UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Human Resources

TIAA Representative Visit, March 10-12

A representative from TIAA, which administers the University’s retirement accounts, will be on campus in Waldschmidt Hall March 10 through March 12, according to Laura Barnard, human resources. Financial counseling appointments with Rebecca Rohleder (pictured) are available during work hours on those days. Visit our Pilots UP Retirement Benefits page to find information on how to schedule your appointment.

The new IRS limit on elective deferrals for 2020 is $19,500 – with a catch up amount of $6,500 for employees over age 50 at the end of the calendar year. A new online form has been implemented in 2020 to request a change or to stop your individual retirement contribution. You can find the link to the form in the Pilots UP benefits page linked above.

Please email benefits@up.edu with questions.

2019 Staff Christmas Luncheon, Dec. 16

The 2019 Staff Christmas Luncheon will take place on Monday, December 16, starting at 11:30 a.m., in the Beauchamp Recreation & Wellness Center.

The social will begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch starts at 12:15 p.m., and the formal program begins at 12:45 p.m. This will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with old friends and new, enjoy a delicious holiday buffet, enter to win prizes, and celebrate the achievements of your coworkers. University president Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., will offer his annual Christmas message and well wishes. 
In keeping with tradition, we will once again present a photo slideshow. Please send photos of your department and staff to santa@up.edu. Christmas-themed photos are especially welcome. RSVP with regrets only to santa@up.edu.

TIAA Representative Campus Visits, Dec. 17-18

A representative from TIAA, which administers the University’s retirement accounts, will be on campus the following dates and times:

  • Tuesday, December 17, 2019 – Waldschmidt 3rd floor Conference Room #300
  • Wednesday, December 18, 2019 – Waldschmidt 3rd floor Conference Room #300

Financial counseling appointments with Rebecca Rohleder are available between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on those days. Schedule your appointment today at www.tiaa-cref.org/schedulenow or by calling call TIAA at 877.842.2028 (press 5 to schedule an appointment).

Please email benefits@up.edu with questions.

2019 Flex Spending Account Information

Human resources would like to remind employees who elected a 2019 medical or childcare Flexible Spending Account offered by UP that services must be incurred in 2019 to be eligible for reimbursement. You will have until March 30, 2020 to submit reimbursement requests for elgible expenses incurred in 2019 to Allegiance. In April 2020, any unused Medical FSA balances between $20 and $500 will rollover into a 2020 flexible spending account. Dependent care balances are not eligible for rollover.

For more information, such as a listing of eligible expenses or plan forms, please visit the plan’s page at the UP website: Flexible Spending Accounts. If you have any questions about your benefits, please contact human resources at benefits@up.edu or call x8484.

UP Benefits Open Enrollment Open Now to Nov. 22

Open Enrollment 2019The Open Enrollment period for UP employee benefits is happening now and will end on Friday, November 22, at 11:59 p.m. All benefited employees are required to confirm or elect changes to their healthcare benefits during this time. During open enrollment, benefited employees can elect new flexible spending amounts, add or change supplemental life insurance, as well as add or drop dependents from healthcare. Employees who use the Share the Savings plan will need to submit new forms for 2020 enrollment. Any changes made during open enrollment will go into effect January 1, 2020.

All forms can be found on the Human Resources benefits pages in Pilots UP.

2019 Flexible Spending Accounts Information

Piggy bank with FSA

Human resources would like to remind employees who signed up for a 2019 medical or childcare flexible spending account offered by UP that services must be incurred in 2019 to be eligible for reimbursement.  You will have until March 30, 2020 to submit reimbursement requests for elgible expenses incurred in 2019 to Allegiance. In April 2020, any unused medical FSA balances between $20 and $500 will rollover into a 2020 flexible spending account. Dependent care balances are not eligible for rollover.

For more information, such as a listing of eligible expenses or plan forms, please visit the plan’s page at the UP website. If you have any questions about benefits, please contact human resources at benefits@up.edu or call x8484.

2019 Christmas Luncheon Staff Award Nominations

Staff Christmas Luncheon 2019This year’s Christmas Luncheon for staff will be held on Monday, December 16, in the Beauchamp Center. Please mark your calendars now.

If you would like to nominate a colleague for a staff recognition award, please do so by Friday, November 8, using the nomination form found here.

For more information contact human resources at hr@up.edu.

Grief Support for UP Faculty & Staff

All faculty and staff are invited to join in a conversation on how to cope with the recent loss of UP student Owen Klinger on Monday, October 28, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., in the Brian Doyle Auditorium. Co-facilitators will be Jennifer Crow, a grief and trauma specialist, and Carol Dell’Oliver, Health and Counseling Center.

Facilitators will provide a safe place to discuss personal reactions and ways to cope with grief and loss in the workplace, information and resources for getting support and caring for yourself and others, and strategies for effectively responding to grieving students.

For more information contact human resources at hr@up.edu.

Kaiser Permanente Flu Shot Clinics Open Soon

Kaiser Permanente has announced their 2019 walk-in flu shot clinics, which will take place from October 12 through 25, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The flu is a serious virus that can cause severe illness. A flu shot can help protect you against the flu, which is why Kaiser doctors recommend that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu shot every year.

Kaiser members can visit this website to find a location near them.

For more information contact Laura Barnard, human resources, at benefits@up.edu.