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May 2, 2011

Volume 7 | Issue 10

Pension Reform Meetings Scheduled This Week

Representatives from the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System (OPERS) and the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) will be on the Kent Campus tomorrow, (May 3), for informational meetings on proposed changes to both systems.

The OPERS session will be held at 10 a.m. in the Student Center Kiva and the STRS session will be held at 1 p.m. in the same location. Each session will last approximately 75 minutes. The sessions will also be streamed live on the Web and recorded for future viewing online. The links will be available on the faculty/staff page of the Kent State website at www.kent.edu/facultystaff/index.cfm, beginning on May 3. Look for the links in the Current Highlights section on that page.

Reservations are required to attend the in-person sessions. You can register at OPERS May 3, 2011 Session or STRS May 3, 2011 Session. Please note that staff employees who attend the seminar must take the appropriate leave time, which includes vacation or comp time.

Updates on the proposed legislation for both state retirement systems may be found on the OPERS and STRS websites.

For more information contact the Benefits Office at 330-672-3107 or benefits@kent.edu.

Total Compensation Statements Available

Total Compensation statements for calendar year 2010 are now available in FlashLine for all full-time employees. The statements include a summary of the employee's earned income (salary, vacation and sick leave), university contributions for health benefits, the tuition waiver, workers' compensation, Medicare and employee retirement plans (Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, State Teachers Retirement System or Alternative Retirement Plan).

Employees can view a summary of their total compensation from two access points in the My HR tab of FlashLine. One is through the Employment Details channel; select Employee Menu and then click on the link to Total Compensation Statements. When you get to the Total Compensation page, select the appropriate year and click Display.

You can also access your statement through the Total Compensation channel by selecting the Your Total Compensation Statement link. When you get to the Total Compensation page, select the appropriate year and click Display.

For assistance with technical problems accessing statements, contact the Helpdesk at 330-672-HELP. For questions regarding information contained in the Total Compensation Statement, contact the Benefits office at benefits@kent.edu or 330-672-3107.

Management Resource Available for Collective Bargaining

The university’s collective bargaining agreements with two of its three bargaining units are set to expire this year. The contract with AAUP-KSU tenure track faculty expires on Aug. 23, 2011 and the agreement with AFSCME employees ends on Sept. 30, 2011. Updates on contract negotiations for both groups will be available for managers throughout each negotiation process. The updates will be sent through special editions of Management Update and will also be available online at http://www.kent.edu/hr/labor/collective-bargaining-cfm.cfm.

20-Year Club to Induct New Members

The Kent State University 20-Year Club will induct 33 new members later this month, during the annual service awards dinner and program on Thursday, May 26, in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. The service awards program honors classified and unclassified employees who have 20 years of continuous service at any Kent State campus.

The cost of the dinner is $18 for guests and $10 for active and retired employees who are members of the 20-Year Club. You can visit the 20-Year Club website for registration information and a list of this year’s inductees. Please check the list and remember to recognize those members of your staff who are being inducted, as well as employees who are reaching any other milestone years of service (e.g. five years, 10 years, etc.).

For more information, contact Carla Wyckoff at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu, or Sandy Taylor at 330-672-0771 or staylor4@kent.edu.

Steam Shut Down Reminder

Campus Environment and Operations has sent out notifications about the annual steam shutdown to perform necessary maintenance. Please remind your staff that the shutdown will begin on Sunday, May 8, at 6 p.m. and end the following Sunday, May 15, at 6 p.m. During the steam shutdown most buildings on the Kent Campus will not have hot water, heat and/or air conditioning. If you have questions, contact Frank Renovich at 330-672-0775 or frenovi2@kent.edu.

May Brings FlashLine Enhancements

The newest wave of FlashLine enhancements will be introduced later this month. The changes will impact students, faculty and staff and were identified during feedback from focus groups, usability testing and an online survey conducted with students, faculty and staff. The changes include:

Moving the Time Reporting channel from the My Action Items tab to the My HR tab. The Time Approval tab (for those who approve time and leave) will remain on My Action Items.
Renaming Student Tools to Student Tools & Courses
Renaming Faculty & Advisor Tools to Faculty & Advisor Tools & Courses
Deletion of the My Courses tab, with an addition of a smaller, My Courses channel. The new channel will be located under two tabs: the Student Tools & Courses and Faculty & Advisor Tools & Courses.
Addition of a My Account for Students tab, which will include information that is currently on the Student Tools tab as well as other resources.
Addition of a FERPA online approval link for students.
Updates to the My Campus tab, including deletion of the Online Directory channel because it now appears in the FlashLine masthead at the top of the page.

For more information, contact Lin Danes at ldanes@kent.edu.

Where is My 23 Cents?

Lilly Ledbetter will be the featured speaker during a free program on May 4 at Cleveland State University. Kent State is one of several northeast Ohio colleges and universities sponsoring the half-day program, “Where is my 23 cents?” The program takes place from 9 a.m. to noon in the Fenn Tower Ballroom at Cleveland State.

Ledbetter gained national attention when she filed a complaint alleging she was paid less than her male counterparts throughout her 19-year career as a supervisor with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. As a result, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures that employees discriminated against on the basis of gender have a “fair” chance to sue their employer.

Reservations are required for the free program, and can be made by contacting Michelle Crew at 216-522-4794 or michelle.crew@eeoc.gov.

Performance Evaluation Reminders

Classified Employees
Supervisors of classified employees should have all evaluations completed by May 13. After the performance evaluation review, electronic signatures are required by both the manager and the employee.

Managers and supervisors can log in to the evaluation homepage at to complete classified evaluations. Recorded training webinars, as well as access information, is available at http://www.kent.edu/hr/employee/performance-evaluation-classified.cfm.

Unclassified Employees
The period to conduct unclassified performance evaluations began last month and continues through June 6. Managers and supervisors should have received e-mail notification with detailed information regarding the process and access instructions. Information is also available online at https://www.kent.edu/hr/employee/performance-evaluation-unclassified-manager.cfm.

If you have questions or need assistance, contact Employee Relations manager Karen Watson at 330-672-4636 or kswatson@kent.edu; or Sandra Cole at scole3@kent.edu or 330-672-7501.

Time to Renew Your Parking Permit

The renewal process is underway for faculty/staff parking permits. This is for current permit holders who are full- or part-time university employees. The deadline to renew with the payroll deduction option is May 20. After that date, permits must be obtained from the Parking Services office in the Schwartz Center.

Faculty and staff can renew parking permits at http://solutions.kent.edu/parkingservices/login.aspx?logintype+STAF. Departmental service permits may also be ordered at the same website, beginning May 2. For questions, call Parking Services at 330-672-4432.

Dates to Remember:

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage, Jewish American Heritage and Older Americans Month

May 1	May Day Holocaust Memorial Day Spring Semester classes end
May 4	May 4 Remembrance Day (final exams are recessed between noon and 2 p.m.). Visit the May 4 website for details.
May 5	Cinco de Mayo National Day of Prayer Spring Doctoral Commencement, 6 p.m., Music and Speech Center/Stump Theatre. For more information, visit the Commencement website.
May 6-7	Spring Commencement at Regional Campuses; contact individual campuses for times and location.
May 7	Spring Commencement at Kent Campus; three ceremonies at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the Memorial Athletic Convocation Center. Visit the Commencement website above for more information.
May 8	Mother’s Day
May 21-22	Lag B’Omer (Jewish observance begins at sundown)
May 26	20-Year Club dinner, 5:30 p.m., Kent Student Center Ballroom; reservations required. See article in this issue for more information.
May 30	Memorial Day (University closed)

Tell Us What You Think

This e-newsletter is designed to keep you, the managers and supervisors, informed. Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think of it, along with any comments or suggestions. You may contact us at managersfeedback@kent.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.

For information about events and programs for university employees, please check out the Faculty and Staff calendar and share the information with your staff.