Human Resources Highlights Newsletters
Spring 2012
The Southeastern Human Resources Office Newsletter Comprehensive Human Resources Services
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B E N E F I T S
Office of Group Benefits and its Partners Do Not Ask for Members’ Financial Information
The Office of Group Benefits advises its membership that they
do not ask for financial information. There have been some
recent reports of scams to obtain personal and financial
information. You should not give your personal and financial
information over the phone to a caller. Please visit the link below
for details and how to report suspicious phone calls to the Office
of Group Benefits.
Benefits Supervisor Retires
The Human Resources Office is announcing that after over 20 years of service with the State and 11 years of service at Southeastern, Sue Jones recently retired as the Benefits Supervisor. Her last day at Southeastern was on April 26, 2012.
During her last seven years as Benefits Manager, Sue focused primarily on working with retirement issues and developed great respect among current employees as well as retirees. Her
knowledge of retirement as well as other benefits services, combined with her warm and caring style, endeared her to faculty and staff, as well as her co-workers.
Though she will be greatly missed, the Human Resources Staff wishes Sue a happy retirement and the opportunity to engage in her favorite hobbies. She will be able to focus more on one of her most favorite pastimes as a doting grandmother.
Nicole Dunnington, a Southeastern graduate, and a Benefits Analyst since January 2006 will serve as Interim Benefits Supervisor. We know that Nicole and the remaining Benefits Staff will continue to provide the same informed and dedicated services which represent the mission of the Human Resources Office.
LASERS Announces New Email Service, Member Connection
Please visit the link below for more information about signing up for this service. You will receive notifications to important time-sensitive information regarding your retirement plan and electronic publications such as The Beam.
http://www.lasersonline.org/site.php?pageID=278&newsID=114
TRSL Announces Summer WorkshopsTRSL’s Planning for Your Retirement workshops are fast approaching. Their summertime workshops will give members all the information they need to apply for retirement. TRSL representatives will be on hand to discuss eligibility requirements and benefit calculations, take questions, and so much more. Registration is now open for all workshops and can be completed on TRSL’s website. The complete schedule is also available at the link below.
(Schedule)
http://www.trsl.org/main/inside.php?section=my_trsl&tables=y&page=schedules
(To Register)
http://www.trsl.org/main/inside.php?section=my_trsl&page=register_online
Southeastern's 403(b) Savings Plan
Did you know that Southeastern offersseveral 403(b) tax deferred savings plans and/or after-tax Roth 403(b) plans for employees?
You have the opportunity to save for retirement by participating in one or more of these 403(b) plans through payroll deduction. You can participate in Southeastern’s 403(b) plans by making Tax-Deferred 403(b) contributions and/or after-tax Roth 403(b) contributions to one or more of the 403(b) plans offered.
What do I have to do to contribute to one of the 403(b) or Roth 403(b) plans sponsored by Southeastern?
You can contribute to one of the 403(b) plans once you have completed a salary reduction agreement (SRA) and returned it to the Benefits Section of the Human Resources Office and enrolled with one of the approved investment providers, approved by Southeastern. The SRA gives Southeastern the right to take the elected dollar amount or percentage from your paycheck and contribute those amounts to your 403(b) plan. For a complete list of investment providers available to you through the plan, and their contact information, please visit www.selu.edu/HRO and click on the Benefits link, the Retirement Link and then click on 403B Supplemental Retirement Plans. Please note that in addition to completing the SRA and enrolling with your selected vendor, you must create a logon and password for planwithease.com, the Third Party Administrator (TPA) for our plan.
How do I know if I am eligible to participate in my school’s 403(b) plan?
All full-time and part-time employees are eligible to participate.
How much can I contribute?
In general, you may contribute up to $17,000 in 2012. This amount may be adjusted annually. Also, if you have at least 15 years of service with Southeastern or you are at least 50 years old, you may be able to make additional catch-up contributions. Contact the Human Resources Office at 985-549-2057 for additional information on the amount that you can contribute to a 403(b) plan.
I am already participating in the 403(b) plan. What other rules about participating should I know?
If you are already contributing to one of the approved 403(b) plans, you may change your contribution amount by completing a new salary reduction agreement and returning it to the Benefits Section of the Human Resources Office. If you are increasing your payroll deduction you must have a calculation performed to ensure that you're within the limits to contribute. Your “Total Maximum Exclusion Allowance” calculation may be obtained by contacting your 403(b) plan provider or contacting the Human Resources Office for assistance. Please refer to www.selu.edu/HRO Benefits link for specific plan rules regarding how frequently you are allowed to change your contribution amount or percentage.
Optional Retirement Contributions (ORP) Effective July 1, 2012
The employer contribution rate of 24.5% was established for the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) for fiscal year 2012-2013. Employer contributions at this rate will be effective July 1, 2012.
The employee contribution rate for TRSL Regular Plan members and Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) members for fiscal year 2012-2013 will remain at 8.0%. However, legislation has been proposed that, if passed, would change contribution rates for some members.
For participants in the ORP: The employer contribution rate is also 24.5%. Of this amount, 5.8055% is the normal-cost portion of the employer contribution. The normal-cost portion, along with an employee contribution, will be transferred to the ORP account.
The normal-cost portion of the employer contribution rate will decrease slightly from the current fiscal year amount of 5.9687%.
SUMMER AND FALL 2012 SEMESTERS
AUTHORIZATION TO TAKE UNIVERSITY CLASSES, APPROVED TRAINING CLASSES, AND REQUESTS FOR FEE WAIVERS
One of the great privileges of being an employee at Southeastern Louisiana University is the ability to take University courses with the financial assistance of the Employee Fee Waiver, which pays a portion of tuition. Please note that there is no waiting period; all full-time employees are eligible to receive this benefit. To further this assistance, the University Approved Training Course Program allows an employee to take an approved class during the workday without being responsible for making up the work time if approved by their supervisor. The approved classes are considered part of the Employee Training Program and are prepared based on EEO classifications. Only one class may be taken during normal working hours whether or not the class is on the approved list and must be approved by the Budget Unit/Department Head prior to registration in the class. The employee must meet university requirements for any class in which he/she wants to enroll.
The Approved Training Class lists are on the Human Resources website under Training. Classes are grouped into the following EEO categories listed below. Click on the link for your position’s EEO category to view the list.
All requests for Authorization to Take University Classes and Fee Waivers for qualified employees will need to be approved by the Budget Unit/Department Head and submitted to the Human Resources Office no later than the last day ofregistration for each semester. For Summer 2012 the date is May 24 th and Fall 2012 the date is August 8 th.
The authorization form is to be completed by ALL faculty and staff taking university classes, whether employed part-time or full-time. The request must include ALL classes you will be taking, whether or not they involve your work schedule or an employee fee waiver. Click on the link below to access the authorization form.
http://www.selu.edu/admin/hr/documents/authorization.pdf
PLEASE NOTE: If the class is not on the Approved Training Class List for the respective employee's job class category, and class time falls during the employee’s normal workday, employees must advise their immediate supervisor and timekeeper of how they will make up missed work time to include the appropriate amount of travel time. Fifteen (15) minutes of travel time both to and from class must be included. Employees may not use leave to take a class and may only use 15 minutes of a 45-minute meal break to make up class time. (Meal breaks must be at least 30 minutes. Employees taking classes that are not on their respective Approved Training Class List must document time out for class by utilizing the time keeping system (i.e. Classified employees must clock in and out and Unclassified employees must complete the appropriate exceptions logs).
Dependent Fee Waiver
To obtain a Dependent Fee Waiver, employees must submit the "Dependent Fee Waiver Form for a Full-Time Employee" to the Human Resources Office each semester no later than the last day ofregistration for each semester.For Summer 2012 the date is May 24th for Fall 2012 the date is August 8th. Spouses and children of Faculty and Staff members currently employed full-time as of the last day of late registration for the semester of enrollment may use the fee waiver for undergraduate instruction only. The dependent for which fees have been requested must be either a spouse or child and eligible as a dependent for tax purposes during that calendar year. A copy of the tax return must be submitted at the request of the University. If the employee fails to claim the dependent as an eligible dependent for tax purposes, the employee will have to reimburse the University for the amount of the fee waiver. You may access the Dependent Fee Waiver by clicking the link below.
http://www.selu.edu/admin/hr/documents/dependentwaiver.pdf
If you have any questions regarding Fee Waivers or Authorization to Take Classes, please contact Claire Hughes at Claire.Hughes@selu.edu or 549-2057. Please send the completed forms to the Human Resources Office, SLU 10799.
T R A I N I N G
Register Now for CPTP Programs on Campus
During the months of May, June and July, the State Comprehensive Public Training Program (CPTP) will offer several programs on campus. All programs are instructor-led and are free to faculty and staff. The programs currently scheduled are “Managing Across Generations” on May 15th, “Providing Quality Service” on June 20th and “Self-Motivation in the Workplace” on July 17th. All the programs run from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will be held in the University Center, Room 139.
These programs fill up very quickly and pre-registration for these seminars is required, so early registration is recommended. To register for classes or for more information please contact Jan Ortego at extension 5771 or at Jan.Ortego@selu.edu
Ethics Education Requirement
Effective January 1, 2012, LA Revised Statute mandates that all public employees are required to take one hour of training each calendar year on the Code of Governmental Ethics. It is the individual’s responsibility to comply with this mandate. In addition to faculty and staff, the requirement applies to student workers, graduate assistants and university contractors as well.
Below you will find a link to the video training which consists of three twenty minute classes presented in video format. It is possible to bookmark the video and return to your place so that all three classes may be taken at the same time or independently.
Towards the bottom third of the linked page below is a spot for new users to register. From there it is self-explanatory. At the conclusion of the video presentation individuals may print out a certificate of completion. Please print and send a copy of the certificate to HR, SLU 10799 to have the class added to your training record. Click on the following link to begin the training: http://eap.ethics.la.gov/EthicsTraining/login.aspx.
Contact Jan Ortego at Jan.Ortego@selu.edu or at extension 5771 if you have any questions.
Mind Leaders On-Line Training Programs
The Comprehensive Public Training Program offers a state of the art, e-learning program for state employees called “Mind Leaders”. This is a computer-based source of interactive courses available over the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The three categories of courses offered online are Computer Skills Courses, Professional Development Courses and Business Skills Videos.
To access these classes, employees will need an enrollment key that can be obtained by contacting Jan Ortego via email at Jan.Ortego@selu.edu . Graduate assistants and student workers are not eligible to use these courses.
If your supervisor mandates this training, it will need to be completed during work hours. Choosing to complete this training after work hours will be considered voluntary and will not be compensated. If you would like to take a particular class, then ask your supervisor if you may take it during working hours.
E M P L O Y M E N T
Recruiting Analyst Position Filled
Human Resources is pleased to announce that Colette Sanders has re-joined the HR Staff as the Human Resources Analyst for Recruiting on February 27, 2012. Colette will be responsible for all recruiting activities, which includes working with departments to advertise all positions. This is a change from the procedure followed in the past where each analyst worked with the department heads advertising positions. All advertising functions will now be handled by Colette.
You can reach Colette at 985-549-5496 or email her at colette.sanders@selu.edu.
Calculating Summer Salary for Faculty
During the summer faculty salary is calculated based on the following formula:
Academic Year (AY) Salary X 19.5% = Total Summer Salary (9 load hours)
For example: a faculty member whose AY Salary is $50,000 would have a total summer salary of $9,750 (50,000 X .195 = 9,750).
If teaching less than 9 hours, then divide total summer salary by 9 and multiple that figure by the actual number of load hours teaching.
For example: a faculty member whose total summer salary $9,750 and is teaching 3 load hours for the summer would have a summer salary of $3,250 (($9,750 / 9) X 3 = 3,250).
Legal Aspect of Hiring Training
Just a reminder for Department Heads and Search Committee Chairs that all members of search committees must complete the Legal Aspect of Hiring Training before participating in interviews. Human Resources must be provided with the names of each member of the search committee so the class can be set up for each member. These names can be submitted in the Request to Advertise or by email to Colette.Sanders@selu.edu. The training is to be completed online through Blackboard and is valid for five years.
Travel Reimbursement Authorizations
Faculty and Staff that are traveling on university business can find information regarding travel regulations and Travel Authorizations (TAs) at:
http://www.selu.edu/admin/controller/facultystaff/travel/index.html
Search Committee Members can find information regarding candidate expense reimbursement at:
http://www.selu.edu/admin/hr/recruiting/search_committee_tra/index.html
Search Committee Members should provide the candidate with this link:
http://www.selu.edu/admin/hr/recruiting/candidate_travel_ins/index.html
Please note that receipts are needed for reimbursement. Mileage reimbursement requests should include a MapQuest search or similar printout unless claiming actual mileage. A candidate must sign an expense reimbursement form to be reimbursed for his/her expenses. Expense reimbursement forms can be obtained from the Travel Desk at extension 2089.
Payroll Questions
There are certain questions that are better answered by Payroll. Questions regarding W2s, W4s, L4s and direct deposit should be directed to Payroll at 985-549-2188.
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