Human Resources

The WAICU Retirement Readiness Plan in partnership with Transamerica has provided new informational materials. These resources can also be found under the WAICU Retirement Readiness Plan section on the Human Resources Forms & Resources page:

• Tips for Investing Success
  • You deserve the chance to prepare for the retirement you envision. Learn what a difference it makes to start early and increase your contributions regularly.
• Easy Access to Your Account
  • Taking control of your retirement journey should be simple. Learn how to set up and manage your account on any device.
• Basics of Your Retirement Plan
  • Create a foundation for your financial future. We touch on investing for retirement, accessing your retirement assets, and what happens if you change employers or retire.

Now is a great time to also consider your beneficiaries and retirement contribution. If you would like to make any changes, visit the Transamerica website. For help with your account, call 1-800-755-5801 to speak to a retirement specialist.

The deadline to submit any open enrollment changes, additions, or drops to Human Resources is Monday, November 16, 2020 at 4:00 pm. 

If you do not want to make changes to your current benefit elections, you do not need to submit open enrollment forms, with the exception of flexible spending. The flexible spending enrollment form must be completed if you want to participate in health care and/or dependent care flexible spending in the 2021 plan year/calendar year. 

All Open Enrollment materials can be found on the Human Resources website: Open Enrollment.  If you have any questions please contact your human resources representative

A reminder of the upcoming Q&A with Mark meeting for faculty and staff. 

Meeting Date & Time

• Tuesday, November 10 from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • Zoom information can be found at this link.

If you are unable to attend, we will be recording the meeting and will share a link after.

Submitting your Questions

You are encouraged to submit questions ahead of the meeting here. The meeting will have an active chat function and questions can be submitted using this feature as well. We will cover as many questions as possible during the allotted time.

Lawrence University is excited to offer an employee referral program which offers a referral bonus of up to $250, less taxes, for the referral and subsequent hire of a campus safety officer or custodian. If you know someone interested in either of these positions, refer them to Human Resources via the candidate referral form.

If the referred candidate is hired, the referral bonus will be paid out in two separate payments. The first payment occurs once the new employee completes 1 month of employment and the second payment occurs after they complete 3 months of employment. For more information on this exciting program and eligibility, please visit the full guidelines here. 

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

Sara Curtis – Staff Counselor (Wellness Services)

Sam Lee – Custodian (Custodial)

Eric Momberg – Head Fencing Coach (Athletics)

Victoria Wood – Diving Coach (Athletics)

Lindsey Wyngaard – Wellness Services Office Coordinator (Wellness Services)

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

Jodie Bonikowske – Assistant Director of Campus Services – Warch Campus Center (Warch Campus Center)

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: Managing Strong Emotions – November 5th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Go beyond identifying emotions and learn state-of-the art techniques and real strategies to help stay cool when in the grip of strong emotions.
• Parenting Your Child with Special Needs – Communication – November 10th from 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • This talk will provide insights, tips, and tools for building and maintaining successful conversations to improve the results of communication in any relationship or setting you may find yourself.
• Financial Wellness: Social Security Retirement Income – November 11th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Learn strategies to maximize benefits, how to calculate them and other important factors to consider.
• Parenting Your Teen: Friends & Family – November 12th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Discuss communication breakdowns, rewards and the importance of communication as well as best practices and advice for families with teens.
• Your Healthy Lifestyle: Stress Busters – November 16th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Explore the newest research, learn what experts are saying about the impact of stress on the body and the newest techniques to manage stress.
• Caregivers Network: CARE Conversations – How to Talk to Older Love Ones, Family and Work about Your Caregiving Role – November 18th from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  •  Learn how to start the conversation with an older loved one about his or her future and end of-life care and will get tips on how to be empathetic and solve challenges that you both face.
• Succeed at Work: Creating a Positive Work Environment – November 19 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • Discover how teamwork, finding meaning in work, accepting responsibility and humor can all lead to a more positive work environment.
• Holiday Budgeting – November 24 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  • At the holidays your budget can get blown out of control. Learn how to rein in spending at the holidays and re-examine your expectations of the holidays to stay out of debt.
• The Path to Inner Peace – Recording available now
  • Would you like to walk the path to inner peace? This webinar shows you the way. We identify where to start and explore pathways to obtain inner peace.

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

• Username: ERC
• Password: ERC

The 2021 Open Enrollment period will begin on November 1st and run through November 16, 2020. Our annual Open Enrollment period provides all benefit-eligible employees an opportunity to make changes to their current coverage or enroll in coverage that was previously waived.

Open Enrollment Benefit Fair

This year we are not be able to host our annual Open Enrollment Benefit Fair as we have done in the previous years. A pre-recorded webinar will be available online along with other Open Enrollment materials. This webinar will review important plan changes and provide a summary of benefit premiums.

Please watch for additional communication as we approach the start of the Open Enrollment period.

If you have a dependent applying to college for the 2021-22 academic year, this message is for you! 

If you will be applying to any (or all!) of the tuition benefit programs Lawrence offers to dependents of employees, now is the time to start the tuition benefit application process.  Please see information about LU Tuition Remission, ACM Tuition Remission, and the National Tuition Exchange on the LU Financial Aid office’s website (https://www.lawrence.edu/info/offices/financial-aid/tuition_benefits).  We strongly recommend new tuition benefit applications be submitted by December 1. 

If you have a dependent attending college on either the ACM Tuition Remission or National Tuition Exchange programs for 2020-21, the LU Financial Aid office will be in contact with you in December regarding the process to recertify the benefit for 2021-22 if your dependent will be a continuing student next year.  

Please email Laura.B.Zuege@Lawrence.edu or Financial.Aid@Lawrence.edu if you have questions.