April 2018 | En Español

Staff Senate Nominations

Staff Senate is currently taking nominations! Senators serve staggered two-year terms, and about half of the Senate will soon be up for reelection for the 2018-2019 academic year. If you would like to nominate yourself or another staff member for Staff Senate, please fill out the online form today! Nominations close on April 10, and elections will take place from April 16 to April 28. Each elected member’s two-year term will being in August 2018.

Submit your nomination today!

Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthSelect of Texas Update

In March, Blue Cross Blue Shield, BCBS, sent letters to many UNT System faculty and staff members stating that their Primary Care Physician, PCP, would no longer be in network as of March 31, 2018. 

We are happy to announce that negotiations between BCBS and Texas Health, the largest health insurer in Texas, ended positively and Texas Health will remain in-network with the insurance carrier. 

Please note, if you look at your online BCBS portal now, it may take time for your doctor to show as in-network while BCBS adds the estimated 2,000 physicians back into their system as network providers. BCBS recommends that you always confirm that a provider is in the network before you receive care. 

Going forward, Blue Cross Blue Shield will continue to be the insurance provider for UNT System for the 2018-2019 academic year. Annual enrollment for the BCBS plan and other coverage options will be available during the following times:

• UNT: July 2-July 14
• UNT Dallas, UNT HSC, and UNT System: July 9-July 21

More information regarding annual enrollment is forthcoming. If you have additional benefit questions, please email hrbenefits@untsystem.edu or call 817-735-7650, option 2.

Staff Senate April Lunch and Learn Events

All employees are invited to attend the Staff Senate Lunch and Learn events. Sign up to attend these events through the learning portal at mylearning.unt.edu and receive training credit. The first 50 people to sign up will receive a free boxed lunch!

Facilities 101

April 12, 2018
Noon to 1 p.m.
Chestnut Hall, rooms 120A & B
Class Code: UNT-F101-1

This session will include an introduction to Facilities, Campus Architect, and university operation and maintenance.

Nutrition

April 19, 2018
Noon to 1 p.m.
Pohl Recreation Center, 2^nd Floor Conference Room
Class Code: UNT-LLWLB18-1

University staff members may experience stress on many levels: meeting work expectations, finding time for research and scholarship, the cost of living, salary, morale, difficulties with colleagues, etc. While ones professional life matters, here at UNT, we hope our staff will find balance in all aspects of life, thus becoming not only happier staff members but also more productive ones! This workshop features a panel of experts who will address topics including:

• Proper diet and nutrition
• The importance of healthy living and fitness
• Preventative self-care
• Sleep
• Resources available to staff through UNT's Employee Assistance Program and more

Sign up to attend through the Learning Portal.

2018 Staff Appreciation Award Winners

Staff Senate would like to congratulate all of the recipients of the Presidential Staff Appreciation Awards.

These outstanding staff members go above and beyond to make UNT a great place to work and study. Staff Senate’s very own Christi Hestand, who currently serves as past chair, was recognized as a recipient of the UNT Spirit Award. Read more about the 2018 Staff Appreciation Award winners.

Staff Learning Sessions for Staff Appreciation Month

Staff Senate in coordination with Human Resources would like to thank the staff who hosted learning sessions during Staff Appreciation Month.  Read more about some of the staff members who donated their time to host these wonderful sessions.  Staff Senate will coordinate with HR beginning in January 2019 for learning sessions for next year’s Staff Appreciation Month. If you would like to participate in hosting a course for next year, please let Staff Senate know and we will contact you once planning begins.

Tech Tip! MS Office 365 Pro Plus

Were you aware that Microsoft© Office 365 ProPlus is available to employees for free?  Visit the University IT's Help Desk for more information about how to start using Office 365 ProPlus. 

Annual Staff Performance Evaluation Review

Supervisors are required to conduct and submit annual performance reviews for their retirement-eligible staff members.  The window during which to complete and submit these evaluations is April 1 through May 31, 2018. 

System Human Resources will hold four “Navigating the Annual Evaluation Process” training sessions to help managers learn how to complete the forms and apply best practices.

Navigating the Annual Evaluation Process sessions are planned at the following times:

April 12	10 a.m.– Noon	UO16NE-0013	Sycamore 119
April 24	1–3 p.m.	UO16NE-0014	Sycamore 119
May 2	10 a.m.– Noon	UO16NE-0015	Sycamore 119
May 14	1–3 p.m.	UO16NE-0016	Sycamore 119

“Facilitating Effective Performance Evaluations” (Class Code FE16-0033) also will be offered as part of the Supervisory Building Blocks program and will focus on preparing and delivering effective performance feedback during the formal evaluation process. Note: this session does not review the UPO-31 form.

Register for a session through the Learning Portal, mylearning.unt.edu.

For questions about performance evaluations, please contact your HR Consultant at 940-565-2281, or email your campus HR team. 

Staff Senate Spotlight

Staff Senate will begin recognizing UNT staff members as recipients of a monthly spotlight award, which will highlight individual staff members who have shown exemplary work and dedication to their role in the UNT community.  If you know of a staff member who has portrayed a sense of service to fellow staff members, students, faculty, or campus visitors outside of the job in which they serve, or if you would like to recognize a new staff member to your team, consider nominating them for the Staff Senate Spotlight.  Nominate someone today!

You are Invited: Come to a Meeting!

Staff Senate meets once a month in the University Union, Room 332, at 3 p.m. The next meeting is April 10 at 3 p.m. Meetings are open to all UNT staff members. Please come see what we are doing, and get involved!

Contact us!

If you have an article, announcement or suggestion relating to this newsletter, contact staffsenate@unt.edu to have it included.

 

>Staff Learning Sessions Facilitators

Tim Trail

I have been the Coordinator of the Substance Abuse Resource Center, SARC, under the Dean of Students, for almost six years.  I taught the mindful-meditation class and Introduction to Qigong classes this year for Staff Appreciation Month. I absolutely love teaching these classes for a few reasons. Firstly, meditation changed my entire life. Having been a practitioner for over 20 years, has allowed me to see the benefits in myself as well as others; it is quite rewarding and amazing frankly, to watch someone transform so much over a short period of time from when they first start. Secondly, the mindful aspect of both meditation and Qigong are transformative. Along with practice, comes several steady changes for most: individuals become less anxious, control anger better, get better sleep, experience more self-control, to name just a few. I cannot wait until next year to teach meditation again. Next year I might add an introduction to Aikkido instead of Qigong, just to mix it up a little. I wish we could do this more often. If anyone wants to continue meditation practice, I lead a free community class on Fridays at 7 p.m. at Shambhala Wellness Center here in Denton.

Cheryl McQueen

I work in the College of Business Dean’s Office.  I am an Advancement Associate, which means that I work with our Executive Director of Development and Director of Development.  I actually worked at UNT a long time ago and then returned in 2001. All total I have worked for UNT for 25 years. I have taught the “Basics of Glass Etching” class for about 3 years.  This year Brandi Everett and Blair Smith co-taught a class with me on “Introduction to the Silhouette and Cricut Cutting Machines.” I have done crafting projects since I was old enough to pick up a pair of scissors and crayons.  It is my passion.  There is nothing more satisfying to me than to see bits and pieces of items come together to make something new. I want to share that feeling with others and hopefully encourage them to try a new craft.  We always do a project in the class and it is very rewarding to see how pleased the participants are when they finish their project and realize that they made it. I would love to teach the classes again, it does not feel like work to me.  It is just plain fun!

Photos of glass etching submitted by Jasmin Vissage who attended the Phonetography session hosted by Gary Payne.

Shaureece Park

I work in Human Resources as a senior HR consultant and I have worked at UNT for over 10 years. I taught the Hula Class. I lived in Hawai’i for several years and was fortunate enough to learn how to dance Hula. It is a beautiful art form and a great workout. I love sharing that with others and thought teaching the class would be enjoyed by those who participate. I often tell my colleagues you know you have a pretty good job if you can get paid to dance hula. I will teach the class as long as there are people to attend. I have taught it for several years now and suspect one day it will lose its popularity. However, that has not happened just yet.