HR News

Earlier this year, a new financial wellness workshop series, Build Your Financial Know-How, was introduced to faculty and staff. The workshops were provided through Carebridge, the University’s faculty and staff assistance program.

Three separate workshops were offered virtually and conducted by Lou Leyes, a financial planner with nearly 19 years of experience helping people reach their financial goals. He offered practical guidance for faculty and staff in the areas of managing personal finances, gaining control of debt and developing a savings strategy.

In this Q&A, Leyes discusses how to commit to and automate your savings, the importance of credit scores and where to turn for help to ensure you’re saving enough for retirement. If you missed the live Build Your Financial Know-How offerings, recorded webinars are available on the HR website.

1. What should a person look at to start saving money—or saving more money? What are the best ways to make saving money a habit? Link

Successfully starting or increasing your savings comes down to two basic things: commitment and automation.

Commitment is your personal promise to yourself that you will add more money to the savings component of your financial plan. It helps to have a goal in mind—and a means to celebrate milestones along the way. Commitment also comes from doing the work to build your savings plan. Understanding where your money goes is the first step to taking control of your personal finances.

Automation sets you up for success by putting money into savings without your direct action. Use your direct deposits to send money to a separate account—maybe even at a separate bank, if that helps you keep it there!

Once you have built your savings plan, review your progress monthly. See what adjustments are necessary, or what items may have been omitted from the plan. Adjust the plan and keep going!

If you have a partner or spouse, be sure to talk with them about these plans. Get their help with accountability (or enlist the help of a “budget buddy!”)

2. Why should a person be concerned about their credit score? Link

Your credit score impacts a number of things beyond just getting a new credit card and/or a lower mortgage rate (which are important in and of themselves). Right or wrong, insurance companies use credit scores as a measure of risk. The challenge with credit is that when you need it most, you may not be able to get it. Having a strong credit score makes that easier.

Rebuilding your credit score, if needed, starts with a spending plan. You must know how much you’ll need to dedicate to your outstanding debts to make them go away—permanently. The best first step is to make sure you’re paying at least the minimum due every month. Missed payments are the biggest contributor to a decreasing credit score.

3. How does someone begin to make a plan for retirement? How much should I be saving? Link

There are “rules of thumb” that may help you define your financial goals for retirement. For example, many calculators use the assumption that your retirement income “should” be about 80% of the income earned during your working years. However, I believe it is best to figure out your desired budget … how much do you want to spend? What will life be like for you? How will you spend your time? What costs will you no longer have? What will you add to your budget?

As far as how much to save for retirement, that depends on where you are now. The short answer is usually “more.” If you are just starting your career, consider contributing 10 to 15% of your income toward your retirement plan, not including any employer contribution. If you’ve been working a while but haven’t had the opportunity to begin saving, you may need to contribute more. Start wherever you can now, though. No more procrastinating!

Financial wellness resources are available to you, including individual financial counseling through TIAA and Carebridge that can help you answer these questions and take steps to develop a savings plan.

4. Where can one turn to for assistance with managing money and saving for the future? Link

As an employee of Syracuse University, you can find financial counseling resources posted on the University’s Financial Wellness webpage, including counseling services provided by TIAA and Carebridge.

Outside of the resources provided by the University, you can work with an independent financial advisor. There are many different types of advisors out there—from insurance-based agents to fiduciary financial planners. The Certified Financial Planner Board has a short list of 10 questions to consider asking an investment or retirement professional.

Dear Staff:

Following the May Board of Trustees meeting, Kathy Walters, chair of the Board of Trustees, announced that the Board had approved a change to the University bylaws to appoint a staff member as representative to the Board. In that announcement, Chair Walters advised that the Board set a process for making the selection of the staff representative. In follow-up to that announcement, we are now seeking applicants for the staff representative. This email outlines the process for those interested in applying to serve in this key role.

Staff Selection Process:

Any Syracuse University staff member in good standing is invited to apply. For those interested in being considered, please complete this application [PDF] and submit it to svpchro@syr.edu.

In accordance with the Board of Trustees-approved bylaws, following a review of the applications, I will make a recommendation to Chancellor Kent Syverud of up to three names for his final selection.

Next Steps:

As we work to complete the Board process please be advised of the below key dates:

Deadline to submit applications: Please submit applications by Aug. 7, 2021.
Representative notification: Staff representative will be notified in August.
Training for staff, student, faculty and dean representatives: Will be held in September.
The creation of the staff representative to the Board of Trustees is an important component of the commitment by Board and University leadership to ensure that the Board has an opportunity to hear from all University constituencies. I urge all staff to consider applying for this new leadership representative position.

Sincerely,

Andrew R. Gordon
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer

Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Staff: It’s hard to believe, but in just over 40 days we will begin welcoming new and returning students to campus. While the volume and pace of our campus updates have slowed dramatically, please know that our Syracuse University Public Health Team, as well as hundreds of staff members, continue to work to ready our campus for a safe and productive 2021-22 academic year. With that in mind, I write today to share three important updates, including: 1.   Flu Vaccine 2.   COVID-19 Vaccination 3.   Interim Travel Policy Flu Vaccine: In consultation with the medical team at the Barnes Center at The Arch and the University’s Public Health Team, the University will again expect all members of our campus community who plan to routinely access campus during the 2021-22 academic year to receive the flu vaccine. While increasing COVID vaccination rates and the lifting of public health restrictions have marked a positive signal to a return to pre-pandemic life, we must remain vigilant and take every precaution to support the health and well-being of the campus community. Vaccination continues to be the best protection against illness and obtaining the flu vaccine helps our community reduce the impact of respiratory illness and make early diagnoses of COVID-19 more likely. To support our community in getting vaccinated against the flu, the Barnes Center at The Arch will offer flu clinics in the fall semester, once the current year flu vaccine becomes available. Students, faculty and staff will also have the option to obtain the vaccine through another medical provider or pharmacy. As we have more information, including the dates of the clinics, we will notify the campus community. COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: Effective June 1, all students, faculty and staff accessing campus are required to have the COVID-19 vaccination. The only exemption to this requirement is an approved medical or religious exemption. Unvaccinated members of the campus community must continue to wear a mask on campus and participate in weekly surveillance testing. As a reminder, as per New York State Department of Health guidelines, masks continue to be required for all faculty, staff and students—regardless of vaccination status—in health care facilities, including Barnes Health and the Kimmel COVID Testing Center. For students, COVID-19 vaccination records should be submitted to the Student Patient Portal. Students who do not submit their vaccination record will not be able to select a move-in pass, move into their residence hall or access course registration. ·         Incoming Students: The deadline to submit vaccination records was July 1, along with all other required health and immunization records. If you have not yet submitted your records, please do so as soon as possible in the Patient Portal to avoid holds on your account. ·         Returning Students: Please submit your records to the Patient Portal by Aug. 1 to allow for adequate processing time. Students who plan to access campus before Aug. 1 must have their COVID-19 vaccination record submitted prior to accessing campus. If you have questions about your vaccination record, please contact the Barnes Center at The Arch at 315.443.8000. Faculty and staff should continue to use the COVID-19 Vaccine Status Attestation Questionnaire if their vaccination status has changed. Interim Travel Safety Policy: With the end of New York’s state of emergency and the discontinuation of state limits on travel for those who are vaccinated, effective July 19, 2021, the University will adapt its interim travel safety policy to allow non-essential domestic travel. All those proposing domestic travel for University business purposes (faculty, staff or student) may do so without constraint. All domestic travelers should continue to register their business travel through the University’s travel registry, except for those engaging in official travel for Athletics, club sports or Marching Band who register their travel through other means. For those with approved exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccination, the University requires strict adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for travelers. Please note that all usual approval processes for the purposes of responsible budget management should be followed. International travel remains for essential purposes only. Processes currently in place for review of international research, academic, employee and student group travel continue as previously announced. ·         For International Research: For requests involving proposed travel for research purposes, interested parties are asked to seek a waiver to travel internationally through the Office of the Vice President for Research. Information on that process can be found on the Office of Research website. ·         For International Faculty/Staff Business Travel: International travel for non-essential University business (e.g., conferences) remains prohibited. Request to travel for essential purposes should follow the procedures provided by Human Resources. ·         International Student Organization Travel: Requests made by students to travel internationally as part of their participation in a registered student organization should be directed to Rob Hradsky in the Office of the Vice President for the Student Experience at rhradsky@syr.edu. ·         For Academic Purposes: International academic travel may only be deemed essential if, in the judgment of the dean of the school or college, the activity is essential to a designated course of study and no reasonable alternative exists that does not involve international travel. Please be reminded that any student, faculty or staff member approved to travel must register with the University’s travel registry. Questions may be directed to Seth Tucker in the Office of Global Safety and Support at satucker@syr.edu or 315.443.1968. Syracuse University continues to be a special place to live, learn and work. It’s our people that make this community what it is. Keeping in mind that we all come from different backgrounds, cultures and parts of the world, I remind you how important it is to support each other as we work to get back to pre-pandemic life. You will likely continue to see many of your peers, classmates and colleagues wearing masks. Please show these individuals your kindness and understanding as electing to wear a mask—whether for a health or comfort reason—is each person’s choice regardless of vaccination status. Wishing you continued rest and adventure this summer. Sincerely,

J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff: I hope that the start to your summer is going well. Despite the vast majority of our community being away from campus for the summer months, we have been very busy at the Department of Public Safety (DPS). We continue to implement recommendations made by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch. I want to highlight some of the progress: ·       We are currently in the process of interviewing candidates for our next campus peace officer academy. ·       We have secured space on South Campus for students to drop in and share their questions and concerns with our staff. ·       We have posted our Standard Operating Procedures to the DPS website consistent with recommendation No. 4 from the report conducted by Loretta Lynch. ·       We have posted our investigative steps to the DPS website. ·       The DPS staff attended in-service training in June that included all elements and the definition of a hate crime, related terminology and proper investigative steps leading up to conclusion. ·       A project team has been established to develop the technical requirements for posting appropriate crime and incident data to the DPS website. ·       As of tomorrow, July 1, the campus safety escort service will be managed by Parking and Transportation Services. Again, this is just a highlight of the work achieved to date. To review the status of all recommendations, please visit the DPS website. As a reminder, if you have any information about an incident on our campus, please call DPS at 315.443.2224. You can anonymously report non-emergency information to DPS through the Silent Witness tool or the Rave Guardian mobile app. Stay safe and have a terrific summer! Sincerely,

Chief Bobby Maldonado

Dear Colleagues:

This time last year, we were in the thick of our university’s pandemic response. The commitment of our faculty and staff to Syracuse University made this last academic year possible. It also meant that countless members of our community were unable to take all their vacation days during the last fiscal year, whether due to the need to attend to University work or challenges related to travel or family gatherings. Given the unusual nature of this past year and our community’s tremendous dedication to ensuring a safe and fulfilling academic year, we are allowing faculty and staff to carry over up to five unused vacation days into fiscal year 2022, beginning July 1.

You are encouraged to take time off this summer to disconnect, relax and recharge. As always, please coordinate your vacation time with your supervisor. And, if you plan to roll over up to five vacation days, you are asked to secure approval from your dean, senior vice president or unit leader.

Thank you for your continued hard work, commitment and selflessness. I wish you a happy, healthy and safe summer.

Sincerely,

Andrew R. Gordon
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

Earlier today, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that 70% of all adults in New York State have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. Here on the Syracuse campus, 97% of benefits-eligible faculty and staff and nearly 90% of our students who will be on campus this summer are fully vaccinated. With the high vaccination rate statewide, Governor Cuomo has lifted the vast majority of remaining COVID-19 restrictions. As such, Syracuse University is taking corresponding action. Specifically,

• Effective immediately, you will no longer receive nor are you required to complete the daily health questionnaire. Of course, please continue to monitor your daily health symptoms; if you are ill, we ask that you please stay home.
• All gathering restrictions impacting University events and venues have been lifted.
• All capacity restrictions have been eliminated, including in our academic buildings; research facilities; recreational, fitness and dining centers; and Hendricks Chapel, among other campus properties. There are two exceptions to note:
  • The stadium, which, at this time, continues to be subject to New York State COVID guidelines governing large event venues, and
  • Public and on-campus mass transportation, including our shuttles and Centro buses, where New York State has not rescinded the requirement for social distancing and the use of masks for all passengers.

Please note, in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks and maintain 6 feet of distance when gathering in groups. Unvaccinated students, faculty and staff accessing campus this summer should continue to participate in weekly surveillance testing. And, we ask for everyone’s grace as we expect some members of our community will elect to continue wearing masks regardless of vaccination status. Finally, as a reminder, masks continue to be required in health care facilities, including Barnes Health and the Kimmel COVID Testing Center.

Today’s news is welcome as it signals a more robust return to pre-pandemic life. We will keep you updated on any further changes to public health conditions and protocols. We appreciate everyone’s continued commitment to the health and well-being of the campus and surrounding communities.

Sincerely,
J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

As we begin our summer academic sessions at Syracuse University, I want to share several important public health updates and reminders related to campus operations for the next few months. Just as adherence to public health guidance was central to our ability to keep the campus safe and sustain residential instruction throughout the past year, the same will be true as we work together to ease the restrictions and limitations previously imposed because of the COVID health emergency. The following updates reflect our continued efforts to protect the health and safety of all of our students, faculty and staff.

Mandatory Vaccine Policy Effective Today

As of today, Tuesday, June 1, all faculty, staff and students accessing campus are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or, alternatively, should have filed a medical or religious exemption with the University. If you have not complied with this requirement and intend to access the Syracuse, New York, campus, you must take action now. Students should submit vaccine documentation or an exemption request through the Student Patient Portal. Faculty and staff should complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Status Attestation Questionnaire. Students, faculty and staff who have not submitted documentation of vaccination (students) or completed the vaccine attestation (employees) should do so as soon as possible. Faculty and staff who have not completed the vaccine attestation are being contacted today.

Surveillance Testing Requirements for Unvaccinated Members of the Campus Community

Unvaccinated students, faculty and staff who plan to access campus under a medical or religious exemption are required to participate in routine COVID-19 surveillance testing once per week until further notice. Compliance with this requirement will be monitored regularly.

For all members of our campus community—including family members of our employees—the University will continue to provide convenient access to on-campus testing services at Kimmel Dining Hall during the summer months. The testing center’s hours of operations are:

• Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Friday, 8-11 a.m.
• Closed on Friday, June 18, in observance of Juneteenth, and on Monday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day

No appointments are required. Please bring your Syracuse University I.D. and refrain from eating, drinking anything (including water), brushing your teeth or using mouthwash, chewing gum or using any tobacco products in the 30 minutes prior to testing. Parking is available at Comstock Avenue Garage.

New Masking Policies in Effect

As of May 24, new masking policies are in effect on the Syracuse University campus. Consistent with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health, fully vaccinated students, faculty and staff are no longer required to wear masks indoors or outdoors while on campus. Individuals who have not been vaccinated but have an exemption are required to wear a mask indoors and are also required to wear a mask outdoors while in the company of others on campus.

The University supports any individual, regardless of vaccination status, who chooses to continue wearing a mask while on campus. I would ask that all members of our community demonstrate the same support to your co-workers and fellow students, who might simply feel more comfortable continuing the practice of mask wearing at this stage of the pandemic.

Daily Health Screening

Some members of our community have asked if the daily health screening questionnaire remains a condition of accessing campus. For now, the answer is yes. The daily health screening questionnaire remains a mandate of the New York State Department of Health and required of all major employers in New York. We have engaged New York State on this issue, and will update our community when this changes.

After a long and challenging year, all indicators point toward a summer and fall when the activities of daily living return to something akin to our pre-pandemic experience. The Syracuse University community persevered through the worst of COVID-19 because we stuck together and committed ourselves to the necessary compromises required to ensure the health and safety of our friends, classmates and community. Let’s remain committed to that objective. Do your part to keep COVID off our campus and from disrupting those events, activities and occasions that define what makes being a member of the Orange community unique and meaningful.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

Beginning on June 1, and each day leading up to June 19, Syracuse University will commemorate Juneteenth, a significant day in American history. On June 19, 1865, Black men, women and children in Texas were finally notified of their liberty nearly two and a half years after enslavement had officially ended.

Juneteenth became a day of commemoration to honor the strength, resilience and perseverance of African Americans. While Juneteenth has long been celebrated in the Black community, some Americans are not aware of its significance and meaning.

This year, we will mark Juneteenth with 19 days of reflection. Each day, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in partnership with Syracuse University Libraries, will share a unique learning opportunity. This 19-day observance will include a series of readings, lectures, videos and other content that will help our community learn about the Black experience leading up to and following Juneteenth. Every day, the content will be posted on diversity.syr.edu and on the office’s Instagram account, @Syracuseudiversity. We invite students, faculty and staff to engage in these 19 days of reflection.

Finally, please note, this year the University will officially observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 18. Administrative offices will be closed on that day in observance of Juneteenth. Our faculty and staff are urged to take the day to reflect on and participate in Juneteenth activities. Only employees who have been deemed essential to the continuation of University operations, such as critical student-facing roles, and those faculty teaching summer courses will report to campus. Due to previous changes in this year’s academic calendar because of the pandemic, classes scheduled for Friday, June 18, will go on as planned.

We encourage you to participate in the University’s Juneteenth observance. And, we hope you will continue to seek new knowledge, learn from those around you and effect meaningful change in your communities.

Sincerely,

Keith A. Alford
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Andrew R. Gordon
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer

John Liu
Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost

As the wellness coordinator in the Office of Human Resources, Kim DeStefano ’05 is motivated by a singular goal—to help faculty and staff members get and stay healthy, whatever that means for them. DeStefano is one half of the two-person team behind the University’s Wellness Initiative, which offers workshops, challenges, educational opportunities, programs and resources to empower employees to make choices and changes that promote a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Virtual group fitness challenges, which DeStefano conducts via Microsoft Teams, have proven to be particularly popular in the time of COVID. Dozens of faculty and staff members have joined in to work on their cardiovascular fitness (jumping jacks) and strength (planks and core exercises) over the past year, under DeStefano’s instruction and unrelenting encouragement. She is currently leading a challenge to work up to 50 burpees over a two-week period.

“We’ve received great feedback on the group fitness challenges, especially with people not being able to connect in person as much,” DeStefano says. “Employees have appreciated the connection with others around a common interest—fitness—and the motivation I give, while also building up their physical strength.”

Through at-home videos, with frequent cameos by her dog, Brutus, and toddler son, Asher, DeStefano demos each exercise with varying degrees of difficulty and optional modifications so that faculty and staff with any level of fitness can participate. “I want participants to experience the physical benefits, but more importantly I want them to feel good about themselves, be able to participate to their fullest ability and enjoy themselves along the way,” she says.

“Kim is an essential component of the success of the Wellness Initiative program,” says Gail Grozalis, executive director of wellness and the other half of the Wellness Initiative. “She is professional, knowledgeable, caring and exudes positive energy, and she especially shines in the meaningful connections she makes with our participants.”

Focused on a holistic and multi-dimensional approach to well-being, the Wellness Initiative delivers far more than physical fitness for faculty and staff. Since DeStefano and Grozalis became certified health and wellness coaches in 2019, they have renewed their commitment to offer diverse programs encompassing mental and emotional well-being, stress relief, work-life balance, financial wellness and relationship-building, in addition to exercise and healthy eating.

“Promoting physical activity and good nutrition will always be part of what we do, but I love that we’ve been expanding beyond that,” says DeStefano. In April the Wellness Initiative ran a weekly guided meditation series, two sessions of Move. Pause. Breathe.—25 minutes of stretching, meditation and deep breathing—and a back-by-popular-demand workshop series on bullet journaling offered by a third-party expert in positive psychology.

DeStefano began her journey with Syracuse as an undergraduate student in the School of Education, having graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science. Her interest in health and wellness stemmed from her time as a high school soccer player, during which she encountered injuries, surgeries and time spent in physical therapy.

“I started my degree with the idea that I would get my DPT [doctor of physical therapy], but over the course of four years, I became interested in so much more than just physical therapy,” DeStefano says. “I took nutrition classes and minored in psychology, where I started learning about how our minds work. I knew I wanted to do something to take care of people and help them feel their best.”

Upon graduation, DeStefano launched a 10-year career with St. Joseph’s Hospital’s cardiac rehabilitation unit as an exercise physiologist, conducting patient education and stress testing and writing exercise prescriptions for patients recovering from major cardiac events. Ready for a change of pace, she had her eye on her alma mater for career opportunities where she would be able to grow and evolve with a larger and more diverse organization. After a stint in the University’s special events office, she landed with the Wellness Initiative, where she has developed a real passion for worksite wellness and keeping the University’s employees healthy and engaged.

As a mom of two young children, the last year of working remotely has brought plenty of challenges, or growth opportunities, as the ever-optimistic DeStefano might describe them. Working odd hours around the kids’ schedules and juggling nap and feeding schedules with conference calls and work tasks became the new norm. Her husband Aaron, who works an overnight shift, was able to rearrange his work and sleep schedules when needed so DeStefano could run her programs and workshops, and they’ve also been lucky enough to have support from extended family to help with childcare.

“I’m pretty sure both of my kids have made an appearance on every call and in all my challenge videos,” DeStefano says. “It was definitely hard at first, as I’m sure it was for everyone, but as time went on we just went with it and adapted. Some days were a struggle but I’m all about staying positive. The work always gets done and I’ve been lucky to have all this time at home with my family.”

When it comes to her personal well-being, DeStefano stays active by keeping up with her little ones and doing at-home workouts—usually high-intensity interval training or yoga. She practices deep breathing exercises and isn’t afraid to find down time in front of the TV when her body calls for it. The DeStefano family is all about healthy eating, big on fruits, veggies and whole foods but allows for everything in moderation. “I do love ice cream,” she confesses. “So yeah, we indulge. I never want to deprive myself or the kids of anything.”

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families:

Yesterday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a policy recommendation indicating that individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks (indoors or outdoors) or maintain social distance. This is the latest in a series of positive signs demonstrating that our country is trending in the right direction and beginning to emerge from some of the health and safety restrictions imposed due to the pandemic.

We have been informed that the New York State Department of Health (DOH) is currently reviewing the CDC’s amended policy recommendation. Following that review, the DOH will announce if, how and when New York State’s current masking policy will be amended in response to the new CDC recommendation. As such, until New York State responds to the new CDC recommendations and issues its own amended policy related to masking, we ask that students, faculty, staff and visitors continue to wear masks at all times while on the Syracuse University campus.

We will continue to monitor developments related to this important policy and public health issue, and keep you informed as to changes that might impact our campus community.

Sincerely,
J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation