Organizational Review: Compensation and Benefits

The teams involved in the org review began their work last fall and presented their findings to the Cabinet last month.  However, the work of the CompBen Team was delayed until after the implementation of Banner in January; our findings related to benefits will be presented in late June.  Compensation findings will take a bit longer — it is expected that we will have a final report to Cabinet in September.

The CompBen Team is charged with taking a “top to bottom analysis of total compensation” and to “weigh the data, costs and preferences of the community and help to determine a total compensation package that offers the best that Drew can afford to offer” given the financial constraints now in existence within the general economy and Drew University.  Because of the complexity and sensitivity of the subject, the team began its work by identifying an outside consultant – Sibson Consulting – to assist in analyzing and assessing the overall compensation package provided to Drew employees.  Sibson has worked with many colleges and universities across the nation and brings a wealth of experience to this process!

The project has several components – bench marking benefits and salaries at peer colleges and universities; surveying faculty and staff to determine their benefits preferences; and developing a total compensation program that integrates best practices, employee preferences and available University resources.

The first component – identifying the schools to benchmark for benefits – has been approved by the team and the bench marking has begun.  The next component – the design of a survey instrument to confidentially invite feedback from faculty and staff — was completed and the survey will be distributed by Sibson to all full and part-time faculty and staff on Monday, April 16^th.  The survey questions include a combination of check boxes and rankings, but the survey also provides the participant with the opportunity to write in comments as desired.  The survey will be open for two weeks and the results go directly to Sibson; members of the team will not have access to survey results.  Sibson will tabulate the results and share them with the team in the aggregate; the team will use the information to help us redesign our benefits program.

The next step after the release of the survey is for Sibson to host four focus group meetings onTuesday, May 1^st.  The focus group participants will be randomly selected and invited to a specific session.  There will be one focus group session each for tenure-track faculty, tenured faculty, biweekly paid staff and monthly paid staff.  Each group will include up to 20 invitees. All members of Cabinet, the Compensation Monitoring Committee and the CompBen Team will beexcluded from participation in the focus groups.  The meetings will be conducted by Sibson and the information discussed will only be shared in the aggregate.  The identity of participants and their comments will not be shared with anyone. 

We need your candid feedback!  We encourage everyone to respond to the survey –- and if you are invited to a focus session – please attend, share your thoughts and concerns with our consultant, and help make a difference. 

Important reminder: both the survey results and the focus group discussions will be managed completely by Sibson.  They will only share information with the CompBen Team in the aggregate – the identity of participants will not be shared ! 

***Payroll Deadlines***

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below.  Sorry, but deadlines will be strictly enforced – no exceptions! 

• April 20 for the April 30 paycheck
• May 22 for the May 31 paycheck

Calendar of Events

New Faculty and Staff Orientation:

• Monday, April 30     9:00 am – 11:30 am   Madison House, Room 104

Summer Fridays Begin

• Friday, May 25

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)         

•       Thurs., April 26   9:00 am – 5:00 pm    University Commons, Room 207
•       Tues., May 22      9:00 am – 5:00 pm    University Commons, Room 207
•       Wed., June 20      9:00 am – 5:00 pm    University Commons, Room 207

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF call 1-800-732-8353

New to Drew

Please join me in welcoming the newest members of our community! 

John Holden             Director of Alumni Giving
Stewart Robinette     Dir of Residence Life and Community Standards

Mailing Labels

Staff and faculty may now create their own campus mailing labels and name badges, as well as create a list of email addresses by going (through Internet Explorer only) to https://evmaps.drew.edu.  For approval and instructions, please email Fredi Cox at fcox@drew.edu or call her at ext 3795.  For first time requestors, please allow two business days to process your request. 

Health and Dental Coverage for Children up to Age 26

As your children prepare to graduate from high school or college, please be aware of the following:

• children who are currently covered under your health plan can remain on the plan until they are 26 years old; at 26 years and one day, they will be denied any further coverage through the plan
• children who are currently covered under your dental plan can remain on the plan through the end of the month they turn 26 years old;
• you must notify HR to remove your child from your health and/or dental plan by completing an Enrollment Change Form and a Rate Sheet (located on our Intranet site)
• HR will adjust your premium and arrange for COBRA information to be sent to your child
• Changes must be made at least one month in advance; please note that there are no premium refunds
• Children under age 26 who are losing their school coverage can be added to your plan; please complete an Enrollment Change Form and Rate Sheet (located on our Intranet site) and provide a birth certificate or other documentation that establishes your relationship as the parent/guardian.
• HR is not responsible for tracking dependent eligibility; employees are responsible for ensuring that their children’s coverage is ended when they turn 26 (or begun when they lose coverage)

Banner News

As with all new systems, we are discovering that some information did not cross over from Aims to Banner as we expected.  PLEASE review your most recent pay stubs to ensure that the appropriate deductions are being taken from your pay for your elected benefits and any additional tax withholdings you may have requested.  Should you discover any omissions with your benefits, contact Fredi @ext 3795; questions about taxes can be directed to BJ @ext. 3484.                                                                                                                              

TIAA-CREF Calculations (biweekly paid staff only).  Please note that calculations for TIAA-CREF contributions in Aims were calculated by dividing your annual salary by 26 and contributing that amount to your account each month.  In Banner, TIAA-CREF contributions are calculated on your gross wages for each paycheck individually.  When reviewing your quarterly statements starting in 2012, you will notice that the amount may be a little different each month.  If you have any questions about your contributions, please call Janis @ext. 3212.

HR and Payroll Closed

Jennifer Linne, who has worked as the HR/Payroll assistant during Banner implementation, has completed her assignment and will be leaving today, March 30^th.  Please join us in thanking Jennifer for keeping HR and Payroll running during our extended absences! 

HR and Payroll staff will be involved in all-day Banner training on April 2, 3 and 4. (We’re counting down – only one more three-day training after this one!!) Email and voice mail will be checked periodically, but note that it may take a couple of days before we are able to respond to your inquiry. 

***Payroll Deadlines***

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below.  Sorry, but deadlines will be strictly enforced – no exceptions! 

April 20 for the April 30 paycheck
May 22 for the May 31 paycheck

Important Reminders

Student Summer Housing applications are due in HR today, Friday, March 30th. If your department would like to participate in the program this year, please indicate how many students you plan to hire and confirm that your budget can cover the wages (minimum of 300 hours) for each student.  Departments will be notified by April 4 how many students they can hire under this program.

Sexual Harassment and Employment Discrimination Training is mandatory for all full and part-time faculty, including adjuncts, and staff.  Designed to help us understand, respond to and prevent employment discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace, the online training takes less than one hour and can be taken anywhere you have access to a computer. If you have not already done so, please fulfill your responsibility by going to: http://training.newmedialearning.com/phs/drewu to take the sexual harassment training and http://training.newmedialearning.com/ped/drewu for employment discrimination training.  If you are not certain whether you have taken the training, call Fredi Cox at 3795.

Calendar of Events

Good Friday

Friday, April 6           University Holiday

New Faculty and Staff Orientation:

Tuesday, April 10      8:00 am – 10:30 am    Madison House, Rm 104
Monday, April 30      9:00 am – 11:30 am     Madison House, Rm 104

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)         

Thursday, April 26   9:00 am – 5:00 pm   University Commons, Rm 207
Tuesday, May 22    9:00 am – 5:00 pm   University Commons, Rm 207
Wed, June 20         9:00 am – 5:00 pm   University Commons, Rm 207

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF call 1-800-732-8353

New to Drew

Please join me in welcoming the newest members of our community! 

• John Conheeney               Circulation Supervisor, Library
• Jane Himmelrich             Dir, Donor Relations and Stewardship, Advancement
• Joelle Falaise                  EOS Counselor
• Nichole Gagliardi             Asst Coach, Field Hockey
• Kathleen Hurley               Marketing/Promotions Coordinator, Athletics
• Kathleen Hynes-Lifland    Nurse Practitioner, Health Service
• Bridget Kevorkian           Philanthropy Officer, Advancement
• Jose Marte                     Data Entry Clerk, Registrar’s Office
• Michelle Spiegel              Resident Director, Residential Life
• Hannah Wells                  Asst Professor of English
• Ashley Woodruff             Asst Coach, Softball

Banner Q&A

As we approach the end of the second month of using Banner to submit time sheets for students and bi-weekly paid staff and leave reports for monthly paid staff, a number of questions have been raised which may be helpful to you.  Please keep your questions coming and we will include them in future issues of HR News.

When are leave reports due for monthly paid staff?

Leave Reports are due by the end of every month following the leave period.  For example, leave reports for January are due on or before February 29, while those for February are due on or before March 31.  Please note that leave reports must reflect all paid time taken off during the month and must be submitted even when no time has been used.

What happens when time sheets and leave reports are not submitted on time?

Banner does not allow time to be entered retrospectively; therefore, any time worked or paid leave taken in an earlier pay period must be entered manually by Payroll through a very time-consuming process.

Important note to staff:  Anyone who does not submit their time sheets or leave reports through Banner by the posted deadline will have to submit a paper time sheet.  The paper time sheet must be signed by the supervisor and vice president in order to be processed. 

Important note to supervisors:  Supervisors are encouraged to designate a proxy in Banner to approve time sheets and leave reports in their absence.  Supervisors who do not approve time sheets and leave reports on time will need the signature of their vice president on paper time sheets before Payroll will be authorized to process the time for themselves and/or their direct reports. 

Will supervisors receive any reminders to approve times sheets and/or leave reports?

Yes.  Supervisors of bi-weekly paid staff and students will receive reminders on the day they are due at 12:05 and 3:10 p.m.  Supervisors of monthly paid staff will receive reminders every Monday/Wednesday/Friday for any leave reports that are pending. 

Will employees receive reminders to submit time sheets or leave reports?

Yes.  Biweekly paid staff and students will receive a reminder three (3) days before the time sheets are due.   Monthly paid staff will receive three notices – the first five (5) days before the leave reports are due, the second three (3) days before, and a final notice the day they are due. 

Employees do not receive notification that their time has been approved, however, a notation that the time was approved does appear at the bottom of the page where you completed your time entry.

When are pay stubs available?

Pay stubs are posted two days in advance in self-service Banner.  To view, go to drew.edu/home, click on Employees, scroll down to Employment Details and click on Pay Stubs.  If you have direct deposit, please note that your paycheck will not be deposited until the check date.

What about pay stubs from earlier years?

Copies of all pay stubs issued between March 2008 and December 2011 are located on Campus Web.  We encourage anyone who may need a copy of their December 2011 paystub for tax or other purposes, to make a copy at your earliest convenience.  Sometime later this year, access to Campus Web will be limited and you will not be able to make copies of your paystubs.  (Payroll will be able to supply paystubs from earlier years upon written request.)

Why do I have so many hours of floating holiday time?

Oops!  Floating holiday hours were credited to all eligible staff before floating holiday time taken in December had been removed.  Consequently, many staff reported having as many as 42 hours of floating holiday time at the beginning of January!  We will correct the error and everyone should have three days (up to 21 hours) of floating holiday time prorated based on your work schedule.  Sorry to disappoint those who thought we had increased the number of floating holidays!!

FSA: 2011

Don’t forget — IRS regulations mandate that any money left in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) must be forfeited.  Expenses incurred by March 15, 2012 must be submitted for reimbursement no later than June 15, 2012.  For a copy of the form to submit to United Healthcare, please go to Drew’s Intranet website, click on employees, scroll to benefits, flexible spending account and click on the claim form. 

***Payroll Deadlines***

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below.  Sorry, but deadlines will be strictly enforced – no exceptions! 

• March 23 for the March 30 paycheck
• April 20 for the April 30 paycheck

Calendar of Events

New Faculty and Staff Orientation:

• Monday, March 5           9:00 am – 11:30 am     Madison House, Room 104
• Monday, March 19          9:00 am – 11:30 am     Madison House, Room 104

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)         

• Tuesday, March 27         9:00 am – 5:00 pm       University Commons, Room 207
• Thursday, April 26         9:00 am – 5:00 pm       University Commons, Room 207
• Tuesday, May 22            9:00 am – 5:00 pm       University Commons, Room 207

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF call 1-800-732-8353

Online Directory

Working with offices across campus, the department of Communications has enhanced the online directory (drew.edu/directory) to provide a fast way to search for people and departments at Drew.  The directory will search for Faculty, Staff, Students and Departments and replaces the multiple directories from Drew.edu and CampusWeb.

What’s New:

• An auto-completing search that refines the results as you type
• The ability to set a display name (nickname)
• Custom profile photos
• Links to social media accounts
• Customizable privacy settings (set who can see the different parts of your profile)
• Search students by program (you need to be logged in to use this)
• Create an email list based on search criteria

What’s Enhanced:

• Search employees by department
• Adding education/bio/interests/research
• Link to a resume/personal site
• Take a look, and let us know what you think!

Update Your Profile:

You can log in at http://www.drew.edu/directory/update.php  to update your profile. Or from the directory http://www.drew.edu/directory/ you can click on the update your information button at the top right of the page.

Privacy Settings:

Faculty/Staff are visible to everybody by default. Personal information such as home address and phone numbers are only visible to other employees.  To be completely removed from the directory you will need to contact HR.

Students are only visible to other students and faculty/staff, and will never be visible to the public. To be removed from the directory students will need to contact the Registrar. 

Questions about using the online directory can be forwarded to Tryon Eggleston (x3947 or tegglest@drew.edu ) or Justin Jackson (x3957 or jjackson@drew.edu  

***Payroll Deadlines***

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below.  Sorry, but deadlines will be strictly enforced – no exceptions! 

• March 23 for the March 30 paycheck
• April 20 for the April 30 paycheck

Calendar of Events
New Faculty and Staff Orientation:

• Monday, March 19          9:00 am – 11:30 am     Madison House, Room 104

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)         

• Tuesday, March 27         9:00 am – 5:00 pm       University Commons, Room 207
• Thursday, April 26         9:00 am – 5:00 pm       University Commons, Room 207
• Tuesday, May 22            9:00 am – 5:00 pm       University Commons, Room 207

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF call 1-800-732-8353

Happy New Year!

January Paycheck

Drew Benefits: Please review your January paycheck to ensure that a deduction is being taken for each of the benefits you enrolled in during Open Enrollment or as a new employee. Should you find any mistakes or omissions, please contact Fredi immediately at x3795.

New Jersey Benefits: Effective January 1, 2012, the State has increased the wages subject to taxation under the unemployment, temporary disability and family leave insurance programs from $29,600 to $30,300.

Federal Benefits: For January and February only, the employee share of the FICA payroll tax will remain at the reduced rate of 4.2%. The rate will return to 6.2% on March 1 unless an extension is granted by Congress. (The Medicare deduction remains unchanged at 1.45%.) Employer contributions have not changed – Drew will continue to contribute 6.2% of your wages to FICA.

Banner Changes

Time Out of the Office. Please note that we are able to capture leave information in Banner that was not available in Aims. Effective January 1, 2012, all monthly and bi-weekly paid staff are required to record the following paid time out of the office: bereavement, vacation, sick, holiday, floating holiday, jury duty, military leave and volunteer leave. In addition, bi-weekly staff are required to record paid time out for marriage and excused absence leave.

Monthly Time Reporting – Important Reminder. Monthly paid staff will be required to report all time used in one month by no later than the end of the following month, e.g., time taken in September must be reported before October 31. You will no longer be able to report time used later in the year. Anyone who neglects to update their records – including that no time was taken — will be required to submit their leave report in writing to their immediate supervisor; both the supervisor and the responsible vice president/provost will be asked to sign the form before the record can be manually updated by HR/Payroll.

Benefits. Premiums for all benefits will be deducted evenly over 9 or 12 months only. This means that if you are currently paid on a 9 months basis, your deductions will take place over 9 months; if you are paid on a 10 or 11 months basis, your deductions for all benefits will be taken over 9 months. Everyone paid over 12 months will have premium deductions taken over 12 months.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). As with all other benefits, FSA for childcare and medical expenses will be set up on a 9 or 12 months basis only. This means that if you are currently paid on a 9 months basis, your deductions will take place over 9 months; if you are paid on a 10 or 11 months basis, your deductions for all benefits will be taken over 9 months. Everyone paid over 12 months will have premium deductions taken over the 12 months.

Life Insurance. The IRS taxes the value of all life insurance that exceeds $50,000. In the past, this tax, which is called imputed income, was taken in one lump sum in December paychecks. With Banner, we are able to withhold this tax on a monthly basis; consequently, the tax will be spread evenly over 9 or 12 months instead of all at once. The code “IMP” indicates the amount of additional taxes deducted to reflect the value of your life insurance.

Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

All participants’ accounts have been pre-loaded with the full amount they have elected to use this year. Under IRS law, medical expenses are reimbursable even if you have not had sufficient amounts withheld from your paycheck to cover the expense.

There are three ways to be reimbursed for eligible health expenses:

Automatic Reimbursement. All FSA accounts have been set up to automatically reimburse you by check for eligible expenses as they are incurred. With this feature, you do not have to take any action – United will automatically send you a reimbursement check. You are not required to use this feature; however, if you do not want the feature you must disable it every year through United’s website (www.myuhc.com). Please note that any participant who does not want this feature – including anyone who was enrolled last year – must update their profile on the website.

Consumer Credit Card. All FSA enrollees were issued a consumer credit card. The card, which looks like a credit card but functions like a debit card, allows you to pay eligible expenses when you receive the product or service. The cards can be used in pharmacies and retail stores, as well as doctor’s offices, as long as the provider is an in-network, registered participant. The credit card must be activated prior to use, but participants are not required to use the card. The cards are good for four years, so if you were enrolled last year, please continue to use the same card. If you enrolled for the first time this year, you will receive a card from United by the end of this month. Please request replacement cards from United directly at www.myuhc.com.

Paper Submission. If you prefer, you can also mail receipts and be reimbursed by check. For a copy of the form to submit to United Healthcare, please go to HR’s Intranet website, click on documents and forms and then FSA.

Please refer to United’s website for additional information about the FSA account!

***Payroll Deadlines***

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below. Sorry, but deadlines will be strictly enforced – no exceptions!

January 20 for the January 31 paycheck

February 17 for the February 29 paycheck

Calendar of Events

• M. L. King Jr.’s Birthday Observed
• Monday, January 16 University Holiday

New Faculty and Staff Orientation:

• Monday, January 30 9:00 am – 11:30 am Madison House, Rm 104
• Monday, February 20 9:00 am – 11:30 am Madison House, Rm 104
• Monday, March 5 9:00 am – 11:30 am Madison House, Rm 104

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)

• Tuesday, January 24 9:00 am – 5:00 p.m. Univ Commons, Rm 207
• Tuesday, February 14 9:00 am – 5:00 p.m. Univ Commons, Rm 207
• Tuesday, March 27 9:00 am – 5:00 p.m. Univ Commons, Rm 207

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF call 1-800-732-8353

Vacation Accrual Reminder (Monthly Paid Staff)

Monthly paid staff are reminded to review their time cards in CampusWeb and update them – through December 31—by no later than TODAY, December 21, 2011 (remember — we are closed December 23, 2011 through January 2, 2012).

Supervisors are also reminded that you must review/approve vacation days TODAY, December 21, 2011. Vacation accruals will be imported into Banner on December 22, so anyone who has not updated their time cards will not have an accurate accrual in Banner. Questions? Please contact John Saul at ext. 3122.

2011 Christmas/New Year Holiday Schedule

The holiday schedule for Christmas through New Year’s is:

Closed: Friday, December 23, 2011 through Monday, January 2, 2012

Offices Re-open: Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Calendar of Events

New Staff Orientation:

Monday, Jan 9 9:00 am – 11:30 am Madison House, Room 104

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)

Tuesday, January 24 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Commons, Room 207

Tuesday, February 14 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Commons, Room 207

Tuesday March 27 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Commons, Room 207

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF please call 1-800-732-8353

Happy and Safe Holidays and Happy New Year!

2011 Christmas/New Year Holiday Schedule (corrected)

The holiday schedule for Christmas through New Year’s is:

Closed: Friday, December 23, 2011 through Monday, January 2, 2012
Offices Re-open: Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Important Benefits Notices

Summary Annual Reports (SAR). Dental, Employee Assistance, Health and Pension programs are governed by a set of rules – the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) — that require employers to provide all participants with basic information concerning the plan’s financial condition. The content and format is established in the regulations issued by the Department of Labor. These documents are located on the HR Intranet site under Information and Forms and are for informational purposes only. No action is required on your part. Questions? Call Deborah at x3515.

FSA: 2011. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that any money left in your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) be forfeited if it is not reimbursed for an eligible 2011 expense. FSA expenses for 2011 must be incurred by March 15, 2012 and be submitted for reimbursement no later than June 15, 2012. For a copy of the form to submit to United Healthcare, please go to Drew’s Intranet website, click on employees, scroll to benefits, flexible spending account and click on claim form.

Banner (corrected)

Effective with the first paychecks issued in January, 2012, deductions for bi-weekly paid staff will be taken as follows:

1st Paycheck	2nd Paycheck
health (one-half) dental (one-half) pension supplemental retirement FSA (onsite childcare/one-half) FSA (non-onsite dependent care/one-half) FSA (medical/one-half) long term disability (LTD/one-half) accidental death & dismemberment (ADD) vision life (revised) gifts (revised) imputed income (taxes owed on the value of life insurance over $50,000)	health (one-half) dental (one-half) pension supplemental retirement FSA (onsite childcare/one-half) FSA (non-onsite dependent care/one-half) FSA (medical/one-half) long term disability (LTD/one-half)

Calendar of Events

New Staff Orientation:

Monday, Jan 9 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Madison House, Room 104

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)

Tuesday, January 24 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Commons, Room 207
Tuesday, February 14 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Commons, Room 207
Tuesday March 27 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Commons, Room 20

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF please call 1-800-732-8353

Happy and Safe Holidays and Happy New Year!

Banner

As you are aware, HR is involved in the implementation of Banner, the new administrative system that is replacing Aims.  Banner will maintain employment, salary and benefit information for all current faculty, staff and students, and will be used to issue all paychecks.  The new system will “go live” on January 1, 2012.

There will be a number of changes to how we manage information in the new system. Today we want to share with you the changes monthly paid staff will encounter with vacation accruals and remind bi-weekly paid staff of revised benefits deductions that will be reflected in paychecks next year.

Monthly paid staff will be required to submit their leave report (formerly Monthly Vacation Days) by the end of the month following the month in which the time was taken. (For example, time taken in February 2012 must be reported by no later than March 31, 2012.)  Leave reports will only remain in Banner for two months and time not recorded within this timeframe cannot be recorded at a later date.  There are no manual overrides.

Monthly paid staff are encouraged to review their time cards in CampusWeb and update them – through December 31—by no later than December 21, 2011 (remember — we are closed December 23, 2011 through January 2, 2012). Vacation accruals will be imported into Banner before January 1, so anyone who has not updated their time cards will not have an accurate accrual in Banner.  Questions?  Please contact John Saul at ext. 3122.

Bi-weekly staff Reminder

Effective with the first paychecks issued in January, 2012, deductions for bi-weekly paid staffwill be taken as follows:

1^st Paycheck:                                               2^nd Paycheck

• health (one-half)                                             health (one-half)
• dental (one-half)                                             dental (one-half)
• pension                                                           pension
• supplemental retirement                                  supplemental retirement
• FSA (onsite childcare/one-half)                       FSA (onsite childcare/one-half)
• FSA (non-onsite dependent care/one-half)     FSA (non-onsite dependent care/one-half)
• FSA (medical/one-half)                                    FSA (medical/one-half)
• long term disability (LTD/one-half)                  long term disability (LTD/one-half)
•  accidental death & dismemberment (ADD)     gifts
•  vision                                                              life

imputed income (taxes owed on the value of life insurance over $50,000)

2011 Christmas/New Year Holiday Schedule

The holiday schedule for Christmas through New Year’s is:

        Closed: Friday, December 23, 2011 through Monday, January 2, 2012

Offices Re-open:      Tuesday, January 3, 2012

***Payroll Deadlines***

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below:

• December 9 for the December 22 paycheck
• January 18 for the January 31 paycheck

NJ Department of Labor and Workplace Development

Employers are routinely required by state and federal governments to provide employees with information related to the benefits and services the employer offers.  The NJDLWD has issued a document that outlines benefits related information Drew is responsible for maintaining.  A copy of this document can be found on the HR Intranet site under general information.

Calendar of Events

New Staff Orientation:

•  Monday, Jan 9         9:00 am – 11:30 am        Madison House, Room 104

New to Drew!

Please join me in welcoming the newest members of our community!  Staff listed below came on board between October 1 and November 30, 2011

• Zachery Brown, Assistant Fencing Coach
• Bahiyyah Muhammad, Director of the College Bound Consortium
• Asha Nambiar, Coordinator of Disability Services
• Naga Obilichetti, Business Office Assistant
• Luke O’Connell, Senior Philanthropy Officer
• Michelle Para, Assistant Teacher, Acorn Academy
• Scott Sisco, Admission Technology Officer

Retiree Health Q&A

Earlier this month we announced a one-time opportunity for eligible faculty and staff to retire under the old retiree health plan.  Several questions have been raised which are answered below.

Q.    How soon can I retire under this plan?

A.      You can retire as early as December 1, 2011, but no later than June 30, 2012. We encourage everyone who is considering retiring to contact the Social Security Office and TIAA-CREF to ensure that you understand the financial implications of retiring.

Q.    When should I tell my supervisor that I am planning to retire?

A.      Retirements under this plan must be shared with your supervisor on or before January 31, 2012. 

Q.    What are the eligibility requirements?

A.      You must be 55 years of age or older and have 10 or more years of full-time service as of December 31, 2010.

Q.    Are part-time faculty and staff who were “grandfathered” under the active health program several years ago eligible for retiree health?

A.      Sorry, only full-time faculty and staff are eligible to participate in the retiree health plan.

Q.    Are there other changes planned for retiree health?

A.        As part of the Organizational Review the Compensation and Benefits Team will consider changes to health care generally and retiree health specifically.  The University reserves the right to change the plan design (i.e. co-pays, deductibles, etc.) in the future.

Q.    What is the difference in cost for the new plan?

A.      The chart below shows costs for coverage under the old plan and under the new one. The University covers 70% of the cost of the premium for the retiree and their dependents under the old plan; under the new plan the University pays 70% of the premium for the retiree and 30% for dependents.)

Holiday Stress

The holidays can be a very difficult time for individuals and families and to help with the stress the University provides the services of two employee assistance programs.  CONCERN offers free confidential counseling and information services to you and your family members.  CONCERN provides assistance in many areas, including grief, financial pressures, depression and anxiety, family/parenting issues, stress management, alcohol & drug problems, eating disorders, marital and relationship issues and self-esteem.  Confidential telephone consultations are available by calling 1-800-242-7371.

Ability Assist provides employees and their dependents unlimited, 24/7 telephone  access to a toll-free helpline staffed by Master’s level counselors who will help employees develop an assistance plan and provide referrals  to  a professional network of providers. They may also refer employees to support services, such as community-based help resources, not-for-profit self-help groups, and daycare for children and elderly parents.  If needed, the employee and his or her dependents may use up to five face-to-face sessions per year with a counselor, financial planner, or legal advisor. Ability Assist services are provided through ComPsych, a leading provider of employee assistance and work/life services.  For confidential assistance call 1-800-964-3577.

2012 Dollar Limits

The IRS released the maximum 2012 dollar limits for employee benefit plans as follows:

• Social Security Taxable Wage Base $110,100
• Medicare Wage Base No Limit
• Maximum pre-tax contribution to 403(b) plans $17,000 (under age 50) $22,500 (over age 50)
• Maximum elective deferral for employees under $20,000 age 50 with 15 years or more of service at Drew  
• Maximum elective deferral for employees age 50  $25,500 and over with 15 or more years of service at Drew

Planning for Your Retirement

No matter the stage of your life or your career, it’s always the right time to plan for your retirement.  Drew employees have the opportunity to contribute to a supplemental retirement account (SRA) to save more for retirement. Your contributions are deducted from your paycheck before you pay Federal income taxes, lowering your current taxable income. Best of all, your contributions and any earnings are tax deferred, which means you don’t pay taxes on them until you withdraw the funds, usually at retirement. (Withdrawals prior to 59½ may be subject to a 10% IRS early withdrawal penalty in addition to ordinary income tax.) 

Beginning your contributions now—even a small amount—can help build your retirement savings over the long term. And if you’re currently contributing to the plan, increasing your contributions can add considerably to your savings potential. A TIAA-CREF individual consultant can help you define your long-term goals, review the choices the plan offers to help you get where you want to go, and take you step-by-step through enrolling in the plan. TIAA-CREF telephone consultants are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 800-842 2776.  For a copy of the enrollment form, go to the HR Intranet site under TIAA-CREF.

***Payroll Deadlines***

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below:

• December 9 for the December 22 paycheck

Calendar of Events

New Staff Orientation:

• Monday, Dec 5               9:00 am – 11:30 am        Madison House, Room 104

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)  TBA

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF please call 1-800-732-8353

Retiree Health

In the March 10, 2009 issue of HR News, we announced that a review of the current retiree health plan would be conducted and that we hoped to announce a new retiree health plan in September 2010, to be effective on January 1, 2011. On October 26, 2010 we announced that the retiree health plan would be suspended as of December 31, 2010 and that final recommendations to the Board would be made in February. However, the review took longer than expected and it was not until May 2011 that we announced significant changes to the fee structure of the plan, and that the changes were retroactive to January 1, 2011.

Since the announcement, some faculty and staff have expressed concern that communications around potential changes to the retiree health plan were insufficient to allow individuals to make an informed decision as to whether they should retire under the then current plan. We have heard this concern and agree that communications were not timely and detailed enough to make an informed decision.

In response to these concerns, we are offering a one-time opportunity for eligible faculty and staff to retire under the old retiree health plan. (Under the old plan faculty and staff could retire at age 55 with 10 or more years of service; under the new plan you must be 60 with 15 or more years of service. The University covers 70% of the cost of the premium for the retiree and their dependents under the old plan; under the new plan the University pays 70% of the premium for the retiree and 30% for dependents.) In order to retire under this program, you must meet the eligibility requirements listed below, agree to retire no later than June 30, 2012, and complete the application process by the stated deadlines.

Important notes: anyone who does not meet the eligibility requirements cannot retire under this program. No exceptions will be considered. Also note that the University reserves the right to change the plan design (i.e. co-pays, deductibles, etc.) in the future.

Eligibility:

• 55 years of age or older; and
• 10 or more years of service
• as of December 31, 2010

Process:

• Notify your direct supervisor of your planned retirement date
• Complete the Application on the HR Intranet website under “General Information ” and submit the form to Human Resources no later than January 31, 2012

Questions? Contact Deborah Raikes-Colbert at draikesc@drew.edu or extension 3515.

2012 Holiday Schedule

The President has approved the holiday schedule for 2012, which includes additional time off during the Christmas holidays. Please join me in thanking President Weisbuch for this wonderful gift of time! The schedule is located on the HR Intranet website under “General Information”.

Payroll Deadlines

To ensure that monthly paid faculty and staff are paid correctly, all paperwork, including stipends and new hire benefit enrollment forms, must be received in HR or Payroll no later than the dates shown below:

November 18 for the November 30 paycheck

December 9 for the December 22 paycheck

Important Reminders

Floating Holidays. Don’t forget to use Float Holidays before the end of December! Unused Floating Holiday hours do not carry over to 2012 –all unused floating hours will be lost.

Sexual Harassment and Employment Discrimination Training is mandatory for all full and part-time faculty, including adjuncts, and staff. Designed to help us understand, respond to and prevent employment discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace, the online training takes less than one hour and can be taken anywhere you have access to a computer. If you have not already done so, please fulfill your responsibility by going to: http://training.newmedialearning.com/phs/drewu to take the sexual harassment training and http://training.newmedialearning.com/ped/drewu for employment discrimination training. If you are not certain whether you have taken the training, call Fredi Cox at 3795.

The Campus Conduct Hotline is available 24/7 and makes it possible for you to report concerns about possible violations of Drew’s policies on a completely confidential and anonymous basis. For more information about the Hotline and/or the Whistleblower’s Policy, go to “Information for Employees” on the HR Intranet website.

Calendar of Events

New Staff Orientation:

Monday, Dec 5 9:00 am – 11:30 am Madison House, Room 104

Thanksgiving Holiday

½ Day Wednesday, November 23

Closed Thursday and Friday, November 24-25

TIAA-CREF Individual Counseling Sessions (by appointment only*)

Tuesday, Nov 29 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Commons, Room 207

*To schedule an appointment with TIAA-CREF please call 1-800-732-8353