AFSCME
The Kent State chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has filed a notice of intent with the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) to conduct informational picketing on the Kent Campus. The picketing will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17, which is the date of fall Commencement ceremonies at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
Members of AFSCME Local 153 have the right to engage in informational picketing, as long as the union notifies SERB of their intent.
Informational picketing is conducted by a labor union for the purpose of informing the public about matters of concern to the union. Typically, union employees carry signs and distribute informational leaflets, asking for public support for the union’s position.
Prior to Dec. 17, managers will receive information from Human Resources on guidelines to follow during informational picketing.
Contract negotiations continue between the university and AFSCME, and a mediator has been called in at the request of both parties. The next bargaining session is scheduled for Dec. 8.
Kent State Holiday Schedule
All campuses will operate on a holiday schedule from Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011, through Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. During that time all nonessential operations will be closed at all Kent State campuses. Regular university operations will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.
This year the Christmas and New Year's holidays fall on a Sunday. Classified and unclassified employees will receive paid leave for three days, Dec. 28, 29 and 30. The paid leave is in addition to the paid holidays of Dec. 26, 27 and Jan. 2.
Information for mangers and department heads on employee eligibility, recording time and pay guidelines for members of your staff is available at www.kent.edu/hr/records/holiday-schedule.cfm. On that website you will also find the list of departments that will be open during the holiday schedule. The list will be available starting Dec. 6 and will also be published in the Dec. 12 issue of e-Inside.
Managers should confirm with employees the status of their unit’s plans to suspend operations or remain open with partial or regular coverage. If the status of your department has changed, please notify Carla Wyckoff atcwyckof1@kent.edu.
December Paychecks
Faculty and unclassified employees with direct deposit who are scheduled to receive their second pay of the month onDec. 30 will be paid on Dec. 23, as was done last December. This only applies to unclassified staff with direct deposit. The Dec. 30 pay for classified employees will remain the same.
All employees — student, classified, unclassified and faculty — who do not have direct deposit will have their paycheck mailed to their home address on Dec. 29; it will be mailed to the address listed on your check, so employees should make sure that address is current.
Lactation Resources
Please be aware that Kent State has designated lactation rooms on the Kent Campus for faculty and staff who are nursing mothers.
The resource for new mothers is part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the federal health care reform law) and requires employers to provide nursing mothers with reasonable break time and a room to express breast milk for the first year following the birth of a child. The room must be shielded from view, free from intrusion by co-workers and the public and cannot be a bathroom.
There are three designated lactation rooms on the Kent Campus, with additional rooms planned. The existing locations, along with contact information, are:
- The Women’s Center – the room is also available to students and has a breast pump machine (330-672-9230).
- Harbourt Hall — Room 116A in the new location for the Office of the University Architect (330-672-3880).
- Schwartz Center – Room 151 (Susan Veppert at 330-672-2444).
The Office of the University Architect will supply each room with a small refrigerator, table and chair. The OUA is also working with the Regional Campuses to designate a lactation room at each location.
Use of the lactation rooms is optional, and employees who wish to use a room should call the phone number listed for that location prior to their first visit, to make arrangements and determine a schedule.
Please note that Kent State employees are permitted to use break and lunch time for this purpose. Additional, reasonable breaks will be permitted as needed.
Nursing mothers who may need other arrangements should contact Carla Wyckoff, communications manager, Human Resources, at 330-672-5857 or cwyckof1@kent.edu.
How to Report Time During a University Closing
The Dec. 5 e-Inside will include a message to the university community from the senior vice president for finance and administration, outlining the process for Kent Campus cancellations and closures. With winter weather approaching, managers should be aware of how to report time for classified, unclassified and student employees if there is a university delay or closing.
The guidelines are available online at www.kent.edu/hr/records/upload/emergencyclosing.pdf. Please review the guidelines and share them with your staff. You may also want to bookmark the website for future reference.
Time to Update Calling Trees
Early December is a good time to update your departmental calling lists or phone trees for emergency communications. Don’t forget to request home and wireless numbers so all members of your department can be reached in case of a weather-related or other emergency situation. Once the calling tree is updated, make sure each employee receives two copies, one for the office and one for home.
What You Need to Know About Title IX
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's gender in educational programs or activities operated by recipients of federal funding, such as Kent State.
While it is often thought of as a law that applies only to athletic programs, Title IX is much broader and protects all students, employees and visitors to campus from gender discrimination. Sexual harassment, including sexual assault, is a form of gender discrimination and is strictly prohibited by federal and state law, as well as university policy.
As a faculty or staff member, you should be aware of the services provided to students through the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). The goal of SART is to educate the university community about sexual assault, to provide anti-violence programming and support services, and to encourage all community members to speak out when witnessing violence. You can find out more about SART at www.kent.edu/sart/index.cfm.
Loretta Shields, interim director, HRIS, Records, Benefits and Compliance, is the Title IX Coordinator. Any incident of gender discrimination against a student, faculty or staff member should be reported to the coordinator. You can do this by contacting the Affirmative Action Office at 330-672-2038 or aa_eo@kent.edu.
Vacation Leave Policy Revised
A change in the vacation leave policy for nonteaching unclassified and classified personnel will impact Kent State employees who have previously retired from the university, or other Ohio state service, and have been re-hired.
The amendment to administrative policy 3342-6-11.7 limits the maximum number of vacation hours a retired/rehired Kent State employee is eligible to earn to 80 hours (10 days) annually. Currently, retired/rehired employees accrue vacation at the same rate as other employees.
Under the revised policy, retired/rehired university employees will not be eligible to carry over unused vacation leave from year to year. That means the 80 hours of vacation leave must be used during the year it is earned; any unused hours will be forfeited. Upon leaving the university, employees in this group will not be eligible to receive payment for any unused vacation time. This does not apply to disability retirement, as provided for in the Ohio Revised Code.
The policy will become effective on Jan. 1, 2012. Current retired/rehired employees who have accrued more than 80 hours of vacation leave will keep their balance, but will be subject to the 80-hour accrual limitation beginning in calendar year 2012.
Go Green: Get Your W2s Online
Kent State will again make it possible for all employees, including student workers, to elect to receive their W-2 statement electronically. Choosing the electronic option allows employees to access the W-2 information earlier; prevents sensitive personal information from being sent through the mail and is a cost savings to the university in not printing and mailing the forms.
Please remind faculty and staff in your department that this option is available. Employees who wish to take advantage of this opportunity are required by federal regulations to give their consent. This can be done online any time between now and Jan. 9, 2012, in the My HR tab in FlashLine. Just look for the Tax Forms link in the Employment Details channel. If you have previously given consent, you do not need to do so again.
For those who do not wish to receive an electronic version, printed W-2s will be delivered via campus or U.S. mail no later than Jan. 31. Questions should be directed to the Payroll Office at 330-672-8640 or payroll@kent.edu.
Social Media Smashup: Introducing
As we all know, the social media explosion is well underway. The numbers that impact Kent State’s institutional social media spaces reflect a triple digit increase in nearly all venues. Growth of some Kent State key social media accounts from September 2010 to September 2011 includes:
- Twitter followers, 200 percent increase to 1,708
- Facebook fans, 83 percent increase to 24,791
- YouTube video views, 211 percent increase to 93,396
- Flickr image views, 320 percent increase to 2,919
Because this depth of interactivity and content also carries over to colleges, academic departments and administrative areas, University Communications and Marketing has launched a social media portal, called a smash up, at . It is now accessible via the social media directory icon at the bottom of Kent State webpages. The intent is to make social media surfing easier via this at-a-glance directory, while also piquing the interest of followers from one Kent State social media space in another Kent State social media space.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to increase the chatter around your department. To have your departmental account(s) added, email webteam@kent.edu.
Management Update Takes a Break
There will be no January issue of Management Update. The publication will resume its regular monthly schedule in February.
Dates to Remember:
Dec. 1 World AIDS Day
Dec. 4-5 Ashura: Islamic holiday
Dec. 7 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Dec. 16 Ashtabula Campus Fall Commencement
Stark Campus Fall Commencement
Dec. 17 Kent Campus December Commencement,
Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
Advanced Degrees, 10 a.m.; Baccalaureate Degrees, 2 p.m.
For more information, visit www.kent.edu/commencement.
Dec. 20-28 Hanukkah
Dec. 25 Christmas*
Dec. 26 Kwanzaa
Boxing Day (United Kingdom)
Jan. 1 New Year's Day*
Jan. 9 Spring Semester 2012 classes begin
Jan. 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day (university closed)
Jan. 26 Tenth Annual Martin Luther King Celebration, 1 p.m., Kent Student Center.
*Please Note: All Kent State campuses will operate on a holiday schedule from Dec. 25, 2011, through Jan. 2, 2012. During that time all nonessential operations will be closed. Normal operations will resume with the first shift on Jan. 3, 2012.
Tell Us What You Think
This e-newsletter is designed to keep you, the managers and supervisors, informed. Please take a few minutes to let us know what you think of it, along with any comments or suggestions. You may contact us atmanagersfeedback@kent.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.
For information about events and programs for university employees, please check out the Faculty and Staff calendarand share the information with your staff.