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UCI Brief

Monday, May 21, 2012

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Campus celebrates men’s volleyball NCAA Championship. Photo by Daniel A. Anderson, Strategic Communications. UCI’s men’s volleyball team swept USC on its home court at Galen Center.

UCI National Champions in Men’s Volleyball

The band played, Peter pumped his fists and Anteaters of all stripes turned out May 9 to celebrate UCI’s 2012 NCAA championship in men’s volleyball – its third in six years. Players and coach John Speraw were on hand to autograph T-shirts and Chancellor Michael Drake talked about the qualities of leadership and character exemplified by players and coaches who persevered through a tough season to come out on top with a 3-0 sweep May 5 over No. 2 seed USC in the NCAA Championship match at the Galen Center.

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Campus News & Announcements

UCI School of Law’s inaugural class at graduation. Photo courtesy of UC Irvine School of Law.

A Class Act

The UCI School of Law’s inaugural class, which graduated May 5, amassed impressive academic accolades, as expected, but also passionately pursued public service over the past three years. Among other achievements, the 58 members of the class of 2012 helped define UCI’s pro bono program, establishing the school as a true champion of public interest legal education with a strong emphasis on experiential learning.

Gloria Mark, right, and Stephen Voida. Photo by Steve Zylius, Strategic Communications.

Email ‘Vacations’ Decrease Stress, Increase Concentration

Being cut off from work email significantly reduces stress and allows employees to focus far better, according to a new study by UCI and U.S. Army researchers. Shown: Informatics professor Gloria Mark, right, and scientist Stephen Voida.

Nathan Wong. Photo by Daniel A. Anderson, Strategic Communications.

Heart Disease Risk Can Indicate Long-Term COPD Fate

A simple test for heart disease risk can go a long way toward determining the long-term prognosis for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to UCI researchers. Dr. Hwa Mu Lee and Nathan Wong (shown) of the UCI Heart Disease Prevention Program found that individuals with moderate to severe COPD who had a low Framingham Heart Study 10-year risk assessment rate lived longer and healthier than COPD patients who scored high on the heart test.

Work/Life

‘Exercise Your Mind’ Month

May Is ‘Exercise Your Mind’ Month

Get moving this “May for Exercise Your Mind Month.” Find out how to get mentally and physically fit. Start the summer relaxed and stress free. Get exercise guidelines, mental health resources and transportation safety tips. Visit the Wellness & Safety Toolkit for more information and to download this month’s Wellness & Safety posters, available in both English and Spanish.

Faculty & Staff Wellness & Safety Fair

Volunteers Needed for Faculty & Staff Wellness & Safety Fair

If you are interested in volunteering at this year’s Faculty & Staff Wellness & Safety Fair, sign up online. Volunteers are asked to serve at least one hour between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 23. Volunteers will receive a fair T-shirt to wear during the event and will be provided lunch. Questions? Contact Dyan Hall at dyhall@uci.edu or 949-824-5429.

UC Walks

Join UC Walks on May 23

On May 23, faculty and staff at nearly all UC campuses and medical centers will take a break from their workday and walk for their health with the third annual UC Walks. Participate in UCI’s UC Walks event by walking to this year’s Wellness & Safety Fair. All participants will receive a T-shirt, while supplies last. UC Walks also counts as a wellness activity toward StayWell’s incentive program. Eligible faculty and staff can earn a $100 gift certificate by taking a health assessment by June 15 and completing the follow-up activity by Dec. 15. More information is available online.

Kaiser Permanente Members Can Access kp.org via Smartphone

Kaiser Permanente Members Can Access kp.org via Smartphone

Members of Kaiser Permanente can conveniently manage their care right from their smartphones. Many of the popular features on kp.org are available, including making appointments, checking lab results, finding nearby facilities, ordering prescription refills and more. Most smartphone users can access the site by typing “kp.org” in their phone browsers. Android users also can download the free Kaiser Permanente app. An iPhone app is coming soon.

Employee Assistance Program

‘Paying for/Paying Back Higher Education’ Webinar Available

Whether you have a family member who is years away from college or have a family member who just graduated, join a certified My Secure Advantage money coach for the “Paying for/Paying Back Higher Education” webinar noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, to discuss strategies for borrowing and paying back monies for higher education. In addition to discussing the various education loans and investment vehicles available to finance education, the coach will discuss options for those struggling with repaying student loan debt. Register online.

Steps to Retire

Steps to Retire in July

Employees who plan to retire this July should begin their retirement process now since the entire process can take approximately three months. The process is completed in two steps: the retirement profile and the election. UCRP members who have five or more years of service credit and are age 50 or older are eligible to retire. Decide upon your retirement date, and then contact a retirement consultant in Human Resources/Benefits. Find out who your insurance and retirement consultant is online. For additional assistance, email benefits@uci.edu.

Disability Waiting Period

Check Disability Waiting Period

Upon hire, you may have enrolled in the supplemental disability plan and selected a seven-day waiting period. The waiting period is the amount of time to determine that employees can pay all of their own expenses, after disability begins. However, accrued sick leave may be used to maintain your salary during the waiting period. After several years of employment, such accruals may provide an option to increase the waiting period, thus decreasing monthly premiums. To evaluate your situation, visit the Disability Premium Calculator tool. For additional information, visit the Make Changes to Your Life Insurance and/or Disability Plan Outside of Period of Initial Eligibility SNAP page.

Focus Groups Help Move UCI Kuali Financial System Forward

Accounting & Fiscal Services, in partnership with the Office of Information Technology and other units, is working to implement the Kuali Financial System at UCI. Presently, more than 70 UCI staff members in five focus groups are meeting weekly to consult on KFS modules that form the integrated suite of financial software replacing a range of financial subsystems. Focus group members include experts from the entire UCI community, including the medical center. The proposed KFS implementation date is July 2013. For more information, visit the UCI Kuali website or contact Brenda Mathias, accounting systems director, mathiasb@uci.edu.

Health Care Facilitator

What Is a Health Care Facilitator?

UC health care facilitators help faculty, staff and eligible family members better understand UC-sponsored health plans and provide free, confidential assistance in resolving benefit and service issues. They work from benefits offices at all UC campuses, medical centers and laboratories. Employees can gain assistance resolving a problem with their health plans and have their questions answered regarding coverage.
Contact: Glenn Rodriguez, UCI health care facilitator, 949.824.9065 or email glennr@uci.edu

EH&S Safety Matters

Sign Up for EH&S’ Award-Winning Newsletter

Environmental Health & Safety’s award-winning quarterly newsletter Safety Matters includes a variety of safety-related articles, tips and services relevant to both work and home. Sign up to automatically receive a message when the next issue is available by updating ZotMail subscriptions online and checking “Environmental Health & Safety – Newsletter.” To view past and current issues, visit the Web page.

Fleet van

Fleet Services Offers Vehicle Rentals

To better serve the campus community, Facilities Management has added a 12-passenger van to the Fleet Services rental pool. Fleet Services facilitates short- and long-term vehicle rentals for the campus community. All of the rentals are billed via departmental recharge. Office hours are 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

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Peter the Anteater

Keeping Score

Follow these links to get the Anteaters’ latest results.

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