maintenance will occur on January 2. The new firewall is scheduled to be installed the week of December 28. If this date changes, a notification will be sent.

Kudos were shared.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

If anyone has any additions or changes, please let Angie or me know.  Thank you all!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock on November 20, 2015

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Linda

Thank you to everyone who attended our second “TED O’clock” event on November 20, 2015!  We had another great turnout!

Not everyone who attended is shown in the picture.

Not everyone who attended is shown in the picture.

This time, we watched Tim Harford’s “Trial, Error, and the God Complex.”  Here were a few of the thoughts shared afterward:

1) Focus, but don’t get hung up on one idea, especially if it doesn’t work.
2) Everyone needs to contribute (this was also covered in Margaret Heffernan’s talk from our first TED O’clock event).
3) Make mistakes in a good direction.
4) People are afraid to fail or try new things because of the error part of trial and error.
5) Our failures need to be celebrated (failure shouldn’t be confused with screwing up, which is making a mistake when you have the information, skills, and resources to do the job…failure is essentially trying something new and not knowing if it will work).
6)”Fire and readjust for facts.”
7) There is power in acknowledgement, so let’s not hide the fact that we are trying something new.
8) Perhaps we should have an award for failing (trying something new and having it not work).  Twitter had something called the “Fail Whale” so we might think of something of our own to have.
9) A good example of trying something new and having it succeed is the first part of the Banner XE roll out in the test environment.  No one on the team knew how it worked, but everyone got together, owned the work, and made it a success.  This is also a great example of being allowed to fail if needed in a safe environment.
10) The group discussed how to fail well in production.  While no solid solution was presented, many of the comments about this surrounded having a plan “B” (and “C,” etc.) and being prepared for anything that could happen.

Ultimately everyone in the room felt that the word “failure” had too many negative connotations and that perhaps the idea should be to come up with a better word to use.  Suggestions included “sparkle” (“Linda sparkled today!”…this is my personal favorite) and “had a hairball.”  Let’s continue to discuss this, because there is value in taking the stigma away from “sparkling.”

What did I miss in the conversation?  Please let me know so I can add it in!

Our next TED O’clock will be during half-block.  We’ll be watching something a little more fun to ease us all back into working full-time after being masters of our own schedules during the holiday break.

Do you have a TED talk you love?  Think it would be a good candidate for TED O’clock?  Send it my way so we potentially add it to the list of future TED O’clocks!

Adjusted pic - TED O'clock Logo

I look forward to seeing you at the next TED O’clock!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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B4, I25, and other fun “Bingo Lingo”

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Linda

To celebrate making it to the end of block 3, the ITS: crew got together for some breakfast and bingo on Friday, November 13.  It turned out to be a lucky day for Vineesh Konda, Jim Grey, Weston Taylor, Angie Bardsley, Liz Scherkenbach, Danna Duncan, David White, and Joe Hinson, as they all won some fun prizes playing the game.  Our amazing new administrative assistant, Angie, took some pictures of the event:

Adjusted pic - the group - 11-13-15

Adjusted pic - the group 2 - 11-13-15

Adjusted pic - Linda and Joe with prize - 11-13-15

Thanks to everyone who came and thanks, too, to Angie for all of her efforts to make this a fun time for everyone!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

 

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A remodel for Sacred Grounds

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Linda

Sacred Grounds in Shove Chapel just underwent a remodel that included new audio visual equipment!  In case you didn’t know, Sacred Grounds hosts spiritual life communities at CC, student support groups, community 12-step groups, and the Sacred Grounds Tea House, which is a student-led late-night gathering space that creates a warm, welcoming environment for the CC community from 9:00 pm-1:00 am.

Randy Babb shared these pictures of the new equipment and remodel:

An overview of the space

An overview of the space.

Look at all of this cool equipment (speakers, projector, screen, and more!)!

Look at all of this cool equipment (speakers, projector, screen, and more!)!

 

The control box up close.

The control box up close.

The space looks great, and I am guessing the students are loving the state of the art equipment…great job, Randy!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Multi-School IT Meeting at CC

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Linda

A week ago, ITS: hosted our counterparts from Colorado State University-Pueblo, Pikes Peak Community College, and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on campus in the Spencer Center Board Room.  The group discussed the good, the okay, and the challenging with regard to customer service in IT.  Our own Jim Schulz caught a more relaxing moment after the formal meeting was over:

Adjusted pic - multi-school IT mtg - 11-4-15

Many common themes arose during the meeting, from most everyone agreeing our Help Desks are all very responsive and helpful (!) to phishing scams being problematic.  David Ziemba also gave a very brief update to the group about the Raspberry Pi user experience project on campus (he gave a more detailed presentation about this at the division meeting on Monday, 11/2/15).  Everyone was intrigued and several people wanted more details.

IT representatives from each school get together about once per quarter to discuss various IT issues.  The next meeting will be hosted by CSU-Pueblo.

Thanks, Jim, for the photo!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Beth in Nat Geo Spain publication

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Linda

It’s not every day you get your work published in Nat Geo Spain, but our GIS Administrator, Beth Scaffidi, has had this honor!  To see the article, click here (when I clicked on this link, Chrome asked me if I wanted the article translated, so you are able to read it [as it is originally in Spanish]).  You can also find more about her work here.

Congratulations, Beth!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Catch Me If You Can!

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Linda

As part of the ITS:FUNdamentals track of the Excel@CC program, “Catch Me If You Can” discusses information security and its importance.  Chad took a few pictures of one of the exercises participants take part in during the class and shared the following about it:

“Pictured here are the participants engaged in Weston’s ‘Sensitive Data Relay Race’ activity.  The teams had to quickly categorize data into either ‘sensitive,’ ‘could go either way,’ or ‘innocuous’ and then run back and tag in their team member.  For example, ‘favorite variety of pizza’ is innocuous while ‘birth date’ is sensitive.

The team that finished first got points, but what counted even more was sorting the data into the correct categories.  It’s a great activity that Weston designed which invariably leaves the audience smiling and having fun while learning at the same time.  Plus, who wouldn’t want to run a relay race in the Spencer Board Room?!”

Adjusted pic - Picture 1

Adjusted pic - Picture 2

Adjusted pic - Picture 3

This just goes to show that with a little time, effort, and care, a somewhat dry subject can be made fun and interesting to learn!  Great exercise, Weston, and thank you and Chad for teaching such an important subject!  Thanks, too, Chad, for the pictures!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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