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STAFFLINE: A Publication of the UVM Staff Council January 8, 2018

A Note from President Tom Sullivan Greetings, and welcome back from what I hope was a restful and rejuvenating holiday break! The fall semester was busy and fruitful. Throughout I witnessed firsthand the dedication of our stellar staff to our students and our educational mission here at UVM. I am continually impressed by your professionalism and grateful for the many ways in which you make our University operations hum. I appreciate standing at this threshold of a new semester knowing that the support and excellence you provide to the entire UVM community is strong and solid. Thank you. The first official day of this spring semester is also the kickoff of our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, Education, and Learning Events series. Starting January 16 and running through January 25, events across campus will celebrate, honor, and continue Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy of building a beloved and just community. We are excited to welcome BET News host and CNN political contributor Dr. Marc Lamont Hill as the MLK Celebration keynote speaker on Tuesday, January 23, at Ira Allen Chapel. The Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University and an award-winning journalist, Dr. Hill has authored four books, including the New York Times bestselling Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable,from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond. He has been named one of America’s 100 most influential Black leaders by Ebony Magazine. I hope you will join us for Dr. Hill’s keynote and other events throughout the week. Continue reading... Upcoming Staff Council Meeting The next Staff Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 9th, 12:05-1:30pm in Waterman's Memorial Lounge. The Council's primary topic at this meeting will be discussion of the incentive-based budget model to formulate suggestions for the IBB 2.0 Steering Committee. Click here for a copy of the agenda. Information from Staff Council: New Year, New Changes to UVM's Flex Spending Plan! As you may already know, there have been some significant changes to the procedures in UVM's Flex Spending medical benefit. As of January 1st, 2018, those who have signed up for a flexible spending account will now have a more convenient way to make qualified purchases – a VISA debit card. This debit card comes with some unique features and requirements, so please make sure to review the information available for more details and to ensure you use the card properly. (For those that prefer the traditional method, you have the option to continue to submit paper claims for reimbursement as you have in the past.) We hope this debit card will make your life easier and flexible spending a more attractive employee benefit. Greg Paradiso, Benefits, Compensation & HRIS Director, shares the following resources for getting started with the card system: Additional Debit Card Request (pdf) EBPA Debit Card FAQs (pdf) EBPA Reimbursement Accounts Claims Processing EBPA FSA brochure (pdf) You can also visit HRDMA's webpage to learn about the Flex Spending benefit, or email Greg with questions. Thank You For Your Contributions to the Holiday Bazaar! Staff Council, the Social Committee and the Staff Council Office are incredibly grateful to all who made this year's Holiday Bazaar a wonderful success. Thank you so much for volunteering, donating baked goods, helping vendors move in and out, and everything else that it takes to put together this event. Thanks to your efforts we also raised nearly 300 pounds of food for donation to the Chittenden Food Shelf! All raffle winners have been notified via email, but you can also click here to see if you're a winner. Remember to pick your prizes up at Waterman 313 before January 15th. We'll see you at next year's Holiday Bazaar and in the meantime, if you have thoughts or feedback about this year's event or suggestions for future events, send us a note at Staff.Council@uvm.edu.	Staff Council News : Get Involved Staff Council Calendar and Meeting Schedule Discounts: Add points to your CatCard and save 10% off future UVM Dining purchases! Roxy Cinema Movie Passes More Discounts EVENtS: March 13th, 14th and 15th: Save the Date for EDU@UVM, UVM's three-day signature learning event focused on staff development. More information will be available soon. March 16th: Save the Date for Open Skate Night! Staff Council will again sponsor this night of free ice skating for the entire UVM community, families, and friends. This is a bring-your-own-skates event. More information will be available soon. BCBS Snow Days: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont hosts Snow Days at four ski and outdoor winter sports venues around Vermont. Guests enjoy a variety of free events, including cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding. 2018 Snow Days will be Jan 27th, Feb 3rd, Feb 17th and Feb 24th. Click here for locations and details. For More Events Other Announcements: Building UVM Information Volunteers for Dengue Vaccine Study Needed: Ages 18-50 Tobacco-Free UVM Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? Invest in Your Future with UVM Continuing and Distance Education Staffline e-Newsletter Submission and Distribution Schedule More news >> Follow us here: Email: Staff.Council@uvm.edu or call the Staff Council Office at 802-656-4493 Staff Council Office 85 So. Prospect Street 313 Waterman Building Burlington, VT 05405 Hours M -TH 8am - 3:30pm F 9am - 1pm www.uvm.edu/staffcouncil
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