Hub Newsletter – Fall Semester 2026

Welcome Kristina Van Wert, CO-OP Administrative Specialist

Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the Russell Labs Hub, Kristina Van Wert, Administrative Specialist!

Kristina’s contact information and work schedule are available on the Hub website staff page. She will provide administrative support to the Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.  

Read more about Kristina in her full welcome article.

Welcome Richelle Kasten, Hub Academic Advising Manager

Richelle Kasten began her position as the new Russell Labs Academic Advising Manager over the summer.

Richelle’s contact information and work schedule are available on the Hub website staff page. She will provide student services support to all three Russell Labs departments.

Read more about Richelle in her full welcome article.

To learn more about the Russell Labs HR/Payroll area, please visit the HR/Payroll area homepage on the Hub website.

Russell Labs Human Resources Support Update – Fall 2026

Learn the latest routing for HR questions in our full article on HR support.

Student Employment HR Process Update

Departmental hiring and appointment change requests for Student Hourly and Graduate Assistant employees (Research Assistants, Teaching Assistants, and Project Assistants) are now coordinated by Elizabeth Burkhalter. All Student Hourly and Graduate Assistant hiring and appointment change requests must now be submitted through the applicable intake form.  Read full details.

Annual Benefits Enrollment – October 5–30, 2026

UW-Madison’s annual benefits enrollment period is happening October 5–30, 2026. Annual Benefits Enrollment is the only time you can make changes to certain benefits without having an eligible life event (for example, marriage, birth, or divorce) or qualifying employment change during the year.

Certain benefits (like High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) require re-enrollment each year.

Questions? Please contact the Russell Labs HR generalists.

Mental Health Resources

Crisis Line

• UHS 24-Hour Mental Health Crisis Line 608-265-5600 (Option 9).
  An After-Hours Nurse can also be reached at 608-265-5600 (option 1).

Counseling

• Employee Assistance Office (for employees and students)
• Student Services via UHS: 

Training

Interested in helping others? Consider taking the UHS online suicide prevention training course.

To learn more about the Russell Labs Administration area, please visit the Administration area homepage on the Hub website.

Useful Resources

• Campus Resources
• Computing How-to’s
• Faculty Handbook
• Policies, Procedures, and Other Info

Who Does What in the Hub Page

Not sure who does what in the Hub?  We have a page for that.

Please Pickup Your Packages

Did you or your lab mates order something?

Please check the mailroom (room 218) to see if was delivered.

Can’t pick up the package? Please have someone else pick it up for you.

How-to Doc on Packages and Shipping

We recently updated our document on packages and shipping.

The document now includes information on package receiving and tracking in Russell Labs.

Conference Room Reservation Process

UW-Madison faculty, staff, students can reserve Russell Labs conference rooms using Outlook 365 or Outlook.

Resources:

• Conference rooms page
• How-to instructions:
  • How to Reserve a Russell Labs Conference Room with Outlook 365 or Outlook
  • Microsoft Outlook – How to View or Add a Different Calendar Including Conference Rooms

Questions:

• For questions on how to use Outlook or Outlook 365 to reserve conference rooms, please email help@russell.wisc.edu.
• For questions about the conference rooms and reservation rules/procedures, please email frontdesk@russell.wisc.edu

To learn more about the Russell Labs Facilities and Instrumentation area, please visit the Facilities and Instrumentation area homepage on the Hub website.

Facilities Service Request Form

Use our form to request services from our Facilities and Instrumentation department.

You can also access the form by clicking the Request Service from Facilities link on the Hub homepage.

Please use this form as an alternative to direct emails or phone calls or stopping the Facilities crew in the hallways and asking us for help. 

Building Keys

Tim Lorenz, the Russell Building Manager, handles requests for keys. Please use the Facilities Service Request Form to request keys.

Campus Inclement Weather Guidelines

With winter weather approaching, faculty and staff are encouraged to review the university’s inclement weather guidelines. Only the chancellor can close campus. Individual colleges and schools will not close unless the whole campus is closed. Employees are advised to use discretion regarding their health and safety and that of family members. A summary of the inclement weather guidelines, including leave options and policies in the case of weather-related absences, is available online in multiple languages. View the details in this article on inclement weather.

New Safety Page on the Hub Site

We’ve centralized and expanded our safety information on the Hub site into a new safety page.

The page lists emergency numbers and numerous safety resources, including links to crime prevention information and chemical and biological safety.

Relocating Vehicles for Home Football Games

During home football games, parking lots surrounding Russell Laboratories may be closed to accommodate event parking. Vehicles (including Department Vehicles) parked in affected lots must be temporarily relocated. This includes UW Fleet vehicles and U.S. Government vehicles.

Our KB doc on relocating vehicles details relocation timelines and approved relocation locations.

How to Reserve Department Vehicles

Check out our KB doc on how to reserve department vehicles.  It includes:

• A list of vehicles you can reserve
• Eligibility
• Reservation process
• What to do if you get in an accident
• What to do if you get a ticket

We recommend you bookmark the vehicle reservation KB doc on your mobile device for future reference.

You may also wish to bookmark the info on this page for the information in the Alternate Lots table. If you click the lot name, it will bring up the campus map with the number of currently open spots in the lot or ramp.

Lower Your Lab Repair Bills: A Little Training Goes a Long Way

Fall brings new lab members, and a great opportunity for training them on how to use lab equipment safely.

Lab equipment is expensive and could be problematic to replace.  Equipment repairs or replacements could delay work for days or weeks.

Help keep your lab equipment up and running with the following tips.

Training Tips

• At a lab meeting, discuss shared equipment like autoclaves, cold rooms, and refrigerators.  Describe  where the lab managers keep the operating instructions.
• Detail the cost of the lab equipment to new lab members.
• Explain that broken lab equipment could delay the lab’s work for days or weeks.
• Have an existing lab member demonstrate how to use the equipment, and shadow new lab members until they are comfortable using the equipment.
• Encourage new lab members to ask for help if they have questions, and not to attempt any repairs. 

Maintenance Tips

• If you have a -80 degree freezer – check and clean the condenser filters on your freezer every three months. If you don’t know how to do this, please contact Tim Lorenz (tlorenz2@wisc.edu).
• Dispose of dry ice properly:
  • Do NOT leave dry ice in lab sinks.  It will break the sinks due to the temperature differential, and your lab will have to pay to replace the sink. You will also have to wait for the sink to be ordered and installed.
  • DO contact Facilities staff via this form – they will come and dispose of it safely.
  • You can also leave the dry ice in the Styrofoam container it came in and it will dissipate over time.

What to Do In An Emergency

Fire or Need to Evacuate Building:

• Pull fire alarm
  • If time allows, call Police & Security at 911 with details
• Evacuate promptly whenever alarm sounds
• Move to designated assembly area 100’ from the building. 
• Do not block emergency vehicle routes. 
• Do not re-enter the building until an all clear is given by the building manager or emergency personnel.

See Also: Russell Labs Building Evacuation Plan

Bikes Are Not Allowed Inside Campus Buildings

Bikes are not allowed inside UW buildings; please use the bike racks outside the buildings.

Source: UW Policy 6113, XI. Restrictions and Wisconsin State Statute 18.03(3)

To learn more about the Financial and Grants Services areas, please visit their homepages on the Hub website: Financial Services and Grants Services.

New Expense Report Training Coming in November

New to the UW or to submitting expense reports?

Attending a fall conference and want to know what supporting documentation is required for your travel expenses?

Want a refresher on how to enter & submit expense reports?

Have a unique expense and want it approved on the first submission?

Well, mark your calendars!  CALS will be holding two trainings this fall at noon on Tuesday, September 22 and Thursday, November 5.

More details to follow but for now, reserve the time on your calendar.

Fiscal 2027 and Beginning Balances for Non-sponsored Funds in Workday

Congratulations!  We have made it through our first fiscal year end on Workday.

This means fiscal 2026 ending balances for non-sponsored funds (think programs and gift funds) have been brought forward and are reflected as beginning balances in fiscal 2027.

Common reports updated with beginning balances include (not an all-inclusive list):

• All Funds Financial Budget to Actuals (UW)
• Gift Financial Summary (UW)
• Program Budget to Actuals (UW)

Who to Contact with Questions

• For questions on how this impacts non-sponsored funds (Worktags beginning with a GF, PG, PJ, or TF) in your funding portfolio or different ways to run these reports and filter the data, please reach out to Kate Perleberg.  
• For questions on the sponsored/post-award side (Worktags beginning with GR or GRC), please reach out to Margaret Webster.  

Purchasing Reference

Purchasing rules at the UW can be complicated. Our purchasing guide includes links to Hub staff who can help, UW Purchasing including their How to Make a Purchase page, and information on which vendors you can purchase from.

Travel Resources

Questions on travel reimbursement, expense, procedures and approvals should go to your Russell Labs Financial Specialist.

Individuals should visit the sites below to reserve their own transportation and lodging:

• UW Travel Wise Portal
• Fleet Car Information
• Fleet Car Reservation System (UW and DOA Fleets are a combined in a single reservation system)

Please see our Travel Quick Reference doc for a more detailed list of travel resources.

Are You a Student Planning to Travel? Complete This Form First.

Student travel requires special attention because the funding source, student role, and purpose of the trip determine how expenses must be handled — affecting payment methods, financial aid, and compliance with university and grant policies.

We strongly recommend that students who plan to travel submit the Student Travel Intake Form before incurring any expenses. Completing the form helps us provide accurate guidance, prevent delays or misclassification, and avoid complications later on.

If you need additional assistance on student travel related expenses, please contact our Financial Specialist, Tori Cooper for more information.

To learn more about the Russell Labs Information Technology area, please visit the Information Technology area homepage on the Hub website.

Computer and Related Hardware Purchases

Important Notes:

• All laptops, tablets, hard drives, servers, and the like must have approval from the Russell Labs IT team attached to your order.
• If purchasing on a grant, the funding should be split according to its use and extended warranties should be purchased on non-sponsored funds.
• The rule applies to items ordered through ShopUW+ and pcard purchases.

This is to ensure the equipment meets campus cyber security requirements, as well as your research needs. It also prevents accidental orders for items that will not be compatible with existing equipment and cuts down on returns.

For additional information see:

• Russell Labs Guidelines for Purchasing Computer Equipment
• RSP’s Guidance for Purchasing IT Items

Telecommuting Resources

Our Telecommuting Resources KB doc is full of useful info to help you work more efficiently. Topics include items to take home, chat and collaboration software, cloud storage, ergonomics, videoconferencing tips, voicemail access, VPN and security.

To learn more about the Russell Labs Student Services area, please visit the Student Services area homepage.

Student Services Resources Page

Visit our Student Services Resources page to learn more about the following topics:

• MS and PhD Milestones and Steps to Graduation
• Advising Hold Release Request Form
• Student Services FAQs
• Student Services Links
• Student Services Wellness Resources
• Resources for Faculty and Instructors
• Return to Top – Newsletter Table of Contents

. . . and more.

Contacting the Russell Labs Academic Advising Manager

To better assist our Russell Labs customers, we use a shared inbox for some of requests. 

Please email the shared inbox ( student-services@russell.wisc.edu ) for:

• Enrollment permission requests and/or questions
• Submitting independent study forms for ENTO, F&W ECOL, and/or PL PATH to be processed
• Prospective undergraduate students (students who are not already enrolled at UW-Madison)
• Questions, comments, and concerns related to course enrollment permissions and prospective student engagement

Please email Richelle directly ( rdkasten@wisc.edu ) for:

• Undergraduate academic advising questions (course selection, degree plan, etc.)
• Curriculum questions (course questions, course building, DARS exception, waitlist management, etc.)
• Undergraduate policy consulting
• Campus resource exploration or referral
• Current undergraduate student major exploration and/or declaration
• Other questions, comments, and concerns related to anything above or other topics