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Is your department ready for a hurricane?

Hurricane season is upon us again. It is important for each UF department to be ready for potential storms. Here are a few key facts to keep in mind regarding your hurricane response:

The UF home page will be the primary source of information regarding class cancellations, campus closures, and work schedules. Announcements will also be sent to faculty, staff, and students via e-mail.

Checklists are available on Environmental Health & Safety’s Emergency Management page to assist departments in preparing their work spaces for hurricanes should the university close. The Departmental Tropical Weather Response and Recovery Plan template assists departments with developing their hurricane plans.

UF will follow forecasts and information provided by the National Weather Service-Jacksonville and the National Hurricane Center. Additional weather resources are available on UF’s weather page at www.ufl.edu/weather.

Are you personally ready for a hurricane?
An important part of UF preparedness is making sure your family and home are ready for a storm.

• Take actions now to be prepared including assembling a disaster supply kit.

• Know in advance if your role at UF will require you to work during or immediately after a storm and make necessary arrangements for your family and pets. Tips for preparing a personalized family disaster plan are available from the Florida Division of Emergency Management and IFAS Solutions for Your Life.

• If Alachua County is threatened by a hurricane, shelters will be opened on campus for UF faculty, staff, students, and their families. Shelter locations and information will be posted on the home page. In most cases, on-campus residents and those living in sturdy construction, non-flood prone areas can shelter in their home. If using a shelter, please bring a change of clothes, bedding, pillow, toiletry items, and your prescription medications.

• In the event of a power outage, have a battery-powered radio in your home to monitor local media including announcements from UF. Campus radio stations will provide information and simulcast WCJB TV-20 newscasts when appropriate.

Additional information on hurricane preparedness, including a short video, is available at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/disasterplan/Hurricane.htm (Photo courtesy of NOAA).

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Discover Your Leadership Potential: UF Academy accepting applications for 2009-2010

UF Training and Organizational Development is pleased to announce a call for applications to join the UF Academy for 2009-2010. Applications to participate are being accepted from July 20 through close of business on August 28. This year's program kicks off on September 23, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Human Resource Services Building, Room 120, with the program running from October through June 2010. 

Designed for emerging leaders at our institution, the UF Academy is a 9-month program that provides a UF-specific approach for up to 15 recognized star achievers who are “emerging leaders” at our institution. Participants are selected via a competitive application process. Entering its seventh year, the UF Academy (formerly the Finance and Administration Academy) focuses on immersion in the university culture and exposure to its organizational structure.  

To participate in the Academy, an employee must be exempt with at least two years of supervisory or decision-making responsibility at the University of Florida and meet the additional criteria described on the website. Employees at the assistant director level and above with fewer than two years at the university, as well as interested faculty members, may also apply to participate. 

For more information, including the application, please visit: http://www.hr.ufl.edu/training/leadership/default.asp.

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FRS Legislation Update

The Florida Legislature considered several pieces of legislation affecting the Florida Retirement System (FRS) during its 2009 session. House Bill 479 was one of the bills passed and revises termination and reemployment requirements for members of the Florida Investment Plan and Pension Plan, including DROP participants. There are also provisions regarding future FRS membership for reemployed retirees. The bill provides the following:

Termination
After a member has met the termination requirements to receive a benefit, the member will be required to be off all payrolls with FRS-covered employers for six calendar months. The current Investment Plan requires one or three calendar months and the Pension Plan requires one month. The effective dates of this change are as follows:

• Investment Plan members — The six-calendar month termination requirement is in effect for those members retiring on or after July 1, 2009.
• Pension Plan/DROP members — The six-calendar month termination requirement is in effect for those members retiring or terminating DROP on or after July 1, 2010.
Note: If a member is reemployed during the required termination period, retirement is voided.

Reemployment Limitations
Limitations are revised, as follows:

• Investment Plan members:
From July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010, if a retiree is reemployed by an FRS-covered employer within the six calendar months after meeting the six-month termination requirement, the current Investment Plan reemployment exceptions apply, as follows:

• If the member returns in a position allowed under current reemployment exceptions, there is no impact on receiving additional Investment Plan distributions.

• If the member returns in a position not allowed under current reemployment exceptions, no additional Investment Plan distributions are permitted until the member terminates employment or completes 12 months of retirement.

Note: An employee is eligible for FRS membership in the above scenarios providing he or she is initially reemployed prior to July 1, 2010.

On or after July 1, 2010, if a retiree is reemployed by an FRS-covered employer within the six calendar months after meeting the six-month termination requirement, there are no reemployment exceptions.  No additional Investment Plan distributions are permitted until the member terminates employment or completes 12 months of retirement.  When one year has passed after retirement, a member can receive additional Investment Plan distributions, even if he or she becomes reemployed by an FRS-covered employer.  However, employees in this instance are not eligible for FRS membership.

• Pension Plan members:
On or after July 1, 2010, if a retiree is reemployed by an FRS-covered employer within the six calendar months after meeting the six-month termination requirement, there are no reemployment exceptions; the member must suspend further monthly Pension Plan benefits for every month he or she is employed during this period.  When one year has passed after retirement, a member can receive monthly Pension Plan benefits, even if he or she becomes reemployed by an FRS-covered employer. However, employees in this instance are not eligible for FRS membership.

Renewed Membership

A retiree who initially returns to FRS-covered employment prior to July 1, 2010, will remain covered under FRS membership until he or she retires.

A retiree who initially returns to FRS-covered employment on or after July 1, 2010, will not be eligible for FRS membership.

Please note that this includes retirees of the Pension Plan, Investment Plan, and State University System Optional Retirement Program.

For more information on retirement legislation and related bills, visit the Florida Department of Management website at: http://dms.myflorida.com/
human_resource_support/retirement/legislation_laws_and_rules/
2009_legislation.

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New policy requires protective equipment when riding motorcycles, scooters, Segways, and bicycles

In pursuit of more sustainable processes, University of Florida departments are looking at alternate methods of transportation such as scooters, bicycles, and Segways.  While alternative transportation modes are efficient, falls associated with these vehicles carry risks to the rider. Helmets prove to reduce the risk of serious injury or death when riding vehicles of this type. 

The university has established a new policy requiring the use of personal protective equipment during operation of motorcycles, motor scooters, mopeds, Segways, and bicycles by University of Florida personnel while in the conduct of official business.  All university employees who ride their personal or UF-owned motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, or Segway personal transporters for UF business purposes are required to wear a protective helmet that complies with specific appropriate safety standards. 

The complete personal protective equipment policy and additional basic safety information can be viewed at: http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/RiskMgmt/
helmet.htm.

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UF employees may self-identify Veterans Status

All UF employees have an opportunity to self-identify their Veterans Status based on the new U.S. Department of Labor definitions. As a federal contractor, the University of Florida is required to collect and report veteran status data each year via the VETS-100A Report. All employees, including non-veterans, are being asked to complete the survey, so please take a few minutes to complete the resurvey in the myUFL system at myUFL > My Self Service > UF Veterans Status Survey. If you have questions about the resurvey, please contact UF Equal Employment Opportunity office at EEO@ufl.edu, or (352) 273-1778.

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Employee Education Program accepting applications for the fall semester

The Employee Education Program (EEP) is a popular benefit available to eligible UF faculty and staff. The program provides tuition assistance for up to six credit hours of eligible college-level courses per semester.

Employees interested in participating in the EEP during the fall semester should register and turn in applications to the institution they plan to attend by the following deadlines:

University of Florida
EEP registration period: August 13 – 28, 2009
EEP application deadline: 5:00 p.m. on September 1, 2009
*Registration after August 28, 2009, is subject to a $100 late registration fee.

Santa Fe College
EEP application deadline: July 16, 2009
If you register on or before this date, your EEP application is due to the SFC cashier’s office by 4:00 p.m. on July 16, 2009. Registration is still permitted after July 16; however, the EEP application must be turned in by 4:00 p.m. the next business day after registering.

Employees attending other institutions must register before the deadlines at their approved institutions. Completed EEP applications for fall semester must be turned in by Friday, July 24, to Jamie Cooke, Education Coordinator. Applications may be faxed to (352) 392-1055 or emailed to jamie-cooke@ufl.edu.

For complete program participation requirements, eligibility, and application deadlines, please visit www.hr.ufl.edu/education/eep. For questions about this program, please contact Jamie Cooke, UF Training and Organizational Development, at (352) 273-1761 or jamie-cooke@ufl.edu.

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Reset, Refocus: Attend “Be Your Best” Training this July

During July, UF Training and Organizational Development will offer workshops that provide an opportunity to focus on personal development as a step toward being more effective. Sign up today for one or several workshops all designed to help you “be your best”.

Also, back by popular demand:

PMA010 Project Management
Thursday, July 23, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., HRS Building, Room 120

Project management, whether aimed at improving service or solving major organizational problems, requires a different set of management skills than those needed to oversee routine operations. You can make project management a positive work experience through understanding project functions from start to finish.

CCA010 Quality Customer Service
Thursday, August 6, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., HRS Building, Room 120

Get ready for fall by fine-tuning your customer service skills! In this workshop, participants will identify customer expectations, review assertive communication as a key component of quality customer service, and discuss common customer service interactions and how to improve them.

Visit the "be your best" webpage for course descriptions and the July course schedule. For information about other opportunities through UF Training and Organizational Development, visit www.hr.ufl.edu/training, or contact us at training@ufl.edu.

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Second Annual Gator Charity Challenge

The University of Florida football team is preparing to hold its second annual Gator Charity Challenge event on Friday, July 31, at 6:30 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The fundraiser, which was initiated prior to the 2008 season, will feature the 2009 Gator squad challenging each other in a series of strength competitions. The event is weather-permitting and free and open to the public.

The inaugural Gator Charity Challenge, hosted in July of 2008, drew approximately 1,800 fans from The Gator Nation who watched the intra-squad strength competition between Florida players who competed in six events.

Similarly this year, the squad will be divided into teams that will represent six charities including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Children’s Miracle Network, March of Dimes, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the North Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Pledge cards will be available on the West Concourse of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for fans to have an opportunity to donate to this year’s six worthy causes. Cash and checks will not be accepted on site; only pledge form donations.

The Gator Charity Challenge is being held in association with Uplifting Athletes, a charitable organization leading an effort to align college football with the awareness of rare diseases and raise them as a national priority. For more info, contact UF Communications at (352) 375-4683, ext. 6100

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©2009 University of Florida Office of Human Resource Services
The InfoGator is a monthly e-publication produced by the University of Florida’s Office of Human Resource Services. It is distributed electronically to UF faculty and staff and is available online. Please direct questions or comments to its editor, Angela Gould; Human Resource Services; P.O. Box 115006; (352) 392-4626; TDD 800-955-8771. The InfoGator is available in an alternative format upon request.