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Transamerica plan updates

As of Oct. 10, Lawrence has made the following changes to the Transamerica plan:

  1. Opened the Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account (PCRA) to all sources
  2. Allow participants to allocate directly to PCRA
  3. Participants must maintain a $3,000 minimum balance in the plan’s core fund lineup
  4. Participants can only allocate 90 percent of their contributions directly to PCRA

*Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account (PCRA) is a self-directed investment option designed to complement your Lawrence University Retirement Readiness Plan core investments. PCRA gives you access to thousands of additional mutual fund options.

Who should choose to invest through PCRA?

PCRA may be appropriate if:

  • You have a sophisticated understanding of investment principles and the stock market;
  • You have the resources to research and monitor your investments;
  • You are comfortable with the additional risk associated with making investment decisions;
  • You are willing to undertake any additional trading and maintenance costs that may apply

How can I obtain additional information about PCRA?

Visit luretirement.trsretire.com. Under the Resource Center tab and Services section, please find the Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account (PCRA) brochure for more information.

How do I open my PCRA?

  1. Visit luretirement.trsretire.com.
  2. Sign in to your account and go to the Messages section (on the top center of the page).
  3. In the Messages section, click on Schwab Personal Choice Retirement Account, then click on the link that appears in the message box. Please make sure to note the Retirement Plan ID and Plan Password displayed on this page—you’ll need them for the next step!
  4. You’ll be directed to the Schwab site to complete the process.
  • From the Schwab site, enter the Retirement Plan ID, Plan Password that you noted from the prior page and your Social Security Number.
  • Follow the steps to complete the online PCRA application.
  • Once you click “Submit,” you will receive your account number instantly on the screen.
  • To set up your PCRA for online access, go to Schwab.com, click the “New User” tab, then the “Register” button.
  • Your PCRA is now ready to be funded, and you can begin researching investment opportunities.
  • You will receive welcome materials from Schwab in a few days.

Can I make direct payroll contributions to my PCRA?

Yes, you can allocate direct payroll contributions to PCRA. Log on to your account at luretirement.trsretire.com and select Manage/Future Allocations. The maximum allocation is 90 percent of payroll contributions to PCRA.

Can I transfer money into my PCRA?

Yes, you can transfer assets from your Lawrence University Retirement Readiness Retirement Plan through the following process:

  • Determine which of your core investments you want to transfer money from.
  • Decide on the amount to transfer. See below for transfer restrictions.
  • Log onto the plan website at luretirement.trsretire.com and follow the steps to initiate a transfer or call the Transamerica Call Center at 800-755-5801.

Are there transfer restrictions?

  • Transamerica does not impose any charges on your transfer, but certain plan options may charge redemption fees on frequent trading, which could apply if you liquidate a fund with a redemption fee in order to fund your PCRA contribution.
  • Direct transfers to your PCRA from the New York Life Insurance Company Guaranteed Interest Account cannot be transferred directly to your PCRA. You may transfer them to any other fund offered under the plan for a period of 90 days. You may then transfer those funds to your PCRA. Such restrictions are an industry standard and are intended to prevent excessive short-term or disruptive trading to protect the integrity of the fund and its shareholders.

Is there a minimum transfer required?

Yes, the initial transfer minimum is $1,000, and each subsequent transfer must be at least $250. You must maintain a minimum core product account balance of $3,000. 

What does it cost?

  • Transaction fees and trading commissions are outlined in the Charles Schwab Pricing Guide for Retirement Plan Accounts provided in the welcome materials you receive from Schwab after opening your account. Please contact Schwab at 888-393-PCRA (7272) for questions regarding commissions and transaction fees.
  • Transamerica will apply an annual PCRA fee of $50 that will be withdrawn from your Transamerica account in addition to any other Transamerica administrative fees.

Grants office to host training sessions

The grants office would like to invite faculty and staff to these upcoming training opportunities:

  1. Intro to Grants @ Lawrence: Whether you’re a grants newbie or seasoned pro, register for this eat-and-learn session where we’ll discuss how internal and external grants work at Lawrence and how the Corporate, Foundation, and Sponsored Research Office can help you accomplish your goals. Join us in Kraemer Room at the Warch Campus Center for a lunch session Friday, Oct. 21, noon–1 p.m. (reading period). Space is limited! Please RSVP to lissette.jimenez@lawrence.edu by Monday, Oct. 17. Let us know of any dietary restrictions while registering.
  2. Introduction to the Funding Information Network: Come and get your hands on this powerful funder database, hosted at the Mudd Library! We’ll teach you tricks on how to identify potential grant funders, plus fellowship and scholarship opportunities. Space is limited in the ITC, so please email lissette.jimenez@lawrence.edu to reserve a seat for either Thursday, Oct. 20, 10-11 a.m. or Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, 10-11 a.m.

Public health internship opportunity 1:1 chats

Sara Quandt ’73, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine, will host 1:1 chats on Friday, Oct. 14 to share information and answer questions about the public health internship opportunity she is offering this summer in North Carolina.

The intern will work with several public health research studies, most of which involve Latino immigrant workers and families. Interns will be expected to complete some independent reading to understand the social and political factors that affect health of low-income and immigrant families.

Qualifications:

  • Interest in public health
  • Proficient in Spanish
  • Preference to intern who has access to a car (mileage in N.C. will be reimbursed)
  • Must be a continuing student during the 2017–18 academic year to be eligible for the $4,000 stipend

For more information and application instructions, see LUWorks Job ID 27244.

Haunted Lawrence event

Join us in the Milwaukee-Downer Room of the Seeley G. Mudd Library on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8–9 p.m., for tales of “Haunted Lawrence.” Attendees will hear true stories of ghostly happenings on campus (past and present), have the opportunity to share their own stories and view some spooky materials from the LU Archives. There might even be treats!

UPDATE: Due to space limitations, we have to cap this event at 30 attendees. To register, please submit this online form. Please know that spots are going quickly! If you have questions, please contact Erin Dix at erin.k.dix@lawrence.edu.

Upcoming employer visits

Career Services welcomes the MicroInsurance Centre to campus on Thursday, Oct. 13. MicroInsurance is a local consulting firm dedicated to generating access to valuable microinsurance products to 3 billion low-income people across the globe. Attend its information session in the Kraemer Room at the Warch Campus Center (WCC) from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Registration on LUworks is appreciated.

Career Services also welcomes the Peace Corps to campus on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Attend an information session from 11 a.m. to noon in Schumann 126 at WCC where students can learn about opportunities with the Peace Corps, including combining graduate school and Peace Corps service through the Master’s International program. Following the information session, 1:1 chats will be available in Career Services. Search LUworks events for “Peace Corps” and register for a 30-minute 1:1 Chat.

Sustained Dialogue at LU

The Sustained Dialogue program is a dialogue-to-action process that (1) transforms relationships and (2) creates informed community change. Sustained Dialogue gathers participants from diverse backgrounds into small groups that meet regularly to build relationships and develop informed strategies to improve their campuses and communities, especially around the following dimensions of identity:

  • Age
  • Disability and mental health
  • Ethnicity
  • Race and color
  • Religion
  • Sex and gender
  • Sexual orientation
  • Socioeconomic status/class

To learn more about Sustained Dialogue at Lawrence and to indicate your interest in becoming a dialogue participant or a moderator, visit the Sustained Dialogue web page on the Lawrence website. There will be a series of Sustained Dialogue informational sessions to help introduce the idea of SD in the Runkel Room on the fourth floor of the Warch Campus Center on the following dates/times:

  • Thursday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m.
  • Thursday, Oct. 13 at noon
  • Monday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.

LU Alert test Oct. 11

The annual test of the LU Alert system is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 11 between 11 a.m. and noon. At that time, you will be receiving telephone calls, email messages and, if you have provided a cellphone number, text messages confirming the test. Please let your emergency contact know that he or she will be receiving a phone message as well.

This system is one of several Lawrence will use to communicate in the event of an emergency. It provides Lawrence with an enhanced ability to communicate quickly to large numbers of students, faculty, staff and emergency contacts using multiple communication channels: email, office phones, cellphones and text messages.

  • Of the delivery options, email and text messaging have been the quickest and most reliable methods.
  • The system’s ability to deliver messages to office phones is limited by the capabilities of our telephone system. While we have improved our ability to receive office phone calls, faculty and staff should not expect to receive an emergency message immediately via office phone.
  • The delivery of messages via cellphones is faster, but may also be limited by the capacity of some network providers. If you want to be notified of a campus emergency via cellphone, please verify that your cell number is listed on Voyager.
  • If you would like to be contacted via cellphone or text message, you may provide your cellphone number to Human Resources. When your cell number has been entered into the LU Alert system, a confirmation text message will be sent to your phone asking you to verify that you want to receive emergency text messages. Please opt in.

As members of the Lawrence community, we all have a responsibility to ensure effective communication in an emergency. Thank you for your support.

2016 Major, Intern and Research Symposium Oct. 13

Attend the 2016 Major, Intern and Research Symposium on Oct. 13.

  • Explore majors, minors, interdisciplinary programs and talk with faculty
  • View student research posters
  • Talk with student interns about their experiences
  • Declare your major!

When/where: Oct. 13, 7–9 p.m., Esch Hurvis and Mead Witter Rooms at the Warch Campus Center (second floor)

Research posters will be up from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

New hires and new positions

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

Canzi Wang Staff counselor
Deb Garetson Temporary accountant
Lilianna Guevara Admissions counselor
Lynn Payne Student accounts specialist
Margaret Stanton Staff accompanist
Michael Hall Head men’s and women’s fencing coach
Michelle Lasecki-Jahnke Administrative assistant, diversity & inclusion
Richard Jazdzewski Associate dean of health and wellness
Tina Harrig Sr. human resources generalist