News

A new spend category has been created for Catering Equipment Rental (SC11037). Please use this spend category for the service of renting out specialized equipment and tools used for catering events, parties, and gatherings, such as: Tableware (e.g., plates, glasses, cutlery, napkins), Beverageware (e.g., cups, mugs, wine glasses), Event furniture (e.g., tables, chairs, linen), Party tents, Serving equipment (e.g., chafing dishes, food warmers, platters, serving trays), and Bar equipment (e.g., cocktail shakers, ice buckets, bar counters).

These rentals provide the necessary gear to prepare, serve, and store food without having to purchase these items outright.

Buckeye Link will begin populating faculty and staff resources and information starting January 31, 2025. Once users log in, Buckeye Link will display commonly viewed items from Workday, Buckeye Learn and the Service Desk to streamline access and make it easier to manage professional needs. 

Buckeye Link will serve as a one-stop shop and homepage for faculty and staff, providing a centralized location for viewing important employee information. This includes a personalized dashboard with leave balances, pay slips, Service Desk tickets and assigned learning. The site will also display the latest news from around the university and quick links for some of the most-used employee resources, such as benefits information and tax documents.  

As part of this update, the current compass.osu.edu website will redirect users to Buckeye Link starting this summer. If you have previously set Compass as your homepage, please update to buckeyelink.osu.edu to continue viewing employee information and receiving news updates. 

On January 31, log in to buckeyelink.osu.edu to explore this new homepage for Ohio State business. 

You are probably familiar with CAPTCHA security challenges that enable websites to distinguish between humans and bots by asking visitors to type in characters or select the correct objects in an image. Recently scammers began distributing malware through fake CAPTCHAs by adding so-called “verification steps.” The fake CAPTCHAs can be found on any ordinary website through ads accepted by the site or by other compromised content.

The threat actor tricks website visitors into executing malicious code on their device by following the instructions in the fake CAPTCHA. This code downloads and executes malware that can steal passwords, cookies, and cryptocurrency wallet details from a user’s device.  The so-called “verification steps” can include:

• Press Win + R (this opens the Run dialog box);
• Press CTRL + V (this pastes the line from the clipboard into the text field);
• Press Enter (this executes the code).
   

The fake CAPTCHAs can be found on any ordinary website through ads accepted by the site or by other compromised content. To protect yourself from malware threats, be cautious of suspicious CAPTCHA pages. If anything on the CAPTCHA page seems out of place or unusual, it is best to avoid interacting with it. Above all, do not follow instructions like those show above.

Protect yourself from fake CAPTCHA pages

Legitimate CAPTCHA pages are usually found on websites that require user verification, such as login or account creation pages. Simply visiting a site with CAPTCHA or clicking the “Verify you are human checkbox” will not install malware. Here’s what to watch out for:

• Avoid anything suspicious: Be cautious of CAPTCHA pages that appear on unexpected websites or in applications, especially if they have extra verification steps. The run dialog (Windows Key + R) should rarely be used, and a website should never need you to run commands using this method.
• Verify Websites: Always check the website's URL to ensure it is legitimate.
• Keep Tech Updated: Keep your software and operating system up to date and patch vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malware.

If you interacted with a fake CAPTCHA online, please email security@osu.edu with details.

In preparation for the combined federal and state filing changes, the Payee Setup Form along with the Miscellaneous Payee and Miscellaneous Payment Request tasks will be updated to include additional address prompts for 1099 income reporting when the state in which work is performed differs from the state associated with the payee’s primary address. The changes listed below will occur on January 17.

• Payee Setup Form: All new suppliers and Miscellaneous Payees must have a completed Payee Setup Form. When applicable, include the additional income reporting address. Direct any related questions to:  BF-PRSM-WEBFORM@osu.edu
• Miscellaneous Payee and Miscellaneous Payment Request: When applicable, include the additional income reporting address to an existing or new Miscellaneous Payee. In addition, the Miscellaneous Payment Request must reference the alternate income reporting state. Refer to the related job aid for guidance. It will be updated closer to the go-live. Direct any related questions to expense@osu.edu.
• The Miscellaneous Payment BuckeyeLearn training will also be updated prior to the January 17 go-live.

The Learning and Collaborative Environments (LCE) team completed a number of upgrades in the pool classrooms over winter break. These 318 classrooms are part of the Office of Academic Affairs centrally scheduled pool on Columbus campus, used by students from all disciplines and managed by Classroom Readiness Committee partners.

Furniture Reset

Imagine inventorying, cleaning and resetting 318 classrooms in 7 days. The LCE team, including a small army of students, completed this monumental task over winter break. They moved through each room to clean, replace broken and missing furniture, remove over 300 pieces of extraneous furniture, and reset rooms. The result is a fresh start to the new year with organized spaces that include appropriate seating for students plus an instructor table and chair. This effort also included support from the Media Production team, who took high-quality photos of each classroom. These will be used to refresh the Learning Spaces Directory, a resource for students and faculty to review room features, photos, and a 360 degree tour of every pool classroom.

Technology Upgrades

During fall term, the AV team replaced projectors in 14 classrooms on the third floor of the Enarson Classroom Building and prebuilt 8 AV systems that were installed in classrooms over break. Lecture halls in Hitchcock Hall (rooms 031, 035, 131), Page Hall (010, 020), and the Journalism Building (360) were included in these upgrades. Height adjustable podiums, dual monitors and USB-C connectivity to accommodate Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) users will be the most obvious additions to users. A less noticeable but direct improvement to the in-person and remote student experience are audio enhancements including new speakers, microphone arrays, and audio amplifiers.

Student Accommodations

The furniture used for student accessibility accommodations is being inventoried and refreshed. Over winter break, the LCE team completed the design of streamlined labeling for accommodation furniture so it can be easily identified in the room. As accommodation requests come from Student Life Disability Services, labeled furniture will be deployed and will remain in place for the entire term. Please keep these items in their original location. The LCE team will pick up accessible furniture at the end of each term and reset the room to its original state.

These upgrades to OAA's pool classrooms are a part of the Classroom Readiness Committee's commitment to continuous improvement in learning spaces for students and faculty alike.