Hello everyone!
First of all, happy National Chocolate Day: I hope you take a minute for a sweet treat today J I have Zooms nonstop from 1:00-7:00pm, so I’ll be snarfing some Cadbury Royal Dark chocolate while my camera is turned off.
I wanted to call attention to two issues that are top of my mind lately, and I’m sure many of yours as well: the recent change to the Faculty/Staff Tuition Benefit Policy, and the election next week.
The email regarding the change in the Faculty/Staff Tuition Benefit Policy was sent out last Thursday, announcing that the benefit will now only cover six credit hours per semester, versus 10. This affects many students in Glenn College graduate programs, and I’m sure students in your programs, as well as probably some of you yourselves! There is a meeting tomorrow (Thursday 10/29/2020) at 11:00am hosted by the University Staff Advisory Committee (USAC) in which USAC will lead several members of HR leadership in a panel discussion. You have to register for the event ahead of time, and you can submit questions for USAC to ask HR leaders. Please see the link below:
University Staff Advisory Committee Events
HR Conversation – Oct 29th: https://usac.osu.edu/conversation-with-hr-leadership/
Another big issue that’s front-of-mind right now is obviously the upcoming presidential election. I’ve been involved in several different discussions at the Glenn College in regard to how to support students and each other during what will inevitably be a stressful week. We’ve talked about encouraging instructor flexibility for student attendance and requirements; hopefully, these efforts are already in place in response to COVID-19, but they may become more acute this week and next as students vote and react to the election results. The following links are more specifically for staff members, but I’d be interested in hearing if there are other efforts your units are pursuing or events you’re holding to respond to the election in the coming weeks. We’re considering a town hall discussion for Glenn College students with our dean as well.
Election Resources for Employees. Please share programming and support resources with your college/unit: https://odi.osu.edu/election-resources-and-support.
Special Post-Election event:
November 6, 11:00 AM Post-Election Employee Check-in with EAP
Election season can be stressful, and it is ok to seek support. Join a licensed EAP professional for a guided opportunity to check-in and process your experiences with the election.
Register: https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8H1X1IJt5N5d3P
Space is limited!
Stay healthy and safe!
-Sammie