Voice
The Statewide Thanksgiving Potluck was well attended and very well stocked with great food for every taste. Thank you Statewide for a wonderful event. Photo by Monique Musick

Announcements November 2016

  • On-Site Biometric Screening
  • New process for opening UA College Savings accounts online includes payroll deduction option
  • Walk Denali Wellness Challenge
  • Healthyroads website password update
  • Healthy Eating During the Holidays
  • 12 Days of Holiday Cheer
  • Holiday Mug Drive
  • United Way Campaign
  • Adopt-A-Family Holiday wish list
  • SAA Meeting Highlights

UA On-Site Biometric Screenings Fairbanks and Anchorage

You asked for an earlier schedule for biometric screenings, so we've set up events in Fairbanks and Anchorage for early December. More events will be scheduled in the spring, but why wait? Remember to take your Personal Health Assessment (PHA), the other required component of the incentive plan.

University of Alaska is pleased to announce that we will once again offer on-site biometric screenings for all employees, spouses and FIPs who are enrolled in the UA Choice health plan. Those who have not already participated in a biometric screening for FY17 (5/1/16— 4/30/17 ) either through your health care provider or at a Quest Patient Service Center location will be able to participate.

The biometric screening will allow you to not only see your numbers and get an idea of your current health, but it will also count as the required biometric portion of this year’s incentive plan. Appointments must be scheduled online and you can access using the link below. All up-to-date information regarding the screenings is also posted on the UA benefit/wellness site.

*If you don’t see your campus location listed, we will be scheduling additional events for Feb/March 2017. Remember, you can always get this completed with your provider during your routine, preventive exam and complete and return a healthcare provider form.

UAA Campus
When: Tuesday, December 6th from 8am-1pm
Where:� University Lake Building (ULB) 104

UAF Campus
When: Wednesday, December 7th from 7am-Noon
Where: Butrovich Building 109 (Board of Regents)

When: Thursday, December 8th from 7am-Noon
Where: Butrovich Building 109 (Board of Regents)

Please Click Here to schedule your appointment, using the following to register:

Registration Key= UOA1617
Unique ID= First 3 letters of first name + Full last name + MMDD of your DOB
**Please note that this is an updated platform and is different from previous years.
Everyone will need to ‘register’ when utilizing the first time for FY17.
If you need assistance while accessing the system, please refer to THIS document, or contact Sara! �

If you have any questions, please contact Sara Rodewald, UA's Program Manager from Healthyroads at: sararo@ashn.com or (907)450-8203

Walk Denali Wellness Challenge

The Walk Denali Challenge has started, but enrollment is open through Dec. 31. To enroll:

  • Log-in to your Healthyroads account by using the appropriate link at the top of the UA benefits/wellness page
  • Once in your account, go to the ‘Challenges’ tab and then ‘All Challenges’
  • Click on the ‘Walk Denali’ Challenge and then select ‘Join Challenge’

Want to participate, but don’t currently utilize a fitness app/device? Learn about your options on the ‘Connected FAQ’ document.

Confused about Challenges in general? Read through the FAQs!

The 12 Business Days of Holiday Cheer

This year, instead of hosting a potluck in December, SAA decided to try something new. Dec 1 kicks off the 12 Business Days of Holiday Cheer!

Participation is completely voluntary with the goal to make December upbeat and cheery, but more importantly, to take time out of our busy days to make a colleague's or stranger’s day brighter. What better way than with random acts of kindness…and a few fun things too!

Each day we ask that you complete the assigned task on this flyer. On the 12th day ( December 16th ), we will conclude the 12 Business Days of Holiday Cheer with some yummy and festive treats in Butrovich 109 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. And while you're there you can also wrap a gift for the Adopt-a-Families donation. We may even have participation prizes!

Holiday Coffee Mug Drive

The holiday Coffee Mug Drive is underway!�

Even though SAA is not doing the annual Food Drive until February, when the need for food is greatest, the Coffee Mug Drive will still provide the Food Bank with a small gift to put in people's holiday food boxes this Christmas.

If you have extra coffee mugs that are cluttering up your cupboards, bring them to Lisa Sporleder,�Chief Elf in charge of Coffee Mugs, in Butrovich Suite 102 (by the windows, in the cubicle behind the purple vine).� Lisa and her elves will stuff them with a candy cane, gourmet cocoa, and wrapped candies.� The mugs get wrapped and dressed with a bow, and then taken to the Food Bank.� The Food Bank looks forward to getting the mugs, and Statewide does not disappoint them!�

Bring in your unused mugs by Friday, December 16 , to be included in this year's mug drive.� You may not need them any longer, but those mugs can help make someone else's holiday a bit more festive this year!

SAA November Meeting Highlights

The Statewide Administration Assembly held a regular business meeting on Wednesday, November 16. Below are highlights from the meeting.

November SAA Highlights

  • SAA will hold its annual Thanksgiving Potluck in Fairbanks on Friday, November 18. All SW staff are welcome to attend. Anchorage SW staff will hold their holiday party on Thursday, Dec. 8 .
  • SAA distributed a morale survey to SW employees on Tuesday, Nov. 15. The survey will close at 5pm on Monday, Nov. 28 . All employees are encourage to participate. Results will be aggregated before being shared with the UA Staff Alliance, President Johnsen, and the Board of Regents. The survey can be completed using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NFMCR3W
  • Sara Rodewald, the HealthyRoads on-site program manager for UA, gave a brief presentation. Representatives were excited to hear about a change coming to the program--if a participant's biometrics fall within a certain range this year, they will only have to complete the Personal Health Assessment (PHA) next year.
  • Representatives continued to discuss a break room for the Butrovich Building. They will examine space, need, and cost before taking further steps.
  • The Adopt-a-Family gift drive will begin on Friday, Nov. 18 and will run until Monday, Dec. 12 . Sheri Billiot will lead the campaign and will collect donations at her cube in 211. The gift list will be available for selection starting at the Thanksgiving Potluck.
  • Anchorage staff have started a Toys-for-Tots drive. It will conclude on December 9th . Danielle Nelson will lead that effort.
  • The annual Butrovich canned food drive has been moved to February, following feedback from the Food Bank on when they need donations the most. (Mugs will still be collected by Lisa Sporleder during December so please be sure to still bring those in!)
  • Staff are reminded to check that there is power to the Butrovich parking lot headbolt heaters when plugging in vehicles to ensure the outlet's internal breaker has not been tripped. To check if the headbolt heater outlet has power, look for a small green light in the bottom corner of the outlet. In the case there is no green light, push the protruding reset button located in the middle of the outlet. Additionally, a map of current headbolt status can be viewed here:�http://137.229.22.238/utilitiesweb/hbhmap.jpg

SAA will meet next on Wednesday, December 14 in Butrovich 212a in Fairbanks and Bragaw 205 in Anchorage. All staff are welcome and encouraged to attend. You can also reach out to SAA members between meetings to share ideas and concerns. Additional information about SAA meetings is available on their website .

New process for opening UA College Savings accounts online includes payroll deduction option

We are excited to announce that the UA College Savings Plan recently launched an online new account set up process which allows employees to select "Payroll Deduction" as a funding method. This is great news for UA Employees who want to set up a new college savings account online and fund it through payroll deduction.�

Funding an account through payroll deduction is not limited to UA employees. Over the course of the past year, the UA College Savings Plan has partnered with businesses throughout the state to offer this benefit to their employees.
Once a new account is opened, to start automatic payroll deduction, complete the� UA College Savings Plan Employee Payroll Deduction Request Form and submit it to your HR office.�

For more information contact the UA College Savings Plan office at: ua-collegesavingsplan@alaska.edu or call 474-5671.

Healthyroads Website Password Update

On December 8, Healthyroads will require ALL users to update their password to match the new password security guidelines. The guidelines were updated to increase security and protect you and your information even further. Upon logging-in to your account for the first time on or after Dec. 8, you will be met with a message explaining what needs to occur. Upon completing this ONE TIME update, you will log-in as normal moving forward. Additional details and a reminder will be sent over the next few weeks, after the update goes into place.

On-Site Education Session: Healthy Eating During the Holidays

Join Healthyroads for a presentation detailing how to stay on-track with your nutrition goals over the Holiday Season. Registration is required. If you will be attending remotely-use the link below. Participating in this presentation will give you 1 incentive point! The presentation will be recorded for those unable to attend that day.

  • When: Tuesday, December 13th from 12-1pm
  • Where: UAF, Duckering 352

Or, attend from wherever you are online! You will need a computer and phone access to fully participate. Registration is required to earn the incentive point.

o �� Registration: Complete the form provided and use the link that is emailed to you to join the meeting.

SAA Adopt-A-Family Holiday Wish List

This year Love Inc. has matched us with two deserving families for our annual Adopt-A-Family gift drive.� The drive will run until Monday, December 12. Thank you to everyone who has already picked up a Christmas tree ornament containing the gifts the family members submitted on their wish lists. Your heartfelt generosity will make their holiday season a little brighter. If we all pull together we can help these families have a wonderful Christmas.

The remaining ornaments are hanging on the Christmas tree on the 1st floor by OIT. Attached is Word document with a little more information about the families, their interests and their wish lists.� WISH LISTS

Holiday ornaments contain the wish lists of the Adopt-A-Family families for the holiday gift drive coordinated by the Statewide Administration Assembly. Photo by Sheri Billiot

Join us in supporting United Way

UAF United Way Committee:

Together, members of the university community�can build a stronger, healthier and more compassionate place to live by supporting the�more than 20�member agencies of the United Way of the Tanana Valley. You can participate in the�2016 UAF United Way campaign underway now.

Last year, people affiliated with UAF raised more than $44,000. The 2016 UAF United Way Committee hopes�to surpass that goal in 2016 with your help. It’s easy to give. Donations can be made online�here�or by stopping by the Office of Human Resources. Giving forms also are are available by contacting any of the committee members listed below.

United Way of the Tanana Valley’s vision is to create a community where education, financial stability and healthy lives are available to everyone. Let’s live united.

For more information, contact the 2016 UAF United Way Committee:

Amy Hartley, UAF communications and events specialist, University Relations
Brad Lobland, director of UAF Human Resources
Doug Schrage, University Fire Department chief
Teresa Thompson, UAF�College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences development officer

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