Finance and Administration News
UHR to begin mailing IRS Form 1095-C to employees this week
This week, University Human Resources will be mailing IRS Form 1095-C to employees who were eligible for health insurance benefits last year.
The Ohio Economic Development Association awarded the City of Athens the 2024 Gold Level Encouraging Environmental Excellence in Communities Award. The award recognizes an organization or local governments commitment to environmental oversight and excellence.
Notable benefits of the award include enhanced environmental assistance from the Ohio EPA, reduced time to obtain permit modifications and marketing opportunities to highlight environmental accomplishments.
To obtain the award, the city had to complete environmental, economic and social sustainability requirements and meet at least 12 of the EPAs criteria.
Policies such as banning plastic bag usage and increasing the use of solar energy have helped Athens earn the award.
According to a study conducted by Boston University, 34 billion pounds of textiles are discarded in the United States each year. This translates to roughly 100 pounds of discarded textiles per person. Of those textiles that are discarded, 66% are sent to landfills.
Heather Fuston, manager of the UpCycle Ohio Community Makerspace, said her organization is doing its part to stem a tidal wave of textile waste from flowing into local landfills. Last year, UpCycle Ohio recycled 19,000 pounds of textiles and helped people in communities across Athens County mend their clothes. This not only keeps textiles out of landfills but also reduces the number of new textiles that need to be produced.
Ahead of Valentines Day, 窪蹋勛圖s Office of Sustainability allowed students to express their love for the Earth.
On Wednesday, 窪蹋勛圖 students met on the Third Floor Atrium of Baker Center from 5-7 p.m. to make Valentines Day arts and crafts using recycled materials such as scrap paper and egg cartons. Sam Crowl, director of sustainability at 窪蹋勛圖, says the Sustainable Valentines Day workshop is one of several events the Office of Sustainability holds throughout the year during the holidays encouraging students to think sustainably by balancing people, planet and economic prosperity.
Sustainability is the attempt to find the sweet spot between people, planet and economic prosperity and were trying to target initiatives that achieve that sweet spot not only now, but ongoing into the future, Crowl explained. Theres lots of ways to define sustainability, but its that people, planet, prosperity model that I try to get students to think about when theyre making decisions. Think about the impact on people, on society and what things cost.
President Donald Trump was inaugurated Jan. 20 as the 47th president of the United States. For many Americans, this was a day of shared loss and national frustration. On Inauguration Day, climate change mitigation group Sunrise Movement Athens hosted a meeting to offer a healing space, organized by co-Presidents Maeve Fellerhoff and Celia Hawk.
OHIO employees invited to mental health awareness training session
All 窪蹋勛圖 employees are invited to participate in an upcoming training session focused on identifying and responding to mental health in the workplace.
The Center for OHIO Employee Excellence to offer three new workshops in February and March
The Center for OHIO Employee Excellence is excited to announce three upcoming workshops. The Center has several workshops planned in collaboration with various campus partners, starting with the first of these partnerships featuring Mac Stricklen, the University Ombudsperson.
Performance Management Reminder
窪蹋勛圖 Human Resources introduced a new, streamlined performance management framework. Training sessions are available through March 11, 2025.
窪蹋勛圖 was recognized as Ohios top Green School by The Princeton Review for 2025. The University is ranked among the Top 50 Green Schools nationally. Recognized for its healthy quality of life and outstanding academic programs, the school is also dedicated to sustainability practices.
Social Security Fairness Act update
The Social Security Fairness Act, HR 82, concerning the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, was signed into law on January 5, 2025.