The University will host the Portland Housing Center (PHC) for a brown bag discussion on home buying basics on Thursday, December 5, from noon to 1 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. The PHC is a local non-profit committed to sustainable home ownership. The topics will include educational resources on preparing yourself for home ownership, where to find financial resources, current classes and programs, and more. For more information contact Bryn Sopko, human resources, at 8987 or sopko@up.edu.
Human Resources
Turkey Day Holiday, Nov. 28-29
University employees will enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday this year on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29. Classes will not be held and offices will be closed. For more information on UP paid holidays, see the 2013 Holiday Schedule at http://tinyurl.com/n7jo7mq or contact HR at 8981 or hr@up.edu.
2013-2014 Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 3
The open enrollment period for UP employees started on Tuesday, November 5, and concludes on Tuesday, December 3, ending at 4 p.m., according to Andy Sherwood, human resources. This will be your opportunity to make changes to your plan choices, review the dependents you have covered, and sign up for a medical or dependent care Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for 2014. Specific enrollment materials were sent to employees electronically on Friday, November 1. Please note that FSAs are not automatically carried over to 2014—employees need to sign up for the plan every year they choose to participate. For more information contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at sherwood@up.edu.
Staff Holiday Party: Save The Date
All staff members are encouraged to save the date for the University’s 2013 holiday party, which will take place on Thursday, December 19, in the Bauccio Commons. The social will begin at 11:30 a.m., with seating at 12:15 p.m., and the program begins at 1. Please keep in mind that the holiday party is for staff only; with continued growth as a university community, there is not room available for student workers or family members. For more information contact human resources at hr@up.edu.
Tuition Remission Due Nov. 15
Faculty and staff applications for tuition remission are now accepted via online forms only and can be accessed through the HR website at www.up.edu/hr/, according to HR director Bryn Sopko. In addition to this easier access, HR has updated the application dates for remission to match the deadline in student accounts, so please keep these dates in mind:
- Spring term: November 15
- Summer term: April 5
- Fall term: July 1
Please note that there are separate tuition remission application forms for undergraduate and graduate course work, and that any graduate level tuition remission benefits will be taxable to the employee on the value above $5,250 for attempted credits and subject to applicable withholdings, and will be reflected on the W-2 form of the tax year the remission was applied. A summary on tuition remission and links to the online forms are available here. For more information contact human resources at 7461 or hr@up.edu.
2013 UP Wellness Fair
The human resources office is planning their third year of hosting a UP Wellness Fair. It will take place in the Terrace Room on Wednesday, November 6, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, dental, vision, flexible spending, local consumer supported agriculture (CSA) providers, local wellness centers approved through the UP Kaiser rider for self-referral, and many other great resources will be on hand to answer questions. HR will have laptops set up and will be ready to help employees with questions on using the on-line Open Enrollment tool. For more information contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at sherwood@up.edu.
2013 Staff Award Nominations
The UP staff awards nomination tool is now open, and employees are invited to nominate staff members for consideration for 2013 awards, which include:
The Rev. Charles Miltner, C.S.C. Award, for an employee who has been of outstanding service to the University. It is UP’s highest staff award and crosses all categories of staff employees.
The Margaret Henzi Award, for administrative or office support employees who have performed their jobs in an exemplary manner, while representing the University to the many and varied constituencies it serves.
The Deiss/Dodson Award, for physical plant employees who exemplify the qualities of pride in their work and dedication to the University.
The Hooyboer Award, for outstanding professional staff, mid-tier exempt employees who exemplify quality, collaboration, and positive impact to the University community.
You will find the tool at this link. It will be open from Monday, October 21 through noon Friday on November 1. For a listing of past award winners, please see the HR web page.
Open Enrollment Update
Employees who are benefit eligible will receive an Open Enrollment e-mail at the beginning of November which will give them the opportunity to either confirm that they would like to continue with their current coverage or elect to change their current coverage. The e-mail will include renewal rates for 2013, a link to the online enrollment/confirmation sites, and information on all of our coverage options. This year all enrollment for Flexible Spending accounts will be processed directly through our Flexible Spending vendor at www.Flex-Plan.com. Human resources will not be sending out paper forms this year.
For more information, contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at 8981 or sherwood@up.edu.
TIAA-CREF Counseling On Campus
The University’s TIAA-CREF representative, Yasemin Under, will host a brown bag lunch presentation on new investment options for participants as well as overall retirement planning strategy on Monday, October 7, at noon, in Buckley Center room 163 (a change of room from earlier notifications). Contact Andy Sherwood at sherwood@up.edu for more information.
TIAA-CREF Counseling on Campus
The University’s TIAA-CREF representative, Yasemin Under (pictured), will host a brown bag lunch presentation on the new investment options for participants as well as overall retirement planning strategy on Monday, October 7, at noon, in the Terrace Room. Please contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at sherwood@up.edu for more information. Snacks will be provided.
Under will also be on campus on Tuesday, November 5; Wednesday, November 6; and Thursday, November 7, conducting one-on-one retirement planning sessions. To schedule an appointment call TIAA CREF at 866-928-4221 (press 0) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or schedule online at www.tiaa-cref.org/schedulenow.