Union staff nominations sought for police oversight panel
Nominations are being sought for an election to fill the union staff representative position on the university’s Police Department Oversight Committee. The PDOC considers grievances against any police officer or the Police Department, and reports its findings and recommendations to the executive director of the Division of Public Safety and Security. The six-member committee consists of two students, two faculty members (one Senate faculty and one non-Senate faculty), and two staff members (one union and one non-union representative), who are nominated and elected by their peers for two-year terms. For the union staff position, members of AFSCME, HOA, IUOE, MNA and Skilled Trades may nominate themselves or another member of these unions for the term that runs from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2021. Nominations may be submitted through May 24 on the University Human Resources website at myumi.ch/6jAzV. UHR will conduct the election June 10-14. For more information, call UHR at 734-763-2387 or visit hr.umich.edu/police-department-oversight-committee.
File 2018 FSA claims by May 31
Faculty and staff are advised to file claims for eligible expenses from their 2018 Flexible Spending Account soon to avoid losing money. The deadline to submit claims on one’s 2018 account is May 31. Any funds left in an employee’s 2018 FSA on June 1 will be forfeited and used by the university to pay administrative costs. Faculty and staff can submit FSA claims online, by smartphone or via paper forms that can be faxed or mailed to PayFlex. For details, visit myumi.ch/LPgG4. Those who have questions can call PayFlex at 877-343-1346 or visit payflex.com.
Nominations sought to recognize champions of disability issues
Nominations are being accepted for the 30th annual James T. Neubacher Award, which is presented to a faculty or staff member, student, alumna or alumnus for significant achievements in promoting acceptance and awareness of people with disabilities, advocating for the civil rights of people with disabilities, and removing barriers to full participation in programs and services for people with disabilities. The deadline to submit a nomination is June 22. The award includes a stipend provided by the Office of the President and is sponsored by the Office of Institutional Equity, University Human Resources, the U-M Council for Disability Concerns, Michigan Medicine and the Office of the President. To access a nomination form, visit myumi.ch/6nqGV. Direct questions can be forwarded to Anna Ercoli Schnitzer at 734-936-1402 or schnitzr@umich.edu.
New member appointed to SACUA
The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs recently appointed Ivo Dinov to SACUA, the executive arm of U-M’s central faculty governance system. Dinov is a professor of health behavior and biological sciences, School of Nursing, and a professor of computational medicine and bioinformatics, Medical School. On SACUA, Dinov will fill the seat previously occupied by Sarah Lippert, who died in April. Lippert was an associate professor of art history in the UM-Flint College of Arts and Sciences. In the last SACUA election, where three faculty members were elected to the executive body, Dinov came in fourth place. SACUA Chair Joy Beatty said it made sense to use the results from the recent election to fill the vacant seat. Dinov’s term will expire April 30, 2021.
Admissions website features Ann Arbor summer opportunities
Current or visiting students looking for a high-quality and well-rounded summer experience at U-M’s Ann Arbor campus can find detailed information on the admissions website at myumi.ch/6QkXj. The content includes links to course guides for spring, spring/summer, and summer terms; details on special summer campus programs; information on summer housing, financial aid and jobs; and a portfolio of Ann Arbor-area summer activities. The new web content was recommended by the Summer Enrollment Task Force, which studied ways to leverage the university’s untapped capacity in summer to enhance undergraduate education. Ann Arbor campus summer program directors who would like their opportunities listed on this website should email information to eschmuhl@umich.edu for consideration.
Graham Sustainability Institute awards four new Catalyst Grants
The Graham Sustainability Institute has awarded four new Catalyst Grants that will support new partnerships, analyses and tools to advance sustainability. The four projects address several challenges, including safe drinking water, climate change vulnerability, sustainable livestock production and the health and energy justice impacts of electricity generation. Led by multidisciplinary teams, the projects were selected from among eight proposals submitted from 21 faculty members and researchers across nine units. Each of the selected proposals will receive $10,000 to support collaborative research activities. For more information, visit myumi.ch/Jdmpr.
— Compiled by Safiya Merchant, The University Record
