A representative from TIAA, which administers the University’s retirement accounts, will be on campus on September 23-24, in the Clark Library conference room (no. 222), according to Laura Barnard, human resources. Financial counseling appointments are available during work hours on those days in the Clark library, but appointments must be scheduled at www.tiaa-cref.org/schedulenow or by calling call TIAA at 877.842.2028 (press 5 to schedule an appointment).
Human Resources
Human Resouces: Mandatory Professional Development Session on Oct. 14
The University will present professional development opportunities for all staff during the week of fall break (October 14-18, 2019), according to Sandy Chung, Human Resources. All sessions on Monday, October 14 are mandatory for staff. Exceptions to this requirement are as follows:
- Certain departments due to operational necessity, as pre-approved by the University
- Staff with a vacation day or other off-campus day, as pre-approved by the supervisor
- Staff with an absence related to sick time related reasons or a HR-approved leave of absence.
Faculty members are welcome to attend as well.
Human resources will provide more information about the presentations on October 14, as well as other workshops available that week, via email.
Please email hr@up.edu if you have any questions. Also, an Outlook save-the-date which you can copy to your Outlook calendar is available to download at this link.
News from Human Resources: Employee Assistance Program
The UP Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Cascade Centers, offers many free services to employees, including access to exclusive savings on thousands of recreational, wellness, travel, and cultural activities locally and throughout the U.S. through their partner LifeBalance. Visit LifeBalanceProgram.com for more information about access for you and your family.
Also, log into Cascade EAP Services at www.cascadecenters.com to learn about the many supportive services they can offer you as a UP employee and your benefit eligible family members. Their services are free and confidential. You can also call them at: 800-433-2320.
For more information contact HR at hr@up.edu.
July 4 Holiday: Offices Closed, No Classes
The Independence Day holiday will be observed for University of Portland employees on Thursday, July 4, according to the 2019 University holiday schedule. All University offices will be closed and classes will not be held.For more information, contact human resources at x8484 or hr@up.edu. Contact the provost’s office at x7105 or staten@up.edu for more information regarding classes.
Title IX Brown Bag Lunch Session: Jan. 11
There will be a brown bag lunch session on Title IX open to all employees on Friday, January 11, from noon to 1 p.m., in the quiet side of Bauccio Commons, according to Meg Farra, human resources. Please come if you have questions or would like to learn more about the University’s efforts to address Title IX requirements.
Please RSVP to Farra at farra@up.edu.
New Flexible Spending Account Provider for 2019
With the start of 2019, employees are reminded to use the new Allegiance debit cards that should have been received in late December for all 2019 Flexible Spending Account expenditures. Flexible Spending Accounts are set up with Allegiance at this time. You can access your online profile with the following steps:
- Go to www.askallegiance.com.
- Select the Health/Reimbursement Login.
- Click on Register a New User.
- You will then be prompted to enter in some personal identifiers – including your SSN# and the zip code of your primary residence.
- Click Submit
If you have any trouble accessing the account online, please email benefits@up.edu for assistance.
Please be aware that Discovery Benefits debit cards expired mid-December 2018 and therefore issued new cards around the same time the Allegiance cards were sent out. Please note, both cards have the same activation phone number on them and look identical until you peel the white activation label off the cards, you will see that one set is for Discovery Benefits (2018 provider) and one for Allegiance (2019 provider). The Discovery Benefits cards should no longer be used now that 2018 has passed.
Reimbursements and receipts for any 2018 expenditures will still need to be submitted to Discovery Benefits and not the new provider Allegiance. You have until March 30, 2019 to submit reimbursement requests for 2018 with Discovery Benefits.
As noted previously, any unused 2018 medical flex spending balances between $20 and $500 will rollover to Allegiance in late April, 2019, and will be available for 2019 expenditures at that time. You did not have to elect a 2019 Allegiance medical FSA account for the rollover to occur.
Also, copays for self-referral massages through Kaiser CHP Program are not eligible for medical Flexible Spending accounts. Only massages that are prescribed by a doctor for a diagnosed medical condition will be eligible for medical FSA expenditures in 2019.
You can find all forms needed for both vendors in PilotsUP here.
For more information contact human resources at hr@up.edu.
2018 Staff Christmas Luncheon: Dec. 17
This year’s Staff Christmas Luncheon takes place on Monday, December 17. The social opens at 11:30 a.m., seating starts at 12:15 p.m., and the formal program begins at 12:45 p.m. This year’s luncheon will be held in the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center.
This is the time to connect with old friends and new, enjoy a delicious holiday buffet, enter for a chance to win prizes, and celebrate achievements of your coworkers.
Again this year, there will be a slideshow during the event with photos of departments and staff. Please send any favorite photos you’d like to have included to santa@up.edu. Christmas-themed photos are especially welcome.
Please keep in mind that the Christmas party is for staff only; with continued growth as a community there is not sufficient room available for student employees or family members.
Please RSVP with regrets only to santa@up.edu.
Title IX Brown Bag Lunch Sessions
Title IX is offering three brown bag lunch sessions for staff and faculty to learn more about Title IX. To attend, please join in one of the upcoming informational sessions:
- Thursday, December 6, noon to 1 p.m., quiet side of the Commons
- Friday, December 7, noon to 1 p.m., 5th floor conference room, Waldschmidt Hall
- Friday, January 11, noon to 1 p.m., quiet side of the Commons
Please contact Meg Farra, human resources, with any questions at farra@up.edu.
TIAA Representative Campus Visit: Dec. 4-6
A representative from TIAA, which administers the University’s retirement accounts, will be on campus on Tuesday, December 4 through Thursday, December 6, according to Laura Barnard, human resources. Financial counseling appointments with Rebecca Rohleder (pictured) are available during work hours on those days in the Career Center in Orrico Hall. Schedule your appointment today at www.tiaa-cref.org/schedulenow or by calling TIAA at 877.842.2028 (press 5 to schedule an appointment).
Please email benefits@up.edu with questions.
Spring 2019 Tuition Remission Requests Due Nov. 15
Employees are reminded that Spring 2019 tuition remission requests are due by November 15 in order to avoid late charges on students’ accounts. There are separate application forms for undergraduate course work and graduate courses. A tuition remission summary is also available on the HR website at this link.
For more information, stop by the HR offices on the fifth floor of Waldschmidt Hall or e-mail hr@up.edu.