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August 2012

Volume 10 | Issue 2


Learn More About OPERS Pension Reform

Representatives from the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) will be at Kent State University two days in August for town hall meetings on the proposed pension reform legislation and proposed changes to healthcare coverage.

There will be several sessions on Tuesday, Aug. 14, and Thursday, Aug. 16, at various locations on the Kent Campus. Webinars will also be available for staff at other Kent State locations. Details on the times and locations can be found at www.kent.edu/hr/benefits/announcements-in-benefits.cfm. Managers and supervisors are asked to coordinate work schedules and assignments on those days so that employees who wish to attend a session may do so.

The OPERS pension reform bill passed the Ohio Senate in May and is pending in the Ohio House of Representatives. Additional updates on OPERS pension reform can be found on the OPERS website.

Welcome Weekend Volunteers Needed

Welcome Weekend begins Thursday, Aug. 23, when new students move into the residence halls and continues through Monday, Aug. 27, when classes begin. Faculty and staff volunteers are still needed to facilitate book discussions for the Summer Reading Program. The program will involve a one-hour discussion on Friday afternoon, Aug. 24, from 2-3 p.m. Discussion leaders will be provided with a copy of this year’s book, The Other Wes Moore, supporting materials and a training session. Anyone interested can sign up at www.kent.edu/success/faculty/reading/index.cfm or contact Meghan Cisar at mcisar@kent.edu or 330-672-8726.

Save the Date for August Seminars

Please see the information below regarding upcoming workshops on public records and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and share the information with your staff.

Get the Facts on Public Records
Faculty and staff who work with public records, including student and employee documents, contracts and other related documents, are invited to attend a one-hour seminar on Ohio public records. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. in Franklin Hall. The seminar will also be streamed on the Web for those who are not able to attend in person.
   
Sponsored by the Office of the General Counsel, the seminar will be conducted by representatives from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and will include an overview of Ohio’s public records law, Ohio’s Sunshine Law and the basics of records retention.

Topics to be covered include the definition of a public record, what to do when you receive a public records request and information on how long a record must be kept.

Registration is required and seating is limited. The RSVP deadline is Aug. 10. You can register here. 

You can view a stream of the seminar from any computer on that day at https://ksutube.kent.edu/watchlive.php?playthis=7217.

For more information, contact Tiffany Morgan in the Office of General Counsel at tmorga10@kent.edu or 330-672-2982.

Understanding the New Americans with Disabilities Act
Human Resources is offering a new training seminar for anyone involved in hiring, managing or supervising employees. Understanding the New ADA will provide participants with the necessary information for employment provisions under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The course will explain how the ADA Amendments Act clarifies and significantly expands what is considered a “disability.”
 
The session will be held on Aug. 28, from 9-11:30 a.m. in Room 319 of the Kent Student Center. Topics to be covered include key terms associated with the ADA; essential functions, reasonable accommodations and the three-pronged approach used to determine whether a person has a disability. 
 
Registration is required and can be completed online at www.kent.edu/hr/register. Once there, click the facilitator-led button and then look for the workshop title. For more information, contact Ann Lacey at 330-672-0899 or Renee Romine at 330-672-2100.

Who’s Demonstrating Excellence in Action?

Nominations for the fourth annual President’s Excellence Award will be accepted from Aug. 13 through Sept. 14. Kent State President Lester A. Lefton established the program as a way to reward staff members who demonstrate their daily commitment to carrying out the strategic goals of the university. In the first three years of the program 31 recipients were recognized, and each received a check for $1,000 after taxes.

The award recognizes exceptional performance during the previous fiscal year (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012). Full-time classified and unclassified employees at all campuses who have been employed by the university for a minimum of one year, and are in good standing with the university, are eligible to be nominated. Past recipients are not eligible to be nominated for a minimum of two years following their award, and faculty are not eligible.

Information on the award criteria, the nomination process and the nomination form will be available online beginning Aug. 13.  Please share this information with your staff and consider nominating an employee(s) who you feel is deserving of this award.

For questions, contact Carla Wyckoff at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu.

Limited Time Offer: Buy One, Get One for Sheryl Crow Concert

On Saturday, Sept. 8, Sheryl Crow, Los Lonely Boys and O.A.R. will be in concert at Dix Stadium. The Centennial Campaign concert will celebrate the success of Kent State’s Centennial Campaign, which raised $265 million for student scholarships, capital projects and research.

For a limited time, faculty and staff may take advantage of a Two for One Ticket promotion. Starting from now through Aug. 17, all Kent State faculty and staff will have the opportunity to buy advance tickets at half price. That’s two chair back seat tickets for $50 or two General Admission tickets for $35.

To purchase your discounted tickets, visit the Kent State Ticket Office in the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center or purchase your tickets online through CashNet.

The concert starts at 6 p.m., and there is a free tailgate party outside the stadium from 4- 6 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Campaign for Change student scholarship program.

HR Takes to the Road

Human Resources Knowledge Sharing (HRKS) is going on the road in August and September to visit the Kent State Regional Campuses, the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine and the Kent State University Regional Academic Center. Sponsored by the Division of Human Resources, a team of Kent State HR professionals will be on hand at each location to talk with employees, answer questions or provide guidance on HR-related issues. Each session will begin with a presentation by a representative from IMPACT, the university’s employee assistance program.

This is an informal session for faculty and staff, and no appointment is necessary. View
the HRKS schedule.

Still Time to Use Your Vacation Leave

Classified and unclassified staff that accrue vacation have until Sept. 30 to use vacation time that has accrued beyond the maximum allowed. After that date, any vacation balances beyond the maximum will be forfeited. According to the university policy regarding annual vacation leave for nonteaching unclassified and classified personnel, the maximum amount of vacation an employee can accrue is that which can be earned in a three-year period.

Vacation hours are earned each pay period and vary according to the employee’s years of service with Kent State and job appointment (i.e., classified or unclassified status). An explanation of vacation accrual rates, eligibility and usage is available at www.kent.edu/hr/benefits/leave/vacation.cfm.

Employees with more than 200 hours of accrued vacation time have received an email from HR Records, reminding them to check their current vacation balance and use any hours above the maximum by Sept. 30.

Things to Know for Student Employees

Many departments have student employees during the academic year. Please review the following reminders from the Career Services Center regarding new and returning student workers, and share them with your staff.

When students can begin work
Once a student’s job has been established in Banner, both the student and supervisor will receive a confirmation email from CampusWorks with the subject line: On-Campus Job Confirmation for (name of student). Once that email is received, the student may begin work. Supervisors may check the status of the jobs they have offered for each student in the Generate Hiring Activity Reports section on their CampusWorks homepage.

Training and supervision
To ensure your student employee’s success, a thorough orientation to the job, department and key university policies is critical. For recommended topics and policies for review with your student workers, see the Training and Supervising section of the Student Employment Handbook.

Updated Grievance Procedures
In an effort to more effectively assist a student when a concern regarding their employment arises, the Grievance Procedures for Student Employees have been updated. Please review the procedures and share the information with your student employees.

Resources
The online Student Employment Handbook is a comprehensive resource for student employment information and is updated throughout the year.  In addition, supervisors should review the Student Employment sections (Policy 6-25 and Policy 6-25.1) of the University Policy Register.

Questions regarding student employment may be directed to campusworks@kent.edu or Ami Hollis at 330-672-8380.

Procurement Warns About Offers From Unapproved Vendors

Your department may have received a flier recently offering printing services from Office Max through Sourcing Office. Please note that the university is not contracted with Office Max for office supplies or printing services. The Procurement Office reminds all department heads that the university has a list of contracted vendors for various products and services, and university employees should consult with Procurement before responding to any such offer to ensure compliance with established and endorsed vendor agreements.
 
FedEx/Kinkos and Staples/Bolinds are both preferred providers of Kent State. FedEx/Kinkos allows you to upload files from your computer and send them to a FedEx Office location for printing. Discounts on miscellaneous services are also available at the Kent location and purchases can be charged to your department’s purchasing card. Bolinds/Staples is the preferred vendor for office supplies; you can access the Bolinds catalog in FlashCart.

Procurement also has a warning about scam companies that are cold calling university departments to sell toner. The caller makes it sound like they are affiliated with an existing university-approved vendor, which can result in the purchase of expensive toner that cannot be returned. If you get such a call, please check with Procurement before making any purchases. You can contact a member of the staff at 330-672-2276.

Dates to Remember:

 Aug. 6
 Fall classes begin at College of Podiatric Medicine (first- and second-year students)
 Aug. 10 Summer Commencement, Kent State University at Geauga, 6:30 p.m.
 Aug. 11 Summer III classes end
 Aug. 11 Summer Commencement, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Memorial Athletic and         Convocation Center. Visit www.kent.edu/commencement for more information.
 Aug. 12 International Youth Day
 Aug. 14
 V-J Day
 Aug. 24-27
 Destination Kent State: Welcome Weekend
 Aug. 26
 Woman’s Equality Day
 Aug. 27
 Fall Semester 2012 classes begin at Kent and Regional campuses
 Sept. 3
 Labor 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.