Staff Association Council Newsletter - December 2015
Read the newsletter in your browser
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
SAC Website
SAC Website
Instagram
Instagram

What SAC Does For YOU

Check out the SAC historical timeline for a list of issues tackled by the Staff Association Council on your behalf. Among the accomplishments: preserving Winter Break, initiating Falk Pharmacy prescription delivery, hosting an annual assembly for Pitt staff, and establishing staff access to parking on campus. 
THIS WEEK
In conjunction with last November's Campus Safety Crawl hosted by the Health, Safety, IT and Transportation committee, SAC is hosting a January 27th Brown Bag on Transportation Safety in Oakland at 12pm in the William Pitt Union Ballroom. Speakers include representatives from BikePGH, the Pitt Police, and the Oakland Transportation and Management Association.  Register to attend here.

Comments and suggestions from the Brown Bag, as well as those resulting from the Campus Crawl, will be compiled and presented to SAC and University officials early in 2016. The HSITT committee is looking forward to holding another Campus Crawl in the spring.
 

Join the Center on Race and Social Problems in welcoming Mayor Bill Peduto and Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg for "State of the City" on Tuesday, January 26th from noon until 1:30PM in 2017 Cathedral of Learning. Lunch will be provided and registration is not required.

Visit CRSPs website for information on other events and programming.
GOOD TO KNOW
SAC President comments on University Salary Pool Increases

As reported by the University Times last week, the University has approved salary increases for Fiscal Year 2016 despite the ongoing state budget impasse. Chancellor Patrick Gallagher on Jan. 14 announced a salary increase pool of 2 percent, with an additional 0.5 percent for employees earning $45,000 or less. Raises will be retroactive to the start of the calendar year.

Rich Colwell, president of the Staff Association Council, commented on the salary actions: “We appreciate the one-time payment in December, even without a state appropriation. We appreciate the additional monies for the low-end staff who need some help in staying above inflation so they get to notice a raise in their pay."

Read the full story on the University Times website.
 
SAC Evaluating Staff Survey

The Staff Association Council's Staff Relations Committee is evaluating the results of our recent survey of staff at the University. Early analysis indicates two primary concerns of staff being job status/classification/compensation and medical benefits. The committee will continue to evaluate the results and provide detailed summaries to the University community on how staff concerns can be addressed. SAC will use our Brown Bag series to continue to educate staff about these topics.
SAC Spring Staff Assembly - Save the Date!

The Staff Association Council is happy to announce its annual Staff Assembly to be held May 10, 2016 at the William Pitt Union. This year's event focuses on mind and body health in the workplace. For the second consecutive year Chancellor Gallagher is scheduled to be the keynote speaker. Please save the date and stay tuned to our media channels for more details!
Policy on Extreme Weather Conditions

Now that winter weather has finally struck, staff are reminded to be aware of the University's policy on extreme weather conditions, outlined in this memorandum that was circulated to University employees this past December.

One of the positives of the policy that University employees are reminded of is mentioned in the last sentence of the second bullet item: “If care for a dependent family member is necessitated by the closure or delayed start of a care facility or school because of severe weather conditions, sick time may be taken”. Contact the Office of Human Resources for more information.
Try LifeSolutions in 2016

Feeling the January woes of financial stress? Interested in gaining insight on how to become a better supervisor in 2016? Look to LifeSolutions for information on how to balance the stresses of work and daily life

Take a moment to browse two of LifeSolutions January 2016 newsletters: The Successful Supervisor and Financial Stress.

Offered as a health and wellness resource through the University's Office of Human Resources, LifeSolutions provides a broad range of work/life services to assist faculty, staff, and their household members, at no cost to you. LifeSolutions services include: 
  • Personalized WorkLife Referrals
  • Online WorkLife Resources
  • Crisis 24/7 Contact Information
  • Counseling and Coaching Services
  • Disability and Family Medical Leave Outreach
University Times Highlights
Staff members interested in receiving a digital subscription to the University Times via email should subscribe to UTDirect through the Times’ website.

 

Pay hikes approved despite lack of appropriation

 

UPG launches trial flextime program

 

Increase in sexual harassment prevention & response training proposed
 
Staff Highlights
Meet January's featured SAC member Debbie Whitfield!

Debbie Whitfield is the Senior Patient Financial Information Specialist at Pitt’s School of Dental Medicine. She supervises the Financial Information Specialists.  She also works with the dental students and patients to make payment arrangements for treatment and manages all the delinquent patient accounts. Debbie has worked for the University for 17 years.

Her involvement with SAC?  Debbie serves as the newly appointed Vice Chair of the External Relations Committee.  She has been a member of SAC for almost two years.

Why did she join SAC?  Debbie says, “I have always been involved in community activities and volunteer opportunities. I think we have an obligation to help out where we can and I wanted to become more involved in the University community.  I enjoy getting to know people across the campus. I like being involved in the various projects that SAC sponsors.” 

What is Debbie’s vision on how SAC can impact the University of Pittsburgh?  Debbie says, “SAC provides a great service to staff members by providing a voice in the shared governance of the University. I believe that to be the most important function of SAC.”

Fun Facts about Debbie: “I am an avid volunteer.  I am a member of the Kiwanis Club of Sheraden and currently serve as the Lt. Governor for my region. I am also a member of the Norwood Herrington Chapter Order of the Eastern Star (OES). I was also one of the 2010 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Service to Community recipients; this is one of my proudest moments.  It was an honor to be nominated by my co-workers and recognized by the University for my work in serving my community.”
Val Asbury, a SAC member of three years, is leaving the University on Friday, January 29th. Val has taken a new position with the Western Pennsylvania School of the Blind. Val was an active member of SAC, most recently chairing a special elections committee last fall. Best of luck!
Events and Programming
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall will host its 6th Annual African-American Heritage Celebration on Saturday, February 13, 2016. This year’s program is titled “Black Veterans with Success: Their History and Commitment to Excellence”.                                    
 
“Soldiers & Sailors is proud to highlight the stories of all those that served in the military, regardless of their branch of service, gender or national origin, and the African-American Heritage Celebration allows us to emphasis the African-American contributions to the military and the affect the military had on the African American community,” said President & CEO John F. McCabe. “We will showcase the accomplishments of African American veterans for families to learn about and recognize the significant contributions made by African-Americans.”
 
Retired Soldiers & Sailors Historian John L. Ford, Sr., will moderate the panel discussion of speakers that include:
Sergeant E-5 Charles E. Culliver U.S. Army Retired
Commander Leon McClain, Jr. U.S. Coast Guard
Staff Sergeant Paul Johnson U.S. Army
 
The 6th Annual African-American Heritage Celebration begins at 1 p.m. in the Gettysburg Room.  All military and veterans are invited and encouraged to attend. For more information please visit www.soldiersandsailorshall.org or call (412) 621-4253
 
The Staff Association Council will hold its first Year of Humanities affiliated event in March focused on Healthy Movement and hosted by Dr. Rene Rogers.

This will be the first in a series of events focused on cultivating a healthy work/life balance to promote mental and physical wellness. The entire University community is invited to attend our Year of Humanities presentations. Stay tuned to our social media outlets for details: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall will be hosting Family Evening at the Museum on March 24th, 2016. Admission to the event is free. For more information please visit the Soldiers and Sailors website.

All University of Pittsburgh staff members in good standing are invited to become members of the Staff Association Council.  Please contact us if you have interest in becoming a member of the Staff Association Council.

 
Peter Adams - Plastic Surgery
Marissa Arlet - Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Tammeka Banks - Office of Research
Susan Benton - Division of Laboratory Animal Resources
Barbara Bowers - Anesthesiology
Mario Browne - SVC Health Sciences
Camille Burgess - College of Business Administration 
Lucy Cafeo - Biomedical Informatics
Paula Carpinelli - Purchasing Services
Cindy Cercone – Physics
Angela Coldren - Katz Graduate School of Business
Rich Colwell - Engineering Operations
Tricia Connell - Office of Institutional Advancement
Monica Costlow - Biostatistics/Comparative Effectiveness Research Core
Allyson Delnore – UCIS
Brian Deutsch – English Language Institute/Linguistics
Karen Dicks - Department of Computer Science
Kenny Doty - Swanson School of Engineering/IT
Deborah Downey - Falk Library of the Health Sciences
Rick Fabean - Pharmacy
Colleen Farrell - Cardiology
Ric Fera - Education Technology and Innovation
Diane Fleishman - Continuing Dental Education
Anita Gallagher - Nationality Rooms/UCIS
Jean Hale - GSPIA
Kathleen Hansell-Prigg – Systems Neuroscience Institute
Tami Haslett – Communication Services
Carol Hodgkiss - Nursing/Educational Technology and Innovation
Nicole Hudson – Katz Graduate School of Business
Robyne Ivory - University Library System Technical Services
Christine Jackson - Occupational Therapy
Samantha Jakiel – School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Corey James – School of Information Sciences
Michael Jandrasits - Athletic Department - Ticket Office
Sara Jones – Office of International Services
Lisa Joseph - Collections
Michele Kiraly - CSSD
Hillary Koller - College of Business Administration Career Services
Robert Kornosky Jr. – SHRS – Sports Medicine and Nutrition
Michael Laughlin - Fiscal Services
Marsha Lee – Center for Research on Health Care
Monika Losagio - French and  Italian and Hispanic
James Lyle - Engineering-Information Technology
Adriana Maguina-Ugarte - Center for Comparative Archaeology/Anthropology
Nicholas Mance - Bioengineering
Meg Mayer-Costa - Student Health Service
Jonah McAllister-Erickson - University Library Services/Admin
Maura McCall – Nursing/Center for Research and Evaluation
Rocco Mercurio – Epidemiology
EJ Milarski – Alumni Relations – IA
Babs Mowery - A&S Advising Center
Beth Ann Pischke - School of Law
Brian Pasquini – CSSD
Beth Anne Pischke – School of Law
Matthew Richardson – Cross Cultural & Leadership Development
Pamela Rikstad - Swanson School of Engineering, Office of the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Lindsay Rodzwicz - Bioengineering
Bobbi Jo Rosol - Computing Services
Fiona Seels - School of Education -Technology Department
Megan Soltesz - School of Social Work
Nancy Spice - School of Pharmacy
Andy Stephany - Medicine/Research Administration
Clayton Steup - Medicine/Physician Scientist Training Program
Barbara Stolarz – Office of Child Development, School of Education
Scott Szypulski – School of Medicine – Critical Care
Peng Tang - Research/Cost Accounting
Tiwanda Taylor - College of Business Administration
Jessica Tebbets - Medicine-Orthopaedic Surgery
Alex Toner  - Archives Service Center
Michele Tschannen - Pitt Program Council
Michael Wahl - School of Dental Medicine Office of the Dean
Debora Whitfield - Dental Medicine, Office of Patient Services
Barbara Zischkau - Pitt Annual Fund
Copyright © 2016 University of Pittsburgh - Staff Council, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp