HR News

Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Staff:

As the University continues to monitor updates regarding vaccine eligibility, I wanted to share with you the latest guidance from New York State and Onondaga County.

The state and county have announced that any individual age 18 or older who had a COVID-19 vaccine and feels they are at risk is eligible to get a booster shot, if they had their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna at least six months ago or had the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

If you are eligible, booster shots are available at Onondaga County’s vaccine clinics and the New York State fairgrounds, as well as at pharmacies. Availability can also be found by checking the Vaccines.gov website. Any future on-campus booster clinics will be announced at such time as they become available.

Faculty or staff members who have questions about the booster should contact their physician; students who have questions can contact the Barnes Center at The Arch at 315.443.8000.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our community’s public health. And, as we head into the holiday week, I wish you and your loved ones a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

Dependent Care Subsidy

As part of the University’s ongoing efforts to support the changing needs of families, the University continues to offer subsidies to assist with dependent care. The application deadline is Dec. 3. For more information and a copy of the application, visit the Dependent Care Subsidy webpage.

Reduced Medical Contributions

Depending on an employee’s household income and size, reduced medical contributions are available through Schedule B. The application deadline is Dec. 3. For more information and a copy of the application, visit the Schedule B website.

Supplemental Life Insurance and Long Term Disability

If you chose to newly elect or increase your supplemental life insurance during this year’s annual Open Enrollment period, please remember to complete your MetLife Statement of Health form. If you chose to newly elect long-term disability insurance through The Standard, please remember to complete your Medical History Statement form.

Questions?

Contact HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042.

Each year, Open Enrollment provides you with the opportunity to reflect on your needs and those of your loved ones. We encourage you to review your benefits on MySlice and ensure that your choices are in place for Jan. 1, 2022. This is the one time of year when you may elect or change your coverage for many benefits, unless you experience a qualifying life event.

Additional information, including various news items, can be reviewed on the Open Enrollment website to help answer your questions.

If you have any questions about Open Enrollment or benefits, please contact HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042.

You can save on taxes over the course of a year through effective use of an FSA, and HealthEquity/WageWorks makes reimbursement easy. If you wish to contribute to an FSA during 2022 to help pay for health care and dependent care expenses, you must take action during Open Enrollment to elect the benefit and set your contribution levels. Questions? Visit the Open Enrollment website or contact HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042. Make sure to check out Open Enrollment Highlights to educate yourself about the benefits program for 2022. Enroll Now

Visit MySlice and enroll today.

Open Enrollment is a time to reflect on the various benefits available to you and make choices that best meet the needs of you and your family. Regardless of what goals you’re striving for or what challenges you may be facing, there are benefits and resources available to assist you.

Caregiving Resources

In support of the changing needs of families, the University provides several resources, including a free premium membership through Care@Work by Care.com, where you can get help finding child care providers, tutors, elder caregivers, pet sitters, house cleaners and more through the world’s largest network of caregivers. In addition, the Dependent Care Subsidy Program provides assistance to households with an annual income of less than $150,000. Other resources can be found on Human Resources’ WorkLife Benefits and Resources webpage, including information on Carebridge, the University’s faculty and staff assistance program, which connects faculty and staff with information, resources and referrals for caregiving.

Tuition Benefits

A cornerstone of our benefits program, tuition assistance helps eligible employees and dependents afford the cost of college tuition. If attending college is on the horizon for you or a family member, be sure to review the eligibility policies and submit any necessary paperwork to HR Shared Services.

Wellness

The Syracuse University Wellness Initiative provides learning opportunities, activities, programs and other resources to empower and encourage you to make choices and changes that lead to a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Learn about upcoming programs and subscribe to the Wellness email list.

Adoption Assistance

Adopting a child is a joyous occasion, but one that often brings unique financial challenges. In an effort to assist employees who are building families, Syracuse University offers adoption assistance benefits to eligible employees.

Will Preparation Services

Experts recommend that you review your will with your attorney every five to 10 years. If you experience a major life event—such as a birth or death—it is extremely important to review your will to ensure your wishes are carried out. If you are already enrolled in or are considering supplemental life insurance through MetLife, remember that with enrollment, you can take advantage of will preparation at no cost. Don’t forget to submit the completed Statement of Health form directly to MetLife if you are newly enrolling or increasing your insurance amount.

Time Away From Work

The University provides you with time to enjoy away from work, as well as to protect you and your loved ones in times of sickness. Be sure to review and understand the time off that you are eligible for through your University benefits.

Questions?

Visit the Open Enrollment website or contact HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042. Make sure to check out Open Enrollment Highlights to educate yourself about the benefits program for 2022.

Enroll Now

Visit MySlice and enroll today.

Dear Syracuse University Colleague:

The University will continue to offer a comprehensive set of benefits for 2022—a direct result of the work of many members of our University community—including the faculty and staff of the Benefits Advisory Council.

Each year, Syracuse University reviews its benefits program and makes revisions based on a thorough evaluation, which includes comparisons to the programs of other higher education institutions. Planned revisions to 2022 benefits enable the University to offer highly competitive benefits, continue important and strategic hiring and support the University’s priorities, including offering competitive salaries.

This benefits Open Enrollment period, Nov. 1-12, provides you with the opportunity to reflect on your benefit options, explore resources that provide additional support for you, connect with the Human Resources team to help make the decisions that best meet your needs and enroll for the coming year.

Visit openenrollment.syr.edu to learn about the top things you need to know about your 2022 benefits. Then, from Monday, Nov. 1, through Friday, Nov. 12, you can log in to MySlice and enroll.

If you have any questions, please contact HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042 or at hrservice@syr.edu. Thank you in advance for your participation and engagement in this process.

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

Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Staff:

You have likely noticed the very positive data and trends reported on the Syracuse University COVID dashboard over the past several weeks. I call your attention to a few important data points:

·         The number of new cases being reported daily has declined and held constant at very low levels.

·         For two consecutive weeks, the seven-day COVID test positivity rate among those participating in our random surveillance program had held steady at 0.4% and this past week, it dropped to 0.2%.

·         Results from the University’s ongoing wastewater surveillance program affirm declining levels of on-campus transmission.

This is positive news. Our collective efforts, including your commitment to a vaccinated campus and adherence to ongoing COVID prevention protocols, are paying off. Thank you.

At the same time, the positive data and trends detailed above have generated questions about the University’s masking policy and what conditions would prompt the Public Health Team to recommend moving from the current RED-level masking requirement to a lesser masking status.

As I have shared before, there is no single metric or threshold that—by itself—would trigger a change to the COVID masking alert level. Instead, adjustments to the COVID masking framework are based on an ongoing assessment of campus and community testing data, wastewater surveillance, contact tracing information and other factors indicative of COVID prevalence and transmission within the campus and Central New York community. Many of the measures that the Public Health Team considers are, by most accounts, trending in a positive direction. However, the public health situation across Onondaga County and Central New York remains problematic. Specifically, Onondaga County has:

·         Reported 1,505 new COVID cases in the most recent seven-day period—or an average of 215 new cases per day.

·         Experienced a 5.1% positivity rate for the most recent seven-day period. This is significantly higher as compared to the period leading up to Aug. 28, the day we cited concern over increasing cases in the community as one of the major reasons for moving to the RED-level masking requirement on campus.

Given the current level of COVID infection and transmission within the Central New York community, the University’s Public Health Team continues to advise we remain at the RED-level masking status. Should the public health conditions in the broader Central New York community significantly improve, we expect to be in a position to reevaluate our current masking requirements. The Public Health Team will continue to monitor campus and community COVID data and recommend future changes to the masking requirement.

Thank you again for your collective efforts to keep our campus safe.
J. Michael Haynie
Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

As part of our COVID-19 response, the University expects all faculty and staff to receive a flu vaccine before the start of the Spring 2022 semester. Find out more about where, when and how to get your flu vaccine on or off campus.

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

We are writing to share the 2021 edition of Your Safety and Security at Syracuse University. Required by The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (“Clery Act”), our report is now online and can be found by visiting the Annual Security Report webpage. This report is one of the many ways we communicate with our campus community about crime and fire safety data, crime prevention programs, student safety guidelines and important information on our campus safety reporting procedures.

All of us at Syracuse University remain dedicated to the safety of our campus community. Our goals are consistent year after year. They are:

• reduce crime by equipping our community members with personal and residential safety and security guidelines and recommendations;
• teach and encourage safe behavior and active bystander best practices;
• inform the campus community about programs, resources and services, because knowledge is a powerful crime-fighting tool;
• inspire and invite others to partner with us in our mission to minimize crime and increase safety on and near campus; and
• consistently work to improve and enhance a meaningful relationship with the community we serve.

We urge you to familiarize yourself with the information, resources and services contained within our report. And we ask that you be a vigilant partner in our ongoing and collective efforts to maintain a safe environment where all our community members can thrive.

To request a print copy of the Your Safety and Security at Syracuse University report, contact Nikki Cooter, regulatory compliance manager, at njcooter@syr.edu or 315.443.5476. Once you submit your request, your print copy will be delivered within 10 days.

Sincerely,
Robert Maldonado
Chief, Department of Public Safety

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

In recent days, our active COVID cases have declined significantly (44 as of today) and the positivity rate among those tested via our random surveillance testing program over the past week is less than .5%. At the same time, community members continue to present to the Barnes Center and other clinics with cold- and flu-like symptoms not related to COVID. This is a reminder that although we are experiencing success containing the transmission of COVID-19, cold and flu season is upon us.

First Flu Clinic Scheduled

With that in mind, as announced in July 2021, all members of our campus community are once again expected to receive a flu vaccination. Compliance with this requirement will be closely monitored. The University is poised, as it did last year, to make flu shots available on campus through a series of flu clinics. The details of the University’s first flu clinic are as follows:

·         Day: Friday, Oct. 1

·         Time: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

·         Where: Barnes Center at The Arch

·         Who: All students, faculty and staff are eligible to participate

·         How:

o    Students: Make an appointment by visiting the Patient Portal.

o    Faculty and staff: No appointments are required, but we ask that you please bring your completed Flu Vaccine Consent Form [PDF]. Of course, you are also welcome to receive your flu shot from your primary care physician, at a local pharmacy or at other locations providing vaccinations.

·         Don’t forget: Please bring your Syracuse University I.D. card and be sure to wear a face mask when you visit the flu clinic.

·         Exemptions:

o    Students with religious or medical exemptions: Visit the Patient Portal to download the Medical-Religious Waiver. Once completed, submit your waiver via the “Upload” option in the Patient Portal.

o    Faculty and staff: Please indicate your religious or medical exemption via the Faculty/Staff Attestation Survey.

There will be several more opportunities to get your flu shot! Additional faculty and staff flu clinics are already scheduled, and additional flu clinics for students will be held throughout the month of October with more details announced soon.

All the measures that are keeping our community safe (mask wearing, random testing, monitoring for symptoms) from COVID can have the same effect in our collective efforts to combat the spread of other contagious viruses. Receiving the flu shot is equally important. A concurrent outbreak of influenza and COVID-19 on our campus could have devastating consequences for individual and community health, make COVID-19 cases more challenging to detect and diagnosis, and also potentially overwhelm the capacity of the local health care system.

Eligibility Guidance for Pfizer Booster Dosage

Many members of our community have asked about the eligibility requirements for the booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Late yesterday, the New York State Department of Health issued guidance to health care providers and health departments in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations, which makes eligible the following populations to receive the booster shot at least six months after receiving their second dose:

·         People 65 years and older and residents of long-term care settings should receive a booster shot

·         People aged 50-64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot

·         People aged 18-49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot based on their individual benefits and risks

·         People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot based on their individual benefits and risks. These include:

o    First responders (health care workers, firefighters, police, congregate care staff)

o    Education staff (professors/instructors/teachers, support staff, daycare workers)

o    Food and agriculture workers (food services staff)

o    Public transit workers (bus and trolley drivers)

Given the above eligibility determinations, many in our campus community are now immediately eligible to receive a booster shot. This includes Syracuse University faculty, food services workers, residence life staff and other front line education staff working daily in direct contact with students. If you received the Pfizer vaccine more than six months ago, we encourage you to consider the CDC’s recommendation of a booster dose.

·         Faculty/Staff: Onondaga County has partnered with Kinney Drugs to provide booster shots. You can schedule an appointment by visiting the Kinney Drugs website.

·         For Students: For those of you who may be eligible based on an underlying medical condition, please contact the Barnes Center to schedule a consultation and vaccination appointment.

The availability of Pfizer booster shots adds yet another layer of protection in the University’s ongoing public health strategy aimed at limiting and containing the spread of COVID-19.

We appreciate our community’s continued commitment to our collective public health. Please continue to do your part. The easiest step you can take at this time is getting a flu shot. It’s safe, simple and selfless. Don’t wait, take action today!

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