Please plan to attend one of the following Healthcare Forums next week.

• Tuesday, October 21, 2:00–3:30 p.m. in JH-141
• Wednesday, October 22, p.m. 8:00–9:30 a.m. in PB-103
• Thursday, October 23, 8:30–9:30 a.m. in PB-156 (this session is one hour due to room availability)

These are the Healthcare Forums at which Vice President for Finance and Administration Bruce Arick will speak. Historically, these sessions preceded the open enrollment sessions. Open enrollment session dates and the open enrollment process will be announced soon.

General Meeting

Date: Wednesday, October 22

Time: 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Location: Atherton Union, Reilly Room

All staff members are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Agenda

• President Jim Danko and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Keith Burks
  
• United Way Company that Cares Award Presentation
  

Staff Assembly Committee Updates

Activities and Socials:

• Wine Night at the Observatory is confirmed for Friday, November 7. More details to come!
• The committee would like to invite you to our 501’s this year. What is a 501? It’s where you meet after work at 5:01 p.m. to have a drink, snack, or just conversation! All 501’s will meet at Twenty Tap (6406 N College Ave.). Open to staff, faculty, and friends. Remaining dates: November 13, January 8, February 12, March 12, and April 9.

Networking and Resources:

• The committee would love to have more staff join the effort to welcome new staff to campus and help them feel connected. Current mentors should look for a “thank you” lunch coming up in November! If you are interested in joining the effort to welcome new staff to campus, please contact Judy Gauer at jgauer@butler.edu or 317-940-9346.

Personal and Professional Development:

• The committee has confirmed the following workshops for all staff:
  • PowerPoint Tips & Tricks/Atomic Learning 101 overview
    Friday, November 1, from 1:00–2:00 p.m. in JH 041.
  • Outlook Tips & Tricks/Atomic Learning 101 (con’t.)
    Wednesday, December 10, from 1:00–2:00 p.m. in JH 043

Sign-up information will be sent two weeks prior to the workshop via the Connection. Seating capacity will be limited to 24 per session, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Don’t lose your grip on your financial priorities during end-of-the-year festivities. On Wednesday, October 29, 3:00–4:00 p.m., in the Johnson Board Room, Pete the Planner will help you step back and assess what you can learn from your financial life this year. Start the new year strong by first finishing this year right!

This program is sponsored by Healthy Horizons and Staff Assembly’s Personal and Professional Development Committee.
Reserve your spot through SignUpGenius.

On Friday, November 7, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. come to Holcomb Observatory for a celestial, wine night where Gary Hulseman will share his passion for wine and wine making. Enjoy refreshments, appetizers, wine tastings, wine lecture, observatory tour, and a planetarium show. There are two options for the wine lectures, 6:30-7:00 p.m. or 7:15-7:45 p.m., with 30 people per option. Open to Butler University faculty and staff. This is a highly attended event and space fills up quickly!

Cost: $10.00 per person

Timeline for the evening:

• Wine Lecture:  6:30-7:00 p.m. & 7:15-7:45 p.m.
• Observatory Tour: 7:00-8:00 p.m.
• Silent Auction benefiting Relay for Life: 6:00-8:00 p.m.; winners announced shortly after.
• Planetarium Show: 8:15 p.m.

Please register here or email Jeremy Walthall if you want to register and pay with check or cash.

Sponsored by the Staff Assembly Activities and Socials Committee.

A small workout is better than no workout. Thirty minutes a day is recommended, but you could break it up into three, 10-minute sessions. Take a meeting on a walk, do some stretching at your desk, do a set of pushups or planks. Schedule time onto your calendar to get up and walk around and make it a point to move every hour, even if it’s to get up and get some water.
The HRC now offers custom Group Fitness classes, which are great for departments, student groups, or a group of friends!

TurboScan, an app that scans anything from your phone and is able to convert it into a PDF or JPEG.

This is good for capturing handwritten notes, whiteboard brainstorms, or just avoiding an extra trip to find a scanner. The best part is that the adjustable frame will try to compensate for off-putting angles and present it in the best way possible.

 This Tech Tip is brought to you by the Personal and Professional Development Committee of Staff Assembly.

You should have received your 2015 Open Enrollment Packet via campus mail. If you have not received your packet, please contact HR in Jordan Hall, room 144, or at ext. 9355.

This year, everyone needs to confirm their benefits in my.butler. Please plan to attend one of the Benefits Open Enrollment Information Sessions. HR staff will be available a total of 14 hours in computer labs to provide hands-on assistance with open enrollment on my.butler. More information is available on the HR website.

• Live Presentations (will be recorded and posted by end of business day, Tuesday, November 4)
  ◦November 3, Monday, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in JH-141
  ◦November 4, Tuesday, 7:00-8:30 a.m. in JH-141
  ◦November 5, Wednesday, 8:00-10:00 a.m. in PB-103
  ◦November 6, Thursday, 7:00-8:30 a.m. in JH-141 (Requested by Operations)
  ◦November 6, Thursday, 2:00-3:30 p.m. in JH-141
  ◦November 10, Monday, 8:00-10:00 a.m. in PB-103
  ◦November 11, Tuesday, 3:30-5:00 p.m. in JH-141
  ◦November 13, Thursday, noon-1:00 p.m. in JH-141

• Enrollment Workshops (bring questions and enrollment decisions for help enrolling online):
  ◦November 4, Tuesday, 4:00-6:00 p.m. in JH-220
  ◦November 5, Wednesday, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in JH-043
  ◦November 6, Thursday, 10:00-11:30 a.m. in JH-043 (Requested by Operations)
  ◦November 7, Friday, noon-2:00 p.m. in JH-041
  ◦November 10, Monday, noon-2:00 p.m. in JH-043
  ◦November 12, Wednesday, noon-1:00 p.m. in JH-043
  ◦November 14, Friday, noon-2:00 p.m. in JH-043
  ◦November 17, Monday, 3:00-4:30 p.m. in JH-041

Contact HR in Jordan Hall, room 144, or at ext. 9355, with any questions regarding your benefits.

Join the #1 warehouse club in the world and see what everyone is talking about. Membership is risk free! Costco offers a 100% customer-satisfaction guarantee on all merchandise, including your membership.

The Annual Membership is $55, which includes two cards.

Costco Wholesale would like to offer Butler staff a $10 Costco Cash Card BONUS for a $55 Gold Star Membership or $20 Costco Cash Card BONUS for a $110 Executive Membership, which offers a 2% Cash Rebate Check, plus exclusive Executive Benefits and Services.

(NOTE: This offer is unavailable at the Costco Warehouse and applies to new membership sign-ups only.)

At Costco Wholesale, you can save on:

• Optical – Winner of the JD Power & Associates award for Highest Satisfaction
• ŸPharmacy – Huge savings (Consumer Reports Magazine 08 “Best in Nation”)
• ŸHearing Aid Center – Extraordinary value at Costco savings          
• ŸPhoto Center – Digital prints, photo books, cards, video transfer, and more                                                              
• ŸMeat, Deli, Bakery – prepared fresh everyday
• ŸWine and spirits
• Gas station
• Travel discounts
• Auto-buying program

Free Cash Rebate American Express Card

A Costco representative will be available at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, before the Staff Assembly general meeting. Contact Costco’s Melissa Hill at 317-532-1654 or w347mk05@costco.com.

All faculty and staff enrolled in benefits must log in to my.butler to confirm:

• Your 2015 benefit elections should remain same as 2014 elections
• Elect the new vision carrier, Anthem Blue Vision
• Elect plan changes, add/remove dependents
• Enroll for the first time
• Flexible Spending and Health Savings amounts MUST be elected every year

If you have not confirmed or elected your 2015 benefits, log into my.butler.edu and click on ‘Benefits Enrollment’ and follow the prompts. Click ‘SUBMIT’ on the final screen. A confirmation will be emailed to you within 5 minutes. Print the confirmation for your records.

• Enrollment Workshops (bring questions and enrollment decisions for help enrolling online):
  ◦November 14, Friday, noon-4:30 p.m. in JH-043
  ◦November 17, Monday, noon-3:00 p.m. in JH-043
  ◦November 17, Monday, 3:00-4:30 p.m. in JH-041

Contact Kim Orbik or Anita Watts, or contact Sherri Heidenreich at ext. 9355, with any questions regarding your benefits. You also may visit the HR office in Jordan Hall, room 144. More information is available on the HR website.

A Message from Chair of Staff Assembly

Dear Staff Members,

I have the wonderful opportunity and privilege to serve as Butler University’s Staff Assembly Chair. In this role, I have direct access to Senior Leadership (vice presidents, deans, general counsel, etc.) and work closely with each of them on a regular basis. Our work revolves around issues, concerns, ideas, and processes that affect you as a staff member. The end goal is to provide input and a voice to continually improve the quality of the working environment here at Butler, so you have the resources and support you need to thrive as an employee.

Recently, I have been working diligently with Senior Leadership on the reclassification process. I have shared all of the questions, concerns, and issues brought forward to Staff Assembly, and I can’t thank you enough for sharing your feedback. This includes the communication process, PDQs, overtime, volunteering, supervisor training, and monthly hourly salary, to name a few. I want to assure you Senior Leadership is taking this seriously. I am actively engaged in their discussions and decisions. It may take some time, but your questions and concerns will be answered and addressed.

As mentioned in the communication sent on Friday from La Veda Howell, President Danko met with a small group of staff affected by reclassification. I want to clarify that this group of staff was not formed as a committee that will have regular, ongoing meetings. I simply pulled together a small group of staff who could provide President Danko with a great deal of insight, transparency, and clarity that will help moving forward.

I want to encourage you to reach out to our HR department—specifically, Anila Din—to address any issues or concerns you may have. Anila can be reached at adin@butler.edu or ext. 6683. Many have mentioned feeling comfortable going to her, so I encourage you to continue doing so. Senior Leadership has stressed that HR’s timely response and accountability to you is essential. It’s important that we trust the process and give the HR team a chance to assist. Please trust me on this—every member of that office wants what is best for you and so does Staff Assembly.

As much as this process hurt, Butler will be better for it and for the bravery you’ve shown in sharing feedback. Thank you for all that you do; you truly are the reason Butler is a great place to be and to work!

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at jdowning@butler.edu.

Your co-worker,

Josh Downing
Chair, Staff Assembly

General Meeting

Date: Wednesday, November 19

Time: 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Location: Jordan Hall, room 141

All staff members are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Agenda

• Meeting sponsored by Costco
  
• Ethics Point—Bruce Arick, Vice President for Finance and Administration
  
• HR Update—Anita Watts and Kim Orbik, Human Resources
• United Way—Natalie Evans, United Way and James Cramer, Clowes Hall

Props to…

The following staff are recognized through our Thank a Colleague program. If there is someone you’d like to give props to, let us know.

• Rena Duerksen
• Judy Malarney
• Priscilla Cobb
• Dan Landwerlin
• Fernando Provencio
• Keith Cobbs
• Karen Poirier
• Brian Wilson
• Zach Skidmore

Staff Assembly Committee Updates

Activities and Socials:

• Wine Night was a success with 65 people who attended and $510 raised for Relay for Life through the silent auction. Elesia Yoon did a fantastic job securing items and organizing the auction. People had a blast and drank every bottle of wine brought—a first for this event!
• It’s time for the Salvation Army Toy Drive! Tags have been ordered and will be distributed soon. Watch the Connection for details on tag pick-ups!

Employment Affairs:

• Employment Affairs is scheduled to meet as a group on November 18 and look forward to having Susan Westermeyer as our guest. Susan will provide updates on a number of work processes that are in various stages of progress, mainly in terms of transitioning paperwork to online systems.

Networking and Resources:

• Thank you to our new mentors who have joined us! We are always looking for more—many hands make light work. If you are interested in being part of this group, just contact Judy Gauer at jgauer@butler.edu.

Personal and Professional Development:

• The committee is hosting the first of several sessions of Work on Purpose Workshops available to all staff. The first session, Heart + Head = Hustle, will be held on Tuesday, November 25, in Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building, room 106, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Sign-up information is posted in today’s Connection.
• Mark your calendars now for future staff workshops that include:
  • Tips & Tricks PPT & Atomic Learning 101
    Friday, November 21, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
    Jordan Hall, room 041
    Facilitated by Jeana Rogers and CAT professional staff
  • Tips & Tricks Outlook & Atomic Learning 101
    Wednesday, December 10, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
    Jordan Hall, room 043
    Facilitated by Danielle Valenilla and CAT professional staff

Family Night at the HRC, Friday, December 12 from 5:00–8:00 p.m. Bring the family for a fun, festive evening floating around the pool watching the “Grinch,” playing games, and making holiday crafts. “Home Alone” will also be showing. Get the details and register. Cost is $10/family or $15/family with a large pizza from Hot Box.

This event is brought to you by the HRC and Staff Assembly’s Activity and Socials Committee.

General Meeting

Date: Wednesday, December 17

Time: 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Location: Pharmacy & Health Sciences Building, room 150

All staff members are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Agenda

• SGA—Chad Pingel, SGA President
  
• Open Forum—an opportunity for you to share your ideas and suggestions with Staff Assembly leadership
  

Props to…

The following staff are recognized through our Thank a Colleague program. If there is someone you’d like to give props to, let us know.

• Amorelle Gunst
• Cindy Garrett
• Melinda Sowers
• Courtney Rousseau
• Nate Partenheimer
• Anita Watts
• Kim Orbik
• Margaret Brabant
• Cynthia Payne
• Beth Falkenbach
• Lisa Hines
• Diane Dubord
• Geoffrey Hoops
• Stacy O’Reilly
• Cathy Holland

On behalf of the campus community, Staff Assembly would like to thank the many individuals who work outside in the freezing temps to keep our campus clear of snow and ice. Your hard work is greatly appreciated!

Campus Recycling Survey

In an effort to improve recycling accessibility on campus, the Butler Sustainability Council would like to gather information about recycling behaviors and awareness. The Council has created a brief survey to collect this information. We kindly ask that you complete the online questionnaire: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bu-recycle

Please direct any questions to McKenzie Beverage.

Health Tip

Enjoy The 12 Ways to Health by the CDC to start your year right!

General Meeting

Date: Wednesday, January 21

Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Location: Robertson Hall, Johnson Board Room

All staff members are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Agenda

Butler Community Arts School—Nicole Vasconi & Karen Thickstun
HR Update
Relay for Life—Chris Davis

Props to…

The following staff are recognized through our Thank a Colleague program. If there is someone you’d like to give props to, let us know.

• Stephanie Haggard
• Anila Din
• Mark Brouwer
• Beth Falkenbach
• Angie Hewitt
• Lindsay Wimmer
• Priscilla Cobb
• Rhonda Louks
• Judy Malarney

Updates

Networking and Resources:
Networking and Resources is continuing with our new staff mentoring. Newer Butler staff should be contacted soon about an upcoming lunch to meet other new staff, socialize, and get questions answered. For any questions, please contact Judy Gauer at jgauer@butler.edu.

HR Update—Manager Training:
During the planning phase of Management Training at Butler University, HR will be collecting information from various sources to build the training program. Non-supervisory staff may use the suggestion form on the Staff Assembly website from January 21–February 4 to submit topics and/or objectives they believe would be valuable to a Management Training program. These suggestions will be considered as HR prepares the foundational principles for the training program. Note: Only suggestions related to the Management Training program will be sent to HR. 

HR Update—Manager Training

During the planning phase of Management Training at Butler University, HR will be collecting information from various sources to build the training program. Non-supervisory staff may use the suggestion form on the Staff Assembly website from January 21–February 4 to submit topics and/or objectives they believe would be valuable to a Management Training program. These suggestions will be considered as HR prepares the foundational principles for the training program. Note: Only suggestions related to the Management Training program will be sent to HR. 

Tech Tip

Pocket is an app that helps you save items online (videos, images, articles) that you want to check out later. It’s free and available for Android and iOS, and it has awesome syncing abilities. Let Pocket replace your current method of bookmarking and taking screenshots! Get more info.

Open Forums for Brand Guidelines, Website

There will be open forums regarding new brand guidelines and website happening soon. Dates and times will be announced in Connection.

Financial Wellness

It’s a new year, and with the new year comes the opportunity to do new and exciting things. This year, make financial wellness your goal. It’s easy to lose your path without goals, that’s where greencandy.com can help. Take a few minutes today to set financial goals in the ‘Your Financial Goals’ section on greencandy.com. Setting 30-day goals and 90-day goals will help you make the most of your financial life without getting frustrated. These resources are brought to you by Pete the Planner and Healthy Horizons.

General Meeting

Date: Wednesday, February 18

Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Location: Atherton Union, Reilly Room

All staff members are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Agenda

IndyGO Resolution—see resolution and instructions to provide input
University Branding—Stephanie Judge Cripe
HR Update—Nikila Stevens
Relay for Life—Chris Davis
Moore Restoration—meeting sponsors

Props to…

The following staff are recognized through our Thank a Colleague program. If there is someone you’d like to give props to, let us know.

• Fred Gibson
• Tim Downs
• Brenda Bantz
• Rebecca DeGrazia
• Katie Orlowski
• Julie Barrett
• Melissa Smurdon
• Dawnya French

Updates

Difference Makers:
The nomination process will open soon! Watch the Connection for more details.

Employment Affairs:
The committee is meeting Tuesday, February 17.

Networking and Resources:
New hires! If you were hired between September and November 2014 and would like to learn more about what Butler Dining Services offers and have a lunch in A-Town at the same time…read on! Lunch will be on Friday, February 27 at 11:00 a.m. in Atherton Union. RSVP to Judy Gauer by Wednesday, February 25. We will have a short info session and then lunch—all you can eat!

Personal and Professional Development:
Save the date for our upcoming Personal and Professional Development sessions!

• Wednesday, March 5, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
  Location: Gallahue Hall, room 105
  Topic: Communications
  Facilitator: Anila Din, Director, Employee Relations
• Thursday, March 12, 1:00-2:00 p.m. 
  Location: Pharmacy Building, room 106A
  Topic: Team Building
  Facilitator: Anila Din, Director, Employee Relations
• Tuesday, March 24, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
  Location: Pharmacy Building, room 015 (COPHS lower level)
  Topic: Blogging—Bring on the Basics
  Facilitator: Erin Albert, BS ’94, RPh, MBA, PharmD, JD, Esq.

Policy Work Group:
The University’s Policy Work Group met January 28 and approved of a number of BUPD-related policies.  They will meet next on February 25 to review additional policy proposals from BUPD.

Staff Assembly Votes to Support IndyGo Resolution

During the Staff Assembly general meeting on February 18, those in attendance voted in support of a resolution that would change a current IndyGo bus route to include a stop on the Butler campus. IndyGo will announce changes to current bus routes in the near future. We will share this information as it becomes available.

A Powerful Butler Experience

Check out the lessons this sales rep learned on a visit to BU with his son. Way to go, Dawgs!

RecycleMania

RecycleMania is nationwide competition between schools in which they compete through recycling starting January 18–March 28.

There are 9 weeks of planned events around certain themes. The hope is for students, faculty, and staff to join in on the events, and ultimately, for Butler to be ranked highly among other Indiana schools. Here is a link to see the rankings between schools, so let’s do all that we can to see Butler make the list by recycling as much as possible on campus. You can even bring your recyclables from home to help increase our chances.

Please be sure to document your experiences with this campaign through the hashtag #DawgsGoGreen.

Difference Maker Nominations

The Difference Makers staff recognition program (formerly the Top Dawg Program), offered through Butler University Staff Assembly, celebrates the contributions and hard work of staff on an annual basis. Difference Makers—staff members who are truly making a positive impact at Butler—will receive a $500, pre-tax award to be presented at the fall picnic and will be invited to a dinner honoring their service at the President’s residence.

Faculty, staff, and students may nominate staff members for this program!

Nominations are now being accepted through 5:00 p.m. May 1, 2015.

Award Criteria

To be eligible, an employee must be a full-time staff (non-faculty) member employed for a minimum of one year and in good standing with the University. Once a staff member has won, he or she will not be eligible to win again for a period of two years.

A Difference Maker may be nominated for one of the following three categories:

1. Making a Difference to the Butler Community
2. Service to Students
3. Job Performance and Attitude

If you have any questions or need more information please e-mail differencemakers@butler.edu.

Butler Night Out—Discounted Tickets to Indiana Pacers Game

Get discounted tickets to the Pacers vs. Bulls game on Friday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m. Upper-balcony tickets are available for $13 and lower-balcony tickets for $25. Get more info now.

Are you DAWGStrong?

Join Team DAWG Walkers (Relay for Life) in the fight against cancer. “We Relay For All Those Who Can’t.”

Tech Tip

Water Your Body is a “healthy” app compatible with both Droid and Apple phones designed to help you track your liquid intake based on your body weight. You log your weight, and then the app periodically pushes notifications to you to remind you to “water your body.” You have control over the time interval of notifications. It’s simple and non-intrusive. Get the app: GooglePlay, iTunes.