“I am not sure if I already submitted a Spartan Stepping Beyond recognition for Belinda, but even if I did, she is worth a second nod for all she has done and continues to do for me and BT Tech Services. I started a month ago and since before I began, Belinda has been so warm and welcoming. She has been instrumental in my progress into my new role and providing advice and guidance when needed. Beleinda is my go to person for coordinating important pieces of information. She is a natural leader and very talented. My job is easier because she is working in this department. I appreciate Belinda in so many ways and so thankful I have her on my team.” — John Merz – 11/16/2017

“Since before I even began at SJSU, Belinda has been extremely helpful with my transition to my new role. She has been a natural student leader on all tasks that need to get accomplished and has worked with me to get up to speed whenever possible. She goes above and beyond and always thinks outside the box. I am so grateful to have her on my staff. I know I would still be lost in my new role if she wasn’t here to assist me.” — John Merz – 11/08/2017

“I recently started my position at Lucas College of Business and Luther, being one my more senior student workers, has taken me under his wing. He has helped answer any and all my questions. Luther has worked with me to get up to speed in my new role. In addition, he is always willing to take on a leadership role when needed and sit with me and explain processes that are new and confusing for me. My transition into this new job wouldn’t be as manageable if I didn’t have him to depend on.” — John Merz

“I wanted to recognize Sonja for her immediate assistance with regards to a time sensitive matter. She went above and beyond to make certain this matter was taken care of before the deadline was upon us. She was quick to take matters into her hands to help resolve this matter and that’s why I wanted to nominate Sonja. I am so grateful to have such a hard working and dedicated employee on campus. Sonja is fantastic!  Thank you so much!” — Kim Gamblin

Dear SJSU Community Members,

As you may know, SJSU is taking part in a Chancellor’s Office initiative to split the Campus Solutions (CS) and Human Resources (HR) modules in PeopleSoft into two separate databases. In addition, the CS module will be upgraded to application release 9.2.

The launch date for the upgrade/split in production is November 20, 2017. The MySJSU/PeopleSoft system will be unavailable from the evening of November 16 through the morning of November 20 to complete the changes.

To find out more about the PeopleSoft split/upgrade, we invite you to attend one of theopen forums listed below, all held in the Student Union Theater:

• Tuesday – October 24: 10:00 am to 11:30 am
• Wednesday – October 25: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
• Friday – October 27: 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Planned forum topics include:

• The timeline for the upgrade/split, including down time for MySJSU
• Specific information about where current functionality will reside in PeopleSoft after the split for both Campus Solutions and Human Resources functions
• Changes to functionality as a result of the upgrade to the CS 9.2 module

There will be plenty of time for questions as well. If you have any questions, please contact ESTechComm@sjsu.edu.

We look forward to seeing you at the forums!

“In September 2017, April Gilbert, SJSU Library’s Institutional Repository Coordinator, learned of a Columbia University effort to host a “mapathon”, an event harnessing open-source mapping of Puerto Rico for the benefit of relief agencies on the ground in the wake of Hurricane Maria. According to Alex Gil, the Columbia event’s organizer, FEMA and other agencies are having difficulties locating damaged areas in Puerto Rico due to insufficient mapping. Following the hashtag #prmapathon, April found that West Coast participation in this effort was lacking, so she began promoting it to SJSU Library colleagues as an opportunity for our for our library to collaborate with the campus community and other organizations to aid in the Hurricane Maria recovery effort. Libraries at other colleges have also followed Columbia’s lead holding similar events, including Boston University, Rutgers, University of Miami, University of Alaska – Fairbanks, Trinity College, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and now, thanks to April, San Jose State University Library on Friday, October 13, 2017. The #prmapathon events have been well attended, and have been lauded on PBS NewsHour and in The New York Times. April’s efforts have driven this library event, providing the chance for the SJSU community to join those other institutions making a difference in helping Puerto Rico’s recovery.” — Carole Correa-Morris