MyLU Insider

Human Resources

Category: Human Resources

Updates to Flexible Spending Benefit from the CARES Act

The recent passage of the CARES Act has allowed changes to our flexible spending benefit. A new Summary Plan Document can be found online on the HR webpage in the Forms & Resources section. The Summary of Material Modification document provides additional details regarding the legislative changes. Please contact your HR representative if you have any questions.

New Hires and Promotions

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

Elyse Lucas – Lecturer in Education (Education)

James Koch – Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology (Psychology)

Matt Sosinsky – Assistant Football Coach – Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Assistant Coach (Athletics)

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

Shannon Featherstone – Off-Campus Programs Assistant (Off-Campus Programs)

Sherri Immel – Senior Development Coordinator (Development)

Staff Q and A Meetings with Mark

I hope this message finds you and yours well and continuing to settle in more and more each day. I am writing today to share information about upcoming meetings for staff employees. These meetings, Staff Q&A with Mark, will be focused on answering your questions, sharing information, staying connected, and providing support to staff colleagues during this time.

Let me share a few of the logistics:

Meeting Dates & Times

These meetings will not be duplicates of one another. If you are unable to attend, we will be recording the meeting and will send a link after.

Submitting your Questions

Staff members 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.

Additionally, the Staff Connections Committee will be hosting the spring term Staff Meeting on Wednesday, May 27th. Watch for more information as we get closer to the meeting date. 

Thank you all for your dedication and work to support Lawrence. Please continue to take care of yourselves.

Transamerica Webinar – Market Volatility and Your Retirement Strategy

You work hard to build a strong financial future for yourself and your family, so we understand if the current market turmoil might have you rattled. The WAICU Retirement Readiness plan in partnership with Transamerica is pleased to offer a live webinar designed to help you navigate these challenges. This webinar will provide valuable insight on market volatility and your retirement strategy.

Registration:  Select “REGISTER NOW“ below and follow the on-screen prompts.

REGISTER NOW

Mindful Meditation Series Offered Through the Lawrence EAP Program

ERC is proud to offer a Mindfulness Meditation for Well-Being and Performance series. This program is designed for all levels. It involves the introduction and process to mindfulness along with other habits that will serve toward to have impact over emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial well-being along with improving production, focus, communication, and efficiency in your work. Participants will cultivate awareness, acceptance, and forgiveness stance toward their thoughts, feelings, emotional state, and body sensations. Emphasis will be focused on cognitive behavioral strategies, interpersonal & interdependent communication, and exercising self-care as a priority.

Please see the included flyer for additional information and registration links. When registering, both the user name and password are ERC.

Telecommuter Resources

As our campus is transitioning to colleagues telecommuting at greater levels in the midst of the COVID-19 situation, Lawrence University understands that this can be new and unfamiliar to many. To support this new work arrangement, a Telecommuting Resource webpage has been created to provide tips, tools, and resources that employees and supervisors can utilize as they transition to telecommuting and support others from a distance.

If any of our campus colleagues find any helpful resources that could benefit our greater campus, please share these with your human resources representative.

New Hires and Promotions

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

Tom Welhouse – Custodian (Custodial)

Guadalupe Schwaller – Custodian (Custodial)

Yoly Anderson – Executive Assistant for Student Life (Student Life)

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

Nicholas Mainville – Fire Safety Coordinator (Office of Campus Safety)

Tips and Resources to Navigate COVID-19 from our EAP Benefit Provider

In times of uncertainty, such as we are currently experiencing with the coronavirus, there are often many questions and concerns about how what is happening will affect you and your loved ones. These situations can often lead to heightened feelings of stress and anxiety. Remember that our employee assistance program (EAP) is available to you, your dependents, and immediate household members. Our EAP provider can be contacted at 1-800-222-8590 to schedule an appointment with a counselor and additional contact information can be found online.

As part of our EAP, you have access to ERC LifeCare, an online work/life portal containing an immense library of articles, educational guides, webinars, videos, and live talks from experts on topics such as mental health, legal, financial, and career, as well as an employee discount program.

The LifeCare portal does require log in credentials.  The case sensitive log in credentials are:

  • Screen name – ERC
  • Password – ERC

The LifeCare portal has a curated library of resources to help navigate the disruptions and uncertainty as the COVID-19 situation evolves. A few of the current offerings include:

  • Article: Manage Coronavirus Anxiety & Stress
  • Article: Protect Yourself Financially from the Impact of the Coronavirus
  • Article: Tips for Remote Workers
  • On Demand Webinar: Talking to Your Child About Coronavirus
  • On Demand Webinar: Living in Uncertain Times

This online resource will continue to be updated as new information and support is available.

Student Employment

Thank you for your patience as we navigated the topic of student employment for spring term. We are happy to share the following information: 

Students Remaining on the Lawrence Campus

All students remaining on the Lawrence campus for spring break and spring term will be eligible to work in their current or other open student jobs. Open on-campus student jobs will be posted to Handshake.

Students Leaving the Lawrence Campus

The University will allow students to continue working in their campus jobs while engaged in distance learning away from the Appleton campus. A student must receive approval to continue working from their direct supervisor and the leader of the office or department, if that individual is different. Supervisors should create a plan for the work the student will be engaged and establish the methods and frequency of checking-in. While employed remotely, students will continue to report time worked and be compensated through the University’s payroll system.     

International Students

International students on an F1 visa, who are maintaining status, are eligible to participate in campus-based employment regardless of where they are residing.  This authorization could be subject to change if SEVP (Student Exchange Visitor Program) publishes additional guidance.    

Take care of yourself and each other.