UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

12-09-2013

Important Flex Spend Policy Update

andysherwood copyA review of final November payroll statistics showed that previous years’ spending patterns within Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts were not holding true this year. This inconsistency negates the immediate advantage for most participants that the previously announced change in the grace period would have brought. Based upon this, human resources will defer changing the grace period/rollover option to commence in the 2014 plan year, instead of at the close of 2013.

All current FSA Plan participants will have through March 15, 2014 to complete eligible transactions for the 2013 plan year. Participants will then have until March 31, 2014 to file all claims for reimbursement with Flex Plan. There will be no 2013 funds available beyond this grace period.

Beginning with the 2014 plan year, all savings under the plan must be used by December 31, 2014, with the exception of up to $500, which can be rolled into the 2015 plan year and used throughout 2015. The Open Enrollment website for Flex-Plan will remain open through Wednes­day December 11, 2013, to accommodate any additional changes employees would like to elect for next year.

Questions regarding the plan years, grace periods, and carryovers may be directed to Andy Sherwood at 8981 or sherwood@up.edu.

RA Selection Begins

res life Schoenfeldt copyApplications for next year’s resident assistants are now available, according to the residence life office. Students must be an upcoming junior or senior with a GPA of at least 3.0 and must have lived in a UP residence hall for at least one semester to apply. Information and the online application form can be found on the residence life page at up.edu/housing under “Leadership & Involvement” and “Resident Assistant Selection.” Please note that this year, applications and recommendation forms are both due on January 17, 2014. For more information, contact the Office of Residence Life at applyra@up.edu or 7205.

Senior Communication Studies Capstones

University of Portland, upSenior communication studies majors will present selected research projects at the Department of Communication Studies Capstone Showcase Night on Tuesday, December 10, from 6 to 7 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend. For more information contact Dann Pierce, communication studies, at 7340 or pierce@up.edu.

MAT Informational Meeting, Dec. 9

MATFaculty, staff, and students are invited to a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) informational on Monday, December 9, at 6 p.m., in Franz Hall Murphy Conference Room (room 426). The MAT is an intensive program designed to prepare individuals with baccalaureate degrees for teaching in K-12 schools.  MAT graduates earn a masters degree and are eligible for Oregon initial licensure at two contiguous levels of authorization: early childhood, elementary, middle and/or high school. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to the School of Education at 7135.

Faculty Listening Sessions: Academic Digital Futures

listeningdigitalThere is no question that change is happening; it is all around us: new government regulations, technological changes, the continued rise of for-profit institutions, questions about tuition costs, mounting student debt, and the value of a degree are all included. The University of Portland must chart a path forward regarding academic technology, and a Task Force on Academic Digital Futures is working toward that end. Input from faculty is needed in order to develop recommendations for moving forward since all faculty have a stake in the future direction of the University, and more input means a better set of recommendations. Please join any or all of these listening sessions:

  • Session III: Mon., Dec. 9, 7-8 a.m., Terrace Room
  • Session IV: Tues., Dec. 10, 5-6 p.m., Terrace Room
  • Session V: Wed., Dec. 11, 3-4 p.m., Terrace Room.

In addition to these listening sessions, a survey will be distributed so that all will have the opportunity to give an opinion and comment on aspects of digital learning. For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or staten@up.edu.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass, Dec. 11

PHOTO-Guadalupe-framed copyOur Lady of Guadalupe Vigil Mass will be celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher on Wednesday, December 11, at 7 p.m., followed by hand-made tamales and Mexican hot chocolate under the portico of the Chapel of Christ the Teacer. All are invited to attend this celebration. For more information contact campus ministry at 7131 or ministry@up.edu.

Sweet Deals on Holiday Home Basketball Games

womens_basketball HolidaysAll faculty and staff are encouraged to attend Pilot men and women home basketball games over the holiday break. As a special offer to celebrate the holiday season, all faculty and staff who present their UP ID can get two general admission tickets for free, and all kids sixth grade and under are free. This offer is good for the following men’s basketball games:

  • December 28 vs. San Francisco at 7 p.m.
  • December 30 vs. Santa Clara at 3 p.m.
  • January 2 vs. Pacific at 7 p.m.
  • January 4 vs. St. Mary’s at 7 p.m.

Faculty and staff can get the same deal at the following women’s basketball games:

  • January 3 vs. Gonzaga at 7 p.m.
  • January 8 vs. San Diego at 7 p.m.

For more information and game times, go to www.portlandpilots.com. For tickets, stop by the box office or call 7525.

Nominate for Alumni Awards

alumni_awards_logo copyEach year the University of Portland Alumni Association presents awards to UP alumni for outstanding contributions to their professional fields, for their dedication to volunteer endeavors, and for their ongoing support of the University and its mission. Nominations are now being taken for the 2013 Alumni Awards, with a deadline of Sunday, December 15. Alumni may be nominated in three categories:

  • The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have rendered distinguished service to the University and to their community.
  • The Rev. Thomas C. Oddo, C.S.C., Outstanding Service Award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated the University’s mission through volunteerism.
  • The Contemporary Alumni Award recognizes alumni graduates of the past 15 years for significant professional contributions to the community and support of the University.

Awards will be presented at the annual State of the University luncheon on April 1, 2014. For more information contact alumni relations at 7328 or alumni@up.edu.

Pilot Navigator Information Needed

pilotnavigatorAs in past years, the marketing office is reaching out to a variety of constituents to help advertise upcoming University events. If your department is hosting an event that occurs between February through June/Summer and meets the parameters listed below, we would like to include it for publication in the Pilot Navigator brochure. If you are not familiar with this publication, please refer to this link for a past issue from Spring 2013.

To help her gather details, please e-mail a short description of the event (approximately 75 words), and a high resolution photo, if applicable, to Melissa Thongtan, marketing and communications, at thongtan@up.edu or Roya Ghorbani-Elizah at ghorbani@up.edu. Please do not provide images taken from websites, as the resolution is not high enough for printed materials (generally photos should be between 250K-1mb). To help ensure that all information can be included, please send event details no later than Thursday, January 2, 2014. Please note that marketing and communications will do their best to accommodate all requests, but occasionally due to event dates and other extenuating circumstances, they are not able to publish every listing.

Suggested parameters for inclusion in Pilot Navigator:

  • Events must be open to the public as well as university community members.
  • Space must be able to hold more than 50 people.
  • Start time must be 5 p.m. or later on weekdays. On weekends there are no time restrictions.
  • Copy points need title of the event, speaker, lecture name, etc., date, time, location, brief description of the event (no more than 50 words), photo or image if possible (usage will depend on number of photos received and design), contact person at the University (name, phone, e-mail), cost or note that the event is free.

The Pilot Navigator brochure will be produced twice per year, in late September and late January. For more information contact Thongtan at 8504 or thongtan@up.edu.

Join the U.S. Bank Pilot Kids Club

Pilotkids copyPilot athletics fans should consider registering their sons and daughters for the U.S. Bank Pilots Kids Club. Benefits include free admission to select men’s basketball games as well as free admission to all other sporting events hosted at the University of Portland. Each member will also get a Pilots Kids Club T-shirt. For more information or to sign up, please check out the U.S. Bank Pilots Kids Club brochure (http://tinyurl.com/orf4eez) and start enjoying your exclusive benefits now. Contact Jon Brooks at 7431 or brooksj@up.edu for more information.