UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Human Resources

TIAA-CREF Reps Visit, Feb. 18-20, March 4-6

underUniversity employees’ TIAA-CREF investment counselors, Yasemin Under and Braden Danielson, will be on campus a number of times this spring for individual financial counseling sessions. A TIAA CREF representative will be on campus for one-on-one counseling sessions on February 18, 19, and 20 as well as March 4, 5, and 6. Go to www.tiaa-cref.org/schedulenow to schedule an appointment today. Call TIAA-CREF at (886) 928-4221 or Andy Sherwood at 8981 for more information.

2013 University Staff Awards

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Employee awards for 2013 were presented at the annual employees’ holiday banquet on Thursday, December 19. The winners are:

Emmy Rosinbum, nursing, who won the Margaret W. Henzi Award for outstanding office/clerical employees, and was cited as “a quiet, unassuming glory who does eighty things with amazing skill, calm, and precision…she evinces a deep passionate faith by being herself, a wonderful exemplar of Christlike compassion.”

Walter Torres, physical plant, won the Ted Deiss/ Joyce and Virgil Dodson Outstanding Physical Plant Employee Award. He was praised as “the guy who loves to do just about anything, who is always smiling, who you can count on, and who will go the extra mile to get things done right.”

The winner of the Hooyboer Outstanding Professional Staff Award is Jason Brough, athletics. The Hooyboer Award honors the sort of dedication and commitment that drives and infuses the University’s best and most creative and visionary staffers. Jason was cited in part for “the same calm, and cheerful attention to detail, energy, and relentless curiosity he evinced as a freshman” in the performance of his duties as a director within the athletics department.

Winning the Father Charles Miltner, C.S.C., Award was Brenda Greiner, who was lauded as “an employee of absolute integrity, creativity, responsibility, and meticulous care for every student in her charge,” to thunderous applause, we might add. Beginning with the late Fr. John Hooyboer, C.S.C., the first recipient, the award has been presented to diligent and creative men and women who have gone to sometimes extraordinary lengths to further the mission of the University. It is the highest employee honor bestowed by the University.

Employees were also honored for milestone years of service to the University, including Emily Bridge, Thomas Stuyvesant, Tucker Brack, Brandon McNeil, David Taylor, Eric Barger, Brian Foster, Leanne Goolsby, Mary Dolan, Allen Hansen, Janet Turner, Kim Nguyen, Melissa Peterson, Dawn Lloyd, Daniel Kabele, Michael Minor, Anne Rasmussen, and Jim Ravelli (5 years); Connie Tamashiro, Ken Hallenius, Jason Brough, Melissa McCarthy, Angelique Sahnow, Krista Kennedy, Anthony Torres, Manu Jauregui, and Belinda Chamness (10 years); Jason McDonald, Marty Williams, Aimee Davidse, Karen Lee, Jamie Strohecker, Sharon Haner, Karen Nelson, Laura Steffen, Catherine Coulter, Thomas Greene, and Brenda Greiner (15 years); Garrett Smith, Beth Rumely, Debbie MacKinnon, Nanette DeRouse, and Cat Nguyen (20 years); Dave Doe (25 years); Wendy Delong and Victoria Hamilton (35 years); and Dan Reilly (40 years).

For more information contact Bryn Sopko, human resources, at 8987 or sopko@up.edu.

Staff Holiday Luncheon, Dec. 19

UP ornamentAll staff members are invited to 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. The party will feature a holiday selection of fare from Bon Appetit’s food stations, annual employee award presentations, prize drawings, recognition of employees’ service to the University, and words of holiday cheer from Fr. Beauchamp. 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.

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.

New Flex Plan Carryover Policy

sherwood copyOn October 31, 2013, the IRS released Notice 2013-17, which allows employers to amend their plans to permit a $500 carryover of unused amounts remaining at the end of the claim run-out period for health care flexible spending accounts In electing to adopt the new $500 carryover provision, the University will end the 2 ½ month grace period that allowed funds from the previous year to be used until March 15 of the following year. Please take the potential impact of this change into consideration when making your health care FSA elections for 2014. Please note that this change will not have an effect on Child Care FSAs.

If you are electing a flexible spending account for 2014 this will be accomplished through the Flex Plan Service’s website (use UOP as the employer code). Continuation of the plan requires re-enrollment every year. All FSA elections must be submitted to Flex Plan Services by the end of the Open Enrollment period (December 3, 2013, at 3 p.m.). If you have already entered your FSA elections you will be able to change your current 2014 elections up until December 3 by logging into Flex Plan.

For more information contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at 8981 or sherwood@up.edu.

Home Buying Basics Brown Bag, Dec. 5

for saleThe 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.

2013-2014 Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 3

University of Portland Nursing Department Promotion ImagesThe 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

purple-ornament 3All 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.