Natalie Mireles

The following colleagues have been hired or rehired within the last weeks. If you see them on campus, please welcome them to Lawrence!

Jacklyn Fischer – Assistant Director, Career Center-Health Professions (Career Center)

Sue Peterson – Mail Services Coordinator (Information Technology Services)

Did you know our Employee Assistance Program, ERC, provides free webinars and live talks on various topics? Here is what’s coming up this month:

• Resiliency Today: Coping with Change in Uncertain Times – March 4th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • This talk is designed to help participants understand how change affects them; reduce the stress associated with change, and offers strategies to successfully adapt to change.
• Parenting Your Child with Special Needs: Record Keeping – March 9th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • This talk will give you practical solutions to keep information organized, so you have it when you need it.
• Financial Wellness: Financial Planning for Couples & New Families – March 10th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • This talk will include a short introduction to saving for college and raising financially intelligent children.
• Parenting Your Teen: Communicate More Effectively – March 11th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Participants will discuss how to create a comfortable climate for parent/teen communication, review the basic rules, dos, don’ts and best practices so you and your teen can communicate better.
• Caregivers Network: Talking to Loved Ones About Caregiving – March 17th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Explore how to approach the caregiving conversation with resources and emotional intelligence to better help families prepare to care.
• Succeed at Work: Motivation, Bringing Out the Best – March 18th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Explore inspiring theories of motivation and how they can help at work every day. This talk is geared towards employees, but can be oriented as an effective manager tool. This is a chance for participants to examine what gets them going.
• Strong Parents, Strong Families: Raising Kids to Respect Diversity – March 24th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Discuss how to educate children about people of different backgrounds, beliefs and abilities, family types and more. Participants will explore how the care and support family members offer to one another is essential to the development of children.
• Your Healthy Lifestyle: Clean Living – March 25th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • This talk will explore what adds toxins to your mind and body, how to eliminate them and how to establish a healthier way of eating by eliminating processed food.

Click here to register for any of the upcoming monthly talks. To log in to their website and view more resources, use the following credentials:

• Username: ERC
• Password: ERC

The recent passage of the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 has allowed changes to our flexible spending benefit. These changes include:

1. Allow unlimited roll over from the 2020 Health Care FSA into the 2021 plan year.
2. Provide a grace period for the 2020 Dependent Care FSA until December 31, 2021 which will allow participants to incur eligible expenses and pay for them for this longer time from the Dependent Care FSA.
3. Allow for up to one mid-year change to Dependent Care and Health Care FSA without an IRS qualifying change or status event for the plan year ending December 31, 2021. Changes allowed include decreasing an existing election to an amount not below the greater of payroll contributions to date or reimbursements to date, increasing an existing election up to the maximum permitted by the plan, making a new election when the employee initially declined to make an election. Changes must be submitted on or before September 30, 2021.

The Summary of Material Modification document provides additional details regarding the changes. Please contact your HR representative if you have any questions or would like to make a change.

Due to COVID-19, a Transamerica Retirement Planning Consultant is unable to come to campus. In lieu of in person meetings, they are offering individual virtual appointments during a variety of shifts from February 18^th – March 19^th.  

The consultant is available to answer any questions regarding the WAICU Retirement Readiness Plan or assist with the rollover of retirement plan from a prior employer. Click here to schedule your virtual appointment.

The following colleagues have been hired or rehired within the last weeks. If you see them on campus, please welcome them to Lawrence!

Paul Dietrich – Lecturer of Music (Conservatory of Music)

Cameo Humes – Lecturer of Music (Conservatory of Music)

Jessica Jensen – Lecturer of Music (Conservatory of Music)

Linnea Ng – Lecturer of Psychology (Psychology)

Jess Nurse – Custodian (Custodial)

Ashley Reinke – Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry (Chemistry)

The following colleagues have recently moved to a new position within Lawrence. Please take the time to congratulate them on their new position!

Kelly Rutten – Residential Education and Housing Office Coordinator (Office of Residential Ed & Housing)

As a reminder, W-2 documents will be mailed next week to the address we have on file if you are not enrolled in electronic delivery. It is not too late to elect for electronic delivery of your W-2 in Voyager. Electing for an electronic W-2 document will allow you to receive your W-2 faster than receiving it by mail. Follow the steps below to receive your documents electronically in Voyager early next week:

• Log into Voyager > Employee Services > Tax Forms > Electronic W-2 and 1095-C Consent
• Select My Choice next to Consent to receive W-2/1095-Cs electronically and click submit. If you previously elected this option, you will already be enrolled.

If you don’t file your taxes electronically and plan on mailing them in, you will need a printed version of your W-2.

Did you know our Employee Assistance Program, ERC, provides free webinars and live talks on various topics? Here is what’s coming up this month:

• Caregivers Network: Financial Wellness, Care Costs – January 20th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Participants will learn about the cost considerations of long-term care and various caregiving activities, resources to save money and how to prepare financially to help parents as they age.
• Succeed at Work: Staying Strong & Resilient – January 21st from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Learn how to forge forward in spite of adversity, strategies for staying strong and resilient, maintaining a positive outlook and reducing stress.
• Living a Healthy Life – January 26th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Learn tips on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle by reducing stress, better managing responsibilities and getting proper nutrition and exercise. Discussed are: the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating and exercise tips, recognizing and reducing stress, the importance of a good night’s sleep, and the power of positive thinking. 
• Strong Parents, Strong Families: Raising Well Balanced Children – January 27th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Provide practical tips to help parents and guardians foster a healthy, positive foundation in their children. Participants will explore self-esteem, emotional, physical and social issues, personal discipline, and body image as well as gender differences and challenges.
• Your Healthy Lifestyle: Eat Your Way to a Healthy Year – January 28th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • It’s easy to achieve your New Year’s resolutions, if you fill your plate with foods that really feed your body.
• Healthy Cooking – On demand webinar
  • Learn how to cook healthfully at home. Explore types of foods to have on hand and learn how to cook some easy, healthy recipes. 

Click here to register for any of the upcoming monthly talks. To log in to their website and view more resources, use the following credentials:

• Username: ERC
• Password: ERC

It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2020 President’s Award of Excellence to recognize staff members who continually go above and beyond for the betterment of Lawrence.

The President’s Award of Excellence (PAE) recognizes exemplary University staff members for their exceptional support and performance for their Department and the University. The President and the PAE Review Committee will select up to 2 individuals annually for this award. 

Criteria:

The PAE Review Committee will carefully consider all nominations, taking into consideration the following criteria:

• Innovation and Enhancement: Drives innovation, initiative and leadership in the workplace through creative ideas which positively impact the University and/or the surrounding community.
• Support of Individuals: Demonstrates above and beyond commitment to provide timely service and support to the students, staff or faculty.
• Stewardship of Campus Facilities & Resources: Demonstrates a high level of care and responsible management for the well-being of the University and its resources for the benefit of our students, staff, and faculty.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Cultivates trust, respect, and actively includes different perspectives while working in partnership with others to create an environment of comradery and collaboration. 
• Fosters a Diverse & Welcoming Community: Individual is committed to fostering a community that embraces all members and provides equal access, opportunity, and outcome to cultivate inclusion and dialogue across differences. 

Nominee Criteria:

• Nominees must be an active, regular full or part-time staff member with a minimum of one year of service (Senior Administrators (Cabinet), faculty, student workers/students and staff with less than one year of service, casual, temporary, leased/contracted employees are not eligible for nomination.)
• Exhibits consistent demonstration of the criteria listed above
• Demonstrates and maintains consistent job performance that exceeds expectations while displaying high levels of commitment, stewardship and respect

On behalf of Mark and the PAE Review Committee, we strongly encourage you to nominate a deserving colleague for the 2018 President’s Award of Excellence.  You may nominate a staff member from your own department or another department.

Nominations will be accepted now through Friday, January 15, 2021. Nomination forms are available on the President’s Award of Excellence page describing how the employee encompasses the above mentioned criteria. A persuasive nomination will consist of heartfelt examples that illustrate the merit of the candidate, along with real-life anecdotes. The nomination form can be submitted by one of the following methods:

Email:  HumanResources@Lawrence.Edu
Interoffice Mail: Human Resources, Brokaw Hall
WebForm: President’s Award of Excellence

Thank you in advance for helping us to identify and honor outstanding members of our Lawrence University staff!

We want to provide information for completion of timesheets for the pay period of December 20, 2020 – January 2, 2021.  Please review the key dates noted below:

• Sunday, December 20, 2020 – Timesheets will be available in Voyager
• Monday, January 4, 2021 by 9:30 am – Deadline for employees submit timesheets to their supervisor for approval.
• Monday, January 4, 2021 by noon – Deadline for supervisors to approve all timesheets.

Additionally, below are helpful reminders when completing your timesheet:

• If you are a salaried staff employee you will not need to complete a timesheet as all time during this period is paid.

• If you are an hourly, benefits eligible employee, please log your time as follows:
  • December 20, 2020 – Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 21, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 22, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 23, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 24, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 25, 2020 – Holiday Pay hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day should be logged as ‘Holiday Worked’ on top of your Holiday Pay.
  • December 26, 2020 – Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 27, 2020 – Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 28, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 29, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 30, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • December 31, 2020 – Add’l Paid Time Off hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.
  • January 1, 2021 – Holiday Pay hours in the amount of your regularly scheduled shift. Any hours that you worked on this day should be logged as ‘Holiday Worked’ on top of your Holiday Pay.
  • January 2, 2021 – Any hours that you worked on this day would be logged as ‘Regular’ time.

• Employees working over the winter break should discuss this with supervisors prior to break, unless an urgent situation arises and a planned, prior discussion is not feasible.
• If you work on an Add’l Paid Time Off days you can choose to take that day off at some point in the future. The deadline to use these days in the future is February 28, 2021.
• If you work on an Add’l Paid Time Off day, please enter a brief comment indicating that you worked over break to accommodate the needs of campus.