While many of our interactions with colleagues have moved to email, chat, web conferences, and other online communication tools, the telephone is still an important part of our day-to-day lives at Simmons.

In an effort to provide telephone service that integrates with our larger technology infrastructure and creates significant cost savings over time, Simmons Technology installed Voice Over IP (VoIP) phones across campus this year.

VoIP phones replaced our legacy phone system, which experienced frequent outages and was nearing a point at which we could no longer make repairs to keep it functioning at an acceptable level. As an alternative, VoIP represents a stable, long-term solution that maintains our previous phone functionality and provides new features, such as voicemail-to-email (available now), plus mobile phone twinning—forwarding calls from your office phone to a mobile or home phone—and a voice-activated directory (coming soon).

The Technology team’s primary goal is to implement new products and services in a way that ensures their long-term success. We recognize that moving to VoIP has been a significant transition for Simmons employees and we appreciate your patience. Your cooperation and participation are vital to the success of this project and everything we do to support business and strategic objectives.

For employees who need assistance with their VoIP phones, we have created FAQs and videos covering the most commonly used features. If you have additional questions about using your VoIP phone, please contact the Service Desk at 617-521-2222.

Though we still spend time on campus, in our classrooms and offices, we also move around. A lot. And we take our computers, phones, and tablets with us. Often, this means encountering unique challenges when using services on various devices.

Fortunately, many services provided by Simmons Technology have high-quality mobile versions or apps to help you work no matter where you are or what device you’re on.

Google Apps

• Gmail app (iOS / Android) + Setup instructions for iOSand Android
• Calendar app (iOS / Android)
• Drive app (iOS / Android)
• Docs app (iOS / Android)
• Sheets app (iOS / Android)

Workday

• Apps available for iOS and Android
• Login instructions for iPhone and Android
• Login instructions for iPad

Moodle

• Mobile site available and fully functional on most tablets and phones

VPN

• Apps available for iOS and Android
• Setup and login instructions

Simmons Connection

• The Technology team is developing upgrades to Simmons Connection and AARC that will provide a better experience on mobile devices. The updated mobile interface (coming soon) will allow students to check course schedules and grades on-the-go as well as the student events calendar, directory, campus map, and important phone numbers.

While most Simmons students were away from campus enjoying the winter break, the Buildings & Grounds team was hard at work preparing our campus for the spring semester. While many of us never see this work being done, we all reap the results.

Among the campus improvements completed during the break were:

• Installation of hydration stations across both campuses
• Replacement of heating and cooling infrastructure in buildings on the Residence Campus
• Installation of 150 energy saving LED light fixtures on the Residence Campus
• Repairs to infrastructure under the Academic Campus quad
• Improvements to the Sports Center locker rooms and refinishing of the gym floor
• Completion of cleaning projects in almost every building on campus

We’d like to thank the Buildings & Grounds staff for their year-round work and dedication to keeping our campus running smoothly.

Downloading and installing software can be a time-intensive and expensive proposition. And finding a computer on campus that has specific technical or creative applications is not much fun either.

What if you could solve this problem by logging into a computer on campus and then choosing the set of tools you need? This is, in essence, what Simmons Technology has worked with the Department of Computer Science to do for their faculty and students.

In room 214 in Palace Road, every computer has been virtualized. Virtualization is a process that shifts all of the software and actual computing power to a centralized computer called a server.

The computers in P214 allow instructors to set up virtual environments and share them with students, who can download and run the environments while in class and access them from any location on their personal computers. Students can then work within the virtual environment to write, install, and test new applications.

Virtualization also provides flexibility in the classroom. When P214 is used for other SLIS classes, students and instructors can log into a separate virtual environment tailored to their needs.

This informal partnership with Computer Science faculty and students provides Simmons Technology with a valuable source of knowledgeable feedback on virtual environments at the College.

As virtualization becomes an increasingly important tool in STEM fields and for students who come to Simmons via online courses, it is vital that we know what is working well and what areas can be improved.

Virtualization is a new and powerful way to help us provide computing resources that meet the needs of the Simmons community, whether you’re on campus, across the country, or halfway around the world.

Single-use plastic water bottles are yesterday’s news. They’re expensive, they produce tons of plastic waste that ends up in landfills, and the manufacture and distribution of all those bottles produces huge carbon emissions. It’s also not really safe to reuse them.

At Simmons, we just made filling up your reusable bottle even easier. Across campus, you’ll find new sensor-activated hydration stations. Just open your bottle, line it up, and fill it with safe, local tap water that’s been named the best tasting in the country.

You’ll find hydration stations in:

• MCB (1st floor, East and West)
• Lefavour (Meyers Café)
• Library (1st and 2nd floors)
• Park Science Center (near S183)
• School of Management (2nd floor)
• Palace Road (2nd floor)
• Sports Center (locker rooms, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors, and pool deck)
• Dix Hall (1st floor)

Not only will the hydration stations reduce waste on campus and save you money, they’ll also allow us to monitor the success of this effort. We’re working on a feature atgreen.simmons.edu that will track how many single-use bottles we’ve saved and our contribution to reducing emissions.

If you have questions or comments about this, or any other sustainability initiative, please contact Sara Smith ([email protected]) in Buildings & Grounds at 617-521-2244.

As a new semester begins, we want to ensure that faculty are aware of the support resources provided by Simmons Technology for teaching and learning.

Classroom Technology

• Service Desk – Technicians are available during normal business hours to answer questions and provide on-site classroom tech support. Call x2222 from on-campus.
• Online – You can access classroom overviews, including equipment lists and photos, for almost every space on campus.
• Training – If you would like to schedule a private tutorial or get help in a particular classroom, please contact Scott Tougas ([email protected], 617-521-2751), Senior AV & Media Services Engineer.

Simmons Moodle

• Training – Schedule a 1:1 training with Drew Mirque, Senior Application Support Specialist.
• Online – You can access Moodle FAQs and how-to articleson the Service Desk site and from within Moodle on the course home page under “Course Set Up Help.”
• Email – For any other Moodle questions or requests, please contact [email protected].

In December, Interim Chief Mel Batten-Mickens and Deputy Chief Vito Scotti attended a Boston Police Foundation event for local businesses and nonprofits.

At the gathering, they met Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans, Superintendent Lisa R. Holmes, and several BPD officials who provided an overview of community policing efforts, including expansion of the bike patrol and K-9 program.

The event presented a fantastic opportunity to share information about the Simmons College Police Department as they continue to build relationships and develop community outreach opportunities.

As of January 11th, managers will complete the process for hiring faculty and staff in Workday through the Recruiting Dashboard worklet.

In tandem with the Workday Recruiting launch, all internal job applicants (other than student workers) will now use Workday to apply for opportunities through the new Simmons College Career Site.

THCS has held Workday Recruiting training sessions throughout the month and it’s not too late to sign-up. The final session will take place on Friday, January 29th, from 1pm-2:30pm.

You can learn more about Workday Recruiting by visiting theTHCS website. For specific questions, please email[email protected], call 617-521-2084, or stop by MCB C-210.