When you’re on campus every day, it can be easy to miss some interesting things that are hiding in plain sight.

For example, did you know that there’s a beehive on campus? On the terrace outside of L-201 in Lefavour Hall, there’s a thriving colony that supports the local bee population as well as ongoing research efforts.

Established in the spring of 2013 as a joint effort between the student-run Sustainability Club, Buildings & Grounds, and Boston-based Best Bees, the colony’s original purpose was to combat Colony Collapse Disorder.

The first two years were difficult, and the hive did not make it through the winter. Last winter, a new hive was closely managed and provided with a new organic food source. Defying the odds, the hive survived the winter and increased in size throughout the warm spring months.

This growing hive is providing opportunities for research into why and how bee colonies fail. Bees are a vital part of agriculture throughout the world because they pollinate trees and crops that produce nuts, fruit, and vegetables. Improving our understanding of how hive management affects long-term results might help to stabilize the bee population in Massachusetts and beyond.

In addition to research, the bees on campus also produce honey and beeswax that is used in a variety of products. Honey from the hive has been given to students and auctioned off at the Staff Council Silent Auction, and students have used the beeswax to make lip balm.

If you’re interested in seeing the hive, you can view it from L-201 when the room isn’t booked, or from the hallway between group study rooms L-205 and L-206. If you’d like to learn more about the hive, please contact Steve Gusmini or Sara Smith.

Special thanks to Diane Hammer for providing the photos in this article.

Beginning at 7pm on Monday, December 21st, Buildings & Grounds will lower temperatures and decrease lighting levels in all Academic Campus buildings to reduce our energy usage during the winter break.

These energy conservation efforts will be in effect fromDecember 21st through January 3rd, 2016. When the College reopens on Monday, January 4th at 6am, heating and lighting will be reset to seasonally-appropriate levels.

If you plan to work on campus during the break, please submit a work order by 4pm on Thursday, December 17th. You can make a request online at fixit.simmons.edu or by calling 617-521-1000. Please be ready to provide specific room numbers and the dates and times when you’ll be working on campus so that we can ensure you’re able to work comfortably.

If you have any questions, please contact the Facilities Service Center at 617-521-1000.

As a reminder, you can help conserve energy by turning off computers, printers, and other electronic equipment in your office before you leave for winter break.

The holiday season is a prime time for criminals to target your information. Stay safe by being aware of the most common efforts to steal personal and financial data.

Phishing
These scams attempt to obtain confidential information or hijack your email account to send spam by crafting messages that appear to be from a trusted source. Links in these emails will direct you to websites that look like the sites for services you use and will ask you to enter your username and password or other personal information.

Remember:

• Never click links in emails that appear to be suspicious and never respond to an email requesting sensitive information.
• Simmons College will never ask for your password or ask you to click a link in an email to submit it.
• Secure Simmons website addresses begin with https://and end with the .simmons.edu domain. Additionally, Simmons login pages have green visual identifiers to let you know you’re in the right place.

Social Engineering
These scams manipulate people into performing actions or divulging confidential information and can occur both online and offline. Criminals may pretend to be someone else—either by phone, in-person, or via email—in order to request financial or personal details, or to ask that you take some action, such as completing a financial transaction. Always be wary of these requests, even if they appear to come from someone you know.

Before releasing personal or College information in response to a request, always establish:

• The sensitivity of the information and your authority to release it.
• The real identity of the other party.
• The purpose of the request.

If you suspect that sensitive information at the College has been released inappropriately, please report the incident to Public Safety at 617-521-1112.

Other Information Security Resources

• Stay Safe Online
• Simmons College Information Security
• Install free antivirus software
• Keep your apps and operating system up-to-date
• What to do when you’ve been hacked