Dialog Extra for Sept. 17, 2012

September 17th, 2012 - Filed under: Dialog Extra

Crimson Calendar

Click on http://dialog.ua.edu to view Dialog Extra on UA’s website if you have problems reading the email subscription.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TEACHERS’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM CHANGES — Several bills were passed during the 2012 Alabama regular legislative session that will impact the Teachers’ Retirement System and UA employees. One change limits the amount of employee TRS retirement contributions allowed on overtime pay and other additional compensation. Another change requires state employees convicted of felony offenses related to their public positions to forfeit their rights to lifetime retirement benefits. A third change creates a tier-two defined-benefit plan for workers hired after Jan. 1, 2013.

As a reminder, a previously announced 0.25 percent increase in employee contributions to the TRS plan begins Oct. 1, 2012. TRS contributions for most employees will increase from 7.25 percent of pay to 7.50 percent. Additional details on these changes can be found on UA’s human resources’ website at http://hr.ua.edu/benefits and the TRS website at http://www.rsa-al.gov.

BENEFITS OPEN ENROLLMENT — The annual open enrollment for certain employee benefit plans will begin Nov. 1 and end on Nov. 15. During open enrollment, eligible employees can start, cancel or change their enrollment in medical, dental and vision insurance plans. They can also enroll in the flexible spending accounts for 2013. Changes made during open enrollment will be effective Jan. 1, 2013. Additional details on plan provisions and premiums will be announced soon.

DEGREEWORKS DOWN FOR MAINTENANCE — DegreeWorks Production will be unavailable Sept. 23 from 8-11 a.m. for maintenance. For more information, contact the IT Service Desk at 348-5555 or itsd@ua.edu.

FAMILY WEEKEND 2012 — The Office of First Year Experience and Parent Programs invites all UA faculty and staff to mingle with UA students and their families during Family Weekend 2012, which will be held Sept. 21-23. Visit http://parents.ua.edu/fwschedule.cfm for a complete schedule of events. For more information, contact the Office of First Year Experience and Parent Programs at 348-8404 or visit http://parents.ua.edu.

SOFTBALL TEAM RING PRESENTATION — Members of the UA women’s softball team will receive their 2012 NCAA national championship rings during a presentation at Rhoads Stadium Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. In addition to welcoming back the 2012 national championship team, fans can participate in the celebration with a crowd photo and autograph session.

LEADERSHIP U APPLICATIONS — UA faculty and staff with departmental leadership responsibilities may submit applications for Leadership U through Sept. 28. Leadership U prepares faculty and professional staff to assume positions of higher responsibility within the University and other higher-education arenas. This two-year program was created through a partnership between the Office for Academic Affairs, the Department of Human Resources and the College of Continuing Studies. Leadership U will select 10 members within the University community to participate in the program. Visit http://training.ua.edu/leadershipu for additional information.

UA EARLY COLLEGE LUNCH AND LEARNS — UA Early College invites all faculty and staff to attend a free Lunch and Learn to discover if their high school sons or daughters could benefit from taking online UA college courses while still in high school. Choose from the following dates: Sept. 27, Sept. 28, Oct. 2, Oct. 3 or Oct. 9. Lunch is free. RSVP to earlycollege@ua.edu or 348-7083.

“$5 FRIDAYS” — Bama Dining will once again offer $5 Fridays. Beginning Sept. 21 and continuing every Friday during the fall semester, students, faculty and staff can enjoy unlimited eating from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $5 at Burke Dining Hall, Lakeside Dining and the Fresh Food Co.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH – The UA Crossroads Community Center is organizing a variety of campus events open to the community for national Hispanic Heritage Month. Activities and events and will range from health forums and guest speakers to films and women’s soccer. A complete listing of events can be found at http://crossroads.ua.edu.

GROUP REGISTRATION FOR NOSC CONFERENCE – Registration continues for the National Outreach Scholarship Conference that will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 3 in the Bryant Conference Center. The conference is open to all faculty, staff and students with an interest or involvement in engaged scholarship. The conference will explore engaged scholarship and practice that advance the theme “Partner. Inspire. Change.” Visit the conference website at http://www.nosc2012.ua.edu for more information.

Please encourage interested students to register or volunteer. Organizations or classes may register up to six students as a group for $395. Groups should register by completing this form: http://nosc2012.ua.edu/images/NOSC%202012%20Registration%20Form_web.pdf  Student volunteers are needed for various tasks throughout the conference.  Please note that volunteers will have limited access to conference events if not registered for the entire conference. Volunteers may sign-up here and will be required to attend a one-hour orientation session. 

NEW SECURE WIRELESS NETWORK — The Office of Information Technology announces a new secure wireless network for faculty and staff. In order to connect to UA-WPA2, employees will need to install XpressConnect on their devices by visiting http://wpa2setup.ua.edu/CloudPath. As part of the installation process, users will be required to enter their myBama IDs and passwords. UA-WPA2 provides secure wireless communications through the use of WPA2 Enterprise and will replace the pre-shared key SSID rolled out as an interim solution last year. Starting in October 2012, UA-WPA2 will replace UA Public Wireless for all faculty and staff. For instructions on installing UA-WPA2′s XpressConnect client, visit http://oit.ua.edu/oit/services/wi-fi-protected-access-wpa. For assistance or questions, contact the IT Service Desk at itsd@ua.edu or 205-348-5555.

RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDED — Adults with normal hearing are being recruited to participate in a study conducted by UA’s department of communicative disorders titled “Speech Understanding and Electrophysiological Responses to Sound in Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients.” The study’s purpose is to assess brain-wave activity and its relationship to sound discrimination, attention and working memory. Contact Dr. Marcia Hay-McCutcheon at 348-4572 or cochlea@as.ua.edu for more information.

FREE MEMORY SCREENINGS — Graduate students and faculty in UA’s psychology department are offering free memory screenings to Tuscaloosa-area adults who are 55 or older. The screenings, a community-service project as well as part of a UA research study by the clinical geropsychology program, are offered at Capstone Village by appointment. To participate, people should call 205-348-1921, leave a message indicating their willingness to participate and leave a name, call back number and convenient times to call. Each screening is expected to last between 45 minutes and one hour.

WILLIAMS COLLECTION – Individual researchers and classes are invited to visit the “A.S. Williams III Americana Collection” in 301 Gorgas Library on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., as well as during the collection’s regular hours of 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

MONDAY, SEPT. 17
VALIC individual retirement counseling, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment, G-54 Rose Administration Building
“Painted Space,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sella-Granata Art Gallery, 109 Woods Hall
“The Hunger Games” book discussion, noon-1 p.m., 226 Reese Phifer Hall
Flu shots, 1-2:30 p.m., 223 Gallalee Hall
Flu shots, 1:30-3 p.m., Capstone College of Nursing
Flu shots, 3-4:30 p.m., Little Hall student lounge
“Constitution Day” debate on Alabama’s immigration law, 3 p.m., Ferguson Center Theater
Hudson Strode Lecture Series: “Queens, Blood, and Family in the Morte Darthur” with professor Kate McClune, 5 p.m., Morgan Hall
Tuba master class with John Stevens, 5:30 p.m., Moody Music Building Recital Hall
Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra: “Pictures at an Exhibition,” 7:30 p.m., Moody Music Building Concert Hall

TUESDAY, SEPT. 18
Flu shots, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Barnwell Hall business office
TIAA-CREF individual retirement counseling, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment, G-54 Rose Administration Building
Flu shots, 10-10:30 a.m., Center for Community-Based Partnerships
“$2 Tuesday,” 10 a.m.-2 p.m., University Supply Store
“Painted Space,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sella-Granata Art Gallery, 109 Woods Hall
Flu shots, 11-11:30 a.m., ISSR Building
Flu shots, 2-2:30 p.m., Student Media Building
Flu shots, 3-4 p.m., Environmental Health and Safety Building
Purchasing Card Reconciler Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts, 3:30-4:45 p.m., 3058 South Lawn Office Building
John Stevens’ composition recital, 7:30 p.m., Moody Music Building Concert Hall

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19
Flu shots, 8:30-9 a.m., Office of Internal Audit
Purchasing to Paying — What You Need to Know, 9 a.m.-noon, 3058 South Lawn Office Building
TIAA-CREF individual retirement counseling, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment, G-54 Rose Administration Building
Flu shots, 10-10:30 a.m., Hayden-Harris Hall
House of Marley campus van tour, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Ferguson Center Plaza
“Painted Space,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sella-Granata Art Gallery, 109 Woods Hall
Grand reopening ceremony for Rodgers Science and Engineering Library, 10:30 a.m., Rodgers Library first floor
Flu shots, 11-11:30 a.m., Fosters Auditorium
General Interest and Business Career Fair, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Bryant Conference Center
HTML5 workshop, noon-1 p.m., 109-A Gorgas Library
“The Effects of HB 56 on Women & Families: One Year Later,” 3:30-5 p.m., 205 Gorgas Library

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20
Working with WordPress at UA, 9-10:30 a.m., 205 Gorgas Library
“Painted Space,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sella-Granata Art Gallery, 109 Woods Hall
Technical and Engineering Career Fair, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Bryant Conference Center
Energy Symposium Series, noon-1:45 p.m., Bryant Conference Center
Research and sponsored programs overview, 3-4 p.m., G-54 Rose Administration Building
Homegrown Alabama Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m., lawn of Canterbury Episcopal Chapel

FRIDAY, SEPT. 21
VALIC individual retirement counseling, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment, G-54 Rose Administration
“Painted Space,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sella-Granata Art Gallery, 109 Woods Hall
Convocation, noon, Moody Music Building Concert Hall
Dr. Katherine Newman lecture on the impact of tax policy on the poor, 2-3 p.m., 205 Gorgas Library
Women’s soccer vs. Georgia, 7 p.m., Soccer Stadium
Million Dollar Band centennial celebration concert, 8 p.m., Moody Music Building Concert Hall

UPCOMING

Moundville’s Saturday in the Park: Three Sisters and Native Plants, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Moundville Archaeological Park
Alabama football vs. Florida Atlantic, 4 p.m., Bryant-Denny Stadium
Centennial Celebration featuring Alabama Wind Ensemble, Sept. 22, 6-9 p.m., Moody Music Building Concert Hall
Women’s soccer vs. Ole Miss, Sept. 23, 1 p.m., Soccer Stadium
“Dog Splash!” Sept. 23, 1-5 p.m., Student Recreation Center outdoor pool complex
Orientation for new employees, Sept. 24, 8:30 a.m.-noon, G-54 Rose Administration Building
SkillPort open lab, Sept. 24, 8:30 a.m.-noon, G-54 Rose Administration Building
VALIC individual retirement counseling, Sept. 24, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. by appointment, G-54 Rose Administration
“Fools,” Sept. 24-28, 7:30 p.m., Allen Bales Theatre
Huxford Symphony Orchestra, Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m., Moody Music Building Concert Hall

WORTH QUOTING — “Sometimes people say that by taking lessons, you are drown proofing your child, and there is no such thing. People still need to take precautions. One (swim) session a summer is not going to teach a kid to swim.” Shane Reeves, coordinator of UA’s aquatic programs at the Student Recreation Center, as quoted in The Tuscaloosa News.

Close