Last year, TC's Associate Vice Provost Katie Embree received a phone call from a frustrated student, who was also a nursing mother. The student explained that she would often find herself on campus late at night, working diligently on her dissertation, only to have to go home abruptly, because there was no dedicated space on campus for her to expel her breast milk. 

Investigating the situation, Embree then began talking to others in the TC community, only to discover that this concern, a lack of space for nursing mothers, had been raised before, and a growing number of staff across departments had already begun working to address the issue. An interdepartmental group came together to find a solution. 

As a result, on June 1, the College officially launched its Nursing Mothers Room, located on the first floor of Thompson Hall, Room 139A. A private space where nursing staff and students can relax while pumping, the room is equipped with chairs, a table, an electrical outlet, a sink and proper cleaning supplies. To gain access to the secure room, please contact the Human Resources Office in 112 Zankel.

"I'm thrilled that the College has provided this private space," says Embree. 

On September 1, following a summer of renovations on the first floor of Macy Hall, the College will unveil its revamped Edward D. Mysak Clinic for Communication Disorders. The Center, which serves some 60 clients weekly from neighboring communities, will now have a new and larger clinic space that includes two new therapy rooms, a new and vastly improved audiovisual system, central air conditioning, high-level sound-proofing, and teleconferencing units for online work with children in other countries. The facility will now be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

It's a scenario just about everyone can relate to: you're accustomed to saying hello (and more) to a colleague on campus, day after day. You chat about kids, vacations, or whatever you're each reading. But you can't remember her name--or worse, you never learned it--and at this point are too embarrassed to ask. Now, thanks to the new myTC online photo directory-'"which allows faculty, staff and students to look up colleagues via their names or departments-'"those awkward moments are a thing of the past. 

The idea for the myTC directory began two years ago, when the Office for Diversity and Community Affairs began leading the College-wide community-building effort, asking the question, "What kind of community do we want to be?" Of the 19 initiatives proposed to make TC a better place to work and learn, the myTC directory was at the top of the list. CIS staff began working their magic, and this past April, the project was launched.

Replacing the printed "yellow book," the online directory can be located by logging in to myTC and clicking on "Search & Help." The default photos listed are the ones used for TC IDs, though there are options for uploading alternative images and also for opting out of the directory altogether. The photos are only viewable to those within the TC community and are not listed on the public site.

Jolene Lane, Director, Office for Diversity and Community Affairs, has received a tremendous amount of positive feedback on the directory, including from some who use the directory as a memory aid. "It is a tremendous tool for building community," Lane says. "It allows us to connect to one another in positive ways."

 

Also new on myTC is the Announcements Channel, a designated space for campus announcements, academic deadlines and other reminders. The Channel is located on the upper left of every tab on the portal. For more information, visit: www.tc.columbia.edu/news/7625 

Teachers College would like to welcome those who joined its staff during June. Welcome to TC! (If you were hired in June and are not listed, please contact the Office of Human Resources to be included in an upcoming issue of Inside.) 

Elihu Anderson, Public Safety Officer II, Public Safety

Amrit Aneja, Administrative Assistant, Center for Technology & School Change

Teresa Clay, Public Safety Officer II, Residential Services/New Res Hall

Sarah Garland, Education Reporter, Hechinger Institute

Morgan Oakes, Admission Counselor, Office of Admission

Audrey Parker, Payroll Manager, Payroll Office

Elisha Rodriguez, Associate Controller, Accounting & Business Services 

Gerald Woods, Public Safety Officer II, Public Safety

Happy anniversary to the following full-time employees who have provided 10 or more years of service to TC and whose anniversary took place in June. (If your anniversary date was in June and is not listed, please contact the Office of Human Resources to be included in an upcoming issue.)

Wavely Cannady 45

Lead Person Boiler Mechanic, Maintenance (pictured below)

Josephine Takeall 41 

Lead Accounts Clerk, Student Accounts

Arsya Emamali 39

Account Clerk, Student Accounts

John Astore 37

Lead Person, Maintenance

William Manning 27 

Lieutenant, Public Safety

Karen Harris 23

Admissions Assistant, Office of Admission

Violet Idehen 22 

Secretary, Public Safety

Patricia Osbourne 22 

Transcripts Secretary, Registrar & Doctoral Studies

Arnold Callwood 21

Lead Person Plumber, Maintenance

Narine Chandrapaul 21

Handyperson, Facilities, Seth Low

Mary Lynch 16 

Senior Financial Manager, TC Press

David Novick 16

Senior Grants Accountant, Grants & Contracts Accounting

Maureen Brooks 15

Research Compliance Manager, Office of Sponsored Programs

Nelson Hooks 12

Custodian I, Operations

Evelin Collado 11

Senior Accounts Clerk, Accounts Payable

Revathi Joshi 11

Programmer/Analyst, Administrative Computing

Aubrey Mason 11

Custodian II-Mover, Operations

Naim Deva 10

Custodian II, Operations