Employee News – Page 8

Save the Date for staff and faculty Christmas party

Staff Assembly is planning the annual staff and faculty Christmas party and encourages all employees to save the date:

Dec. 14
6:30 p.m.

More information will be shared soon.

OLLU’s medical plan provider offers self-care library

URM, OLLU’s medical plan provider, has an online Health Education Library of self-care articles. Employees can search articles on a variety of topics at this link: https://www.umr.com/oss/cms/UMR/Health_Education_Library/index.html

Select “Self-care” in the “Health Encyclopedia” section to access the articles.

Use-it-or-lose-it annual leave deadline is Dec. 31

Staff employees are reminded that there is a one-year, carry-over limit on accrued vacation time. The “use-it-or-lose-it” date is Dec. 31.

Employees cannot carry over beyond this date more than the number of annual vacation days for which they are currently eligible. If work or medical conditions prohibit the employee from taking their accrued vacation by Dec. 31, the chief administrator of that division can request an extension of one additional year. The chief administrator and the employee must make every effort to schedule and use the accrued vacation in the coming year as additional extensions will not be permitted.

Contact a Human Resources team member or call 210-431-3970 for more information.

Staff Assembly Meeting to be held Tuesday at 8 a.m.

The next General Staff Assembly Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday from 8-9 a.m. in the Library Community Room.

The meeting will feature:
Tacos and coffee will be available – first-come, first-served.
Drawings for a chance to win door prizes.
Time for fellowship.

Dr. Zepeda featured on ‘Catholic Lunch Break’ show

Dr. Stephanie Zepeda, head of the Marriage and Family Therapy program on the OLLU-Houston campus. was recently featured again on the “Catholic Lunch Break” show with the Guadalupe Radio Network. In her interview, Dr. Zepeda discussed the unique ways therapists support their clients and highlighted her own work in helping couples address financial challenges in their relationships. Check out the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfZIKr_FfsE.

Thanksgiving holiday payroll reminder

All biweekly employees are reminded to submit their vacation prior to the Thanksgiving break if not working and taking vacation for Monday, Nov. 25, and Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Supervisors also are reminded to approve all leave requests for biweekly employees on or before 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29.

The deadline for supervisors to reviewed and approve timecards is Noon on Monday, Dec. 2.

Make plans now to avoid losing leave time

Staff employees are reminded that there is a one-year, carry-over limit on accrued vacation time. The “use-it-or-lose-it” date is Dec. 31.

Employees cannot carry over beyond this date more than the number of annual vacation days for which they are currently eligible. Employees should make plans now to take “use-it-or-lose-it” vacation time.

If work or medical conditions prohibit the employee from taking their accrued vacation by Dec. 31, the chief administrator of that division can request an extension of one additional year. The chief administrator and the employee must make every effort to schedule and use the accrued vacation in the coming year as additional extensions will not be permitted.

Contact a Human Resources team member or call 210-431-3970 for more information.

Employees must complete computer security training by Tuesday or network access will be suspended

All university employees must complete computer security training by Tuesday, Nov. 5, to avoid losing user access. Loss of access will prevent employees from using any OLLU network systems. Loss of access will impact the ability to carry out daily responsibilities.

Training is managed by InfoSec, a third-party vendor. All employees should have received emails from notifications@securityiq-notifications.com with a message about completing the 24-25 OLLU Faculty/Staff Annual InfoSec Training course.

If you are having trouble locating the email, please contact Gregory Garza, OLLU Information Security Officer, at ollu_its@ollusa.edu.

Dr. Salas participates in National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Workshop

Dr. Briana Hauff Salas, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, attended a National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) workshop in Houston on Oct. 29, at the University of Houston – Downtown. The workshop, titled “Building Health and Climate Research Capacity in the U.S. Gulf Coast: Elevating Minority-Serving Institutions as Key Partners,” explored ways to increase MSI participating in climate-related public health research. Dr. Salas is on the planning committee for this workshop series and was a panelist for the “MSI Perspectives on Climate Impacts on Communities and Health in the Gulf” panel. A second workshop in this series, open to OLLU faculty and staff, will take place in New Orleans in February 2025. Registration for in-person or virtual attendance will be sent out in the new year. Faculty from a broad range of disciplines are encouraged to attend.