Subject: Use of Campuswide E-mail Messages

We are distributing the following procedures in order to improve and clarify the process for sending campuswide e-mail messages. Thank you in advance for your help with this process.

Campuswide e-mail messages are primarily intended to broadcast urgent messages regarding matters of health, safety, or major campus news and events.

General announcements and information about campus events should be distributed through the Weekly Bulletin and the new online Inside Redlands, not through individual campuswide e-mails. The Weekly Bulletin is maintained by Vicki Soelter-Gomes in the Public Relations Office. She can be reached at bulletin@uor.edu. or x4070. Inside Redlands is edited by Jill Walker in the Public Relations Office. She can be reached at jwalker@uor.edu or x5228. The expanded Inside Redlands, produced monthly, will include links to campuswide memos, employee news and WebEvent calendars. We encourage you to use Inside Redlands to distribute important memos that are not time sensitive.

All messages qualifying as urgent for campuswide distribution should be sent to campuswide@uor.edu This account will be checked several times daily for new messages. Whenever possible, messages should be sent to this account at least two days in advance. This will allow us time to deal with any questions that may arise and still get messages out on time. We will attempt to send your message within one business day. If we have questions about the distribution or content of your message, we will try to contact you within the same period. If your message needs to be distributed immediately or of your message has not gone out within one day, call Deborah Willis at x4965 to alert her. In Deborah's absence, call Tom Bundy at x4960.

Message format should have the headers as in this message. The subject line will be used as the subject of the e-mail message. Use plain text and not HTML or attachments since many people cannot read these formats.

Let us know the audience your message should be sent to. We maintain the following mailing lists:

If you have questions about these policies, need help sending campuswide e-mail, or have suggestions about improving this service, please contact Deborah Willis at willis@uor.edu at x4965 or Linda Spugnardi at spugnard@uor.edu or x4962.

Welcome to our new and returning students. Each month, the EEO Office distributes a one-page review of court determinations involving Equal Opportunity. However, when significant and relevant court rulings in other areas of employment occur, we dedicate our discussion to that area. This month a landmark ruling involving a non-EEO issue requires that we dedicate our discussion to Weingarten Rights. The new ruling affects every employee at the University.

So, what are Weingarten Rights and how do they affect every employee? Mr. Weingarten was terminated from his place of employment. He sued his employer, alleging that his due process rights had been violated because he was not offered an opportunity to solicit representation from his union during the disciplinary phase of the process. The courts agreed, and instituted mandatory rights of representation during disciplinary interviews for union employees. These rights have been deemed "Weingarten Rights." On June 12, 2000, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) expanded Weingarten Rights to all employees, union and non-union.

Reversing a longstanding and widely accepted precedent, the NLRB ruled that federal labor law protections giving union employees the right to have a representative present during disciplinary interviews also extend to non-union employees. In a non-union environment, a representative is considered a co-worker. The rights do not suggest that an employee has the right to legal representation during disciplinary interviews. Applied to a non-union environment, the new ruling states that an employee who is invited to a meeting that he or she reasonably believes might result in disciplinary action, has the right to request that a co-worker attend the meeting. It is important to note that these rights do not extend to investigatory meetings intended to gather information. However, when the meeting proceeds from fact finding to direct questions related to an employee's behavior that may result in disciplinary action, the employee can request representation and the supervisor must comply. The courts have noted that an employer is not obligated to initiate the right to representation. The burden is on the employee to make a request for representation if they find that they are in a disciplinary meeting and the request must be granted.

The employer in the case has promised to appeal the decision to the federal court of appeals for the Sixth circuit. However, until this appeal is resolved, supervisors at the University of Redlands must adhere to the conditions setforth in this ruling. If the employer violates the new mandates issued by the NLRB in this ruling, the NLRB has the authority to order an employer to reinstate an employee who was wrongfully discharged in violation of Weingarten with full backpay and compensation for any lost benefits. The Human Resources Office at the University should be contacted prior to any disciplinary meeting.

The University of Redlands is offering for sale, a used vehicle (a van that was damaged in an auto accident a few months ago. If you are interested in purchasing this vehicle, you may submit a sealed bid to the Physical Plant by 11:00 a.m. on September 27, 2000. The Physical Plant will open all sealed bids at 11:00 a.m. on that date. The highest bidder will be given 48 hours to produce a cashier's check for the full amount of the successful bid prior to turning over the vehicle. The details of the vehicle are as follows:

The Office of Public Relations is pleased to announce that it's time to update the Speakers Bureau at the University of Redlands. The purpose of the Speakers Bureau is to provide clubs, schools, churches and service organizations with speakers from the faculty and other members of the campus community. In accepting Speakers Bureau engagements, you both provide information about your knowledge and teaching to the community and help the public better appreciate the breadth of the university's activities.

Here is how the bureau works: A brochure is published and distributed each year listing a selection of available topics. Your name will not be published. This year, we also will put the topics on the university Web site. The inquiring organization will contact our office, and we will make a match to one of the topics in our files. You will not have to field the calls yourself. When we have confirmed your interest in speaking to an organization, the organization will contact you directly to make arrangements. We ask that you be willing to accept at least one speaking engagement a year.

Please note that the Speakers Bureau is a service. Members of the university community who accept a speaking request do so with the understanding that they will receive no compensation. Speaking engagements or consultations involving honoraria will continue to be negotiated directly and will not involve the Speakers Bureau.

Please provide the following information via e-mail to Vicki Gomes in the Public Relations Office by Sept. 15 at gomes@uor.edu.

This is a reminder that throughout the year, students may be absent from class in order to observe special religious holidays. Faculty are asked to be mindful of those events and to be helpful to students in making up what they may have missed. Students are asked to inform their Professor prior to an absence so that the professor will be aware and can inform the student as to what they will be missing.

September 23 Harvestide (Wicca) Celebrates the fall equinox and the end of the harvest season.

September 29 (sundown) Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) The Jewish New Year which 'ushers in the Days of Judgement for all humankind.' According to tradition, the first human being, Adam, was created on this day.

October 8 (sundown) Yom Kippur (Jewish) The Day of Atonement is the most important of all the holy days for Jews.

October 26 Diwali (Hindu) The Hindu New Year.

November 27 Ramadan (Islam) Commemorates the period during which Mohammed received divine revelations. A religious fast is held between the hours of sunrise and sunset during the entire month. (The date may vary according to sighting of the new moon.)

December 22 Hanukkah (Jewish) An eight day celebration of the Maccabee victory in 164 BCE.

December 22 Yule (Wicca) During the winter solstice, the rebirth of the sun which is life sustaining is celebrated.

December 25 Christmas (Christian) Celebrates the birth of Jesus.