Human Resource Services

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  • January 2021

January 2021

Employee Benefits & Well-being - Human Resource Services
January Newsletter

In This Issue

  • Assistance with Student Loan Debt

  • Physical & Mental Wellness in 2021

  • Benefit Discounts

Human Resource Services Contact Information

Human Resource Services will be implementing periods of winter operations and reduced operations between fall and spring semesters to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.

  • Winter Operations I: December 1 through December 23, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. HRS is not accepting walk-ins, appointment only (see below for more information).
  • Reduced Operations: December 24 through January 3, 2021. Office is closed.
  • Winter Operations II: January 4 through January 19, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. HRS is not accepting walk-ins, appointment only (see below for more information).

General Questions
Call 319-273-2422 or send an email to hrs-mail@uni.edu.

Benefit Questions
Call 319-273-2423 or send an email to hrs-benefits@uni.edu.

Leave Questions
Call 319-273-6164 or send an email to hrs-leaves@uni.edu.

New Hires Needing to Complete New Hire Paperwork
Call 319-273-2422 for further direction.

Merit Applications
Forms can be emailed to hrs-meritapplications@uni.edu, faxed to 319-273-2927, or slid under the door of Gilchrist 027.

Medicare Part B Forms*
Ensure section A of the form is complete and slide under the door. HRS Benefits will your forms by mail when complete.

Benefits Self-Service Assistance
Call 319-273-2423 and we will assist you while you are at an internet enabled computer.

Other Benefit or Insurance Related Forms*
Slide employer portions under the door. HRS Benefits will reach out by phone or email when complete.

*Please do not send personally identifiable information (e.g., social security numbers, birth dates, etc.) through email.

To contact a Human Resource Services staff directly, visit our Contact Us web page. If you are unsure who to contact, visit our About Us web page.

Contact Us

If you still have a question after reading this newsletter or visiting our website, please contact us.

COVID-19 and Your Benefits

To view frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and your benefits, visit the Forward Together website.

Going on Now!
Healthy Weight 2021 Program Application

UNI Employee Well-being is now accepting applications for the Healthy Weight @ UNI 2021 program. All applications are due by January 25, 2021. To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit the Healthy Weight @ UNI webpage.

Upcoming Events

Retirement Readiness: Retiring from UNI

Human Resource Services will host an informational session on retiring from UNI, for faculty and staff planning to retire soon or in the foreseeable future. Participants will learn guidelines and benefits available at retirement from UNI. This hour long session will be presented by Therese Callaghan, Employee Well-being Coordinator, via Zoom on
January 6 at 10 a.m.

Financial Wellness: TIAA SAVI Presentation

Human Resource Services is hosting a TIAA informational webinar on the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program and assistance available through TIAA and SAVI. Join a UNI-specific webinar to find out how you can explore lowering your student loan payments and work towards forgiveness. This session will be offered on January 12 at 3 p.m. and March 11 at 10 a.m. Please register in advance.

Financial Wellness: Work, Life, and Money

Human Resource Services is hosting a session on balancing the responsibilities between work, family life, and money challenges. In this session you will learn your financial well-being score, review your personal finances, and learn to keep big goals on track. This session will be led by Robert Moore, a Financial Advisor with Lee Wealth Management, via Zoom on January 14 at 3 p.m.

My Well-being: Healthy Habits to Start the New Year Off Right!

Human Resource Services will host an informational session on healthy habits you can incorporate as a part of your new year and all year long. Mercy Wellness will lead this one hour session on January 20 at 3 p.m.

Retirement Readiness: Social Security 101

Human Resource Services will host an informational session on Social Security benefits and preparing for retirement. Learn how Social Security benefits impact your retirement income, and strategies to maximize your benefits. The hour long session will be presented by John Morgan with AIG via Zoom on February 2 at 3 p.m.

Participation in events that occur during scheduled working hours must be approved by your supervisor. Employees on a university-approved leave should contact hrs-leaves@uni.edu for approval. Stay up-to-date with the status of this session by visiting https://hrs.uni.edu/event-status. If the status of this session changes you will also be notified by UNI email or campus phone. Individuals needing an accommodation in order to participate in an event, please contact a HRS team member at 319-273-2954, or
hrs-benefits@uni.edu, at least one week prior to the event.

TIAA Logo

TIAA January Financial Wellness Webinars

  • January 12 | 2 to 3 p.m. CDT

    • The Starting Line: Beginning to Save for Retirement

  • January 13 | 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDT

    • Quarterly Economic and Market Update with TIAA's Chief Investment Strategist

  • January 13 | 2 to 3 p.m. CDT

    • Lifetime Income: Looking to Turn Your Retirement Savings into a Paycheck for Life?

  • January 14 | 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. CDT

    • 10 Predictions for 2021

  • January 14 | 2 to 3 p.m. CDT

    • The 411 on 529 Plans

TIAA webinars are open to all employees. To register visit: https://www.tiaa.org/webinars2022

Times through the webinar link will be shown in Eastern Standard Time.

Financial Wellness

Assistance Available for Student Debt Relief

The path to reducing your monthly student loan payment and working toward loan forgiveness could be getting much easier. That’s because you have access to a robust solution that helps find the best federal repayment and forgiveness programs for your financial situation. The average student debt savings is $1,880 per year. Brought to you through TIAA and Savi, this tool not only helps strengthen your financial footing in the short-term, it also positions you for student loan forgiveness.

  • Caps your payment based on your income and family size.

  • Frees up funds to direct towards other financial goals.

  • Removes the complexities of forgiveness and puts the process on auto-pilot for a small fee.

We’re excited to bring this opportunity to our employees. Take a minute and find out how much you could save. Visit tiaa.org/uni/student today to calculate your savings. You can also visit our Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness webpage to learn more about this resource, or filing for public service debt relief on your own at no cost.

My Well-being

Physically & Mentally Well this New Year!

Many things in 2020 were beyond our control. Yet if we looked at our daily choices, so many are in our control. If we break down our daily choices, numerous of these have an impact on our physical and mental health. What time to go to bed. What foods to eat. What we drink. What activities we engage in. What we watch. What we read. How we spend our money. How we respond to everyday small stressors or “spilled milk".


Our lives are a series of these little choices, with each one of them having positive or negative impact on our physical and mental wellness. If you are looking to make a change, consider: starting small, setting a goal and writing it down, finding an accountability partner, taking it one day at a time, and keep going.


You don’t have to do it alone. At UNI we have benefits available to help! Check-out some of these great resources to assist faculty and staff:

Take control and make 2021 the year of physical and mental well-being. For questions on services contact employeewellbeing@uni.edu.

Own Your Benefits

More Than Just Insurance, Benefits Discount Offered

If you are a Wellmark member (our self-insured health plan vendor) you may participate in Blue365®, which is a discount program for fitness classes, fitness trackers, hearing aids, and much more! Registration is required and utilizing the discounts comes at no extra cost to you. Delta Dental (our self-insured dental vendor) also provides a free discount program to all of its members called DeltaVision. These discounts can be used on vision materials. Even more, Principal Financial (our life insurance and LTD vendor) has discounts available to our employees and their family members. These discounts include: will preparation, hearing aid discounts, laser vision services, and travel assistance. Take advantage of these discounts as often as you’d like! To view more information, visit our Discounts and Services website.

Recognizing Our Retirees

We are thankful for the service of all of UNI's retirees! With their consent we are able to celebrate their years of service and share their information with the entire campus community.

Kevin Launderville
Concession & Retail Operations Manager, UNI-Dome Concessions
19 Years of Service, Retiring in January
kanddlaunderville@gmail.com

Nancy Lindgard
Director, IT-Specialized Systems
31 Years of Service, Retiring in January
nancy.lindgard@uni.edu

Patricia Olthoff-Blank
Producer & Announcer News, Broadcasting Services
32 Years of Service, Retiring in January
patblankster@gmail.com

Retirement Readiness

Retirement Benefit Questions? The HRS Benefits Team is Here to Assist!

The Human Resource Services Benefits Team is continuing to help employees with retirement benefit questions. If you plan to retire in 2020 please email
hrs-benefits@uni.edu or call 319-273-2423. For additional information on retirement visit Retiring from UNI.

Coming In February

February Calendar
Stay Up-to-Date with HRS Events

Plan on attending an upcoming Human Resource Services (HRS) sponsored event? Please visit the HRS event status webpage to view if the event is on-time, postponed, rescheduled, or canceled. Registered participants will also receive an email from HRS notifying that an event status has changed.

Subscribe to HRS Latest News and Events

Be the first to hear the latest news and events from UNI Human Resource Services including benefits and well-being news. Subscribe to receive the HRS News emails right to your uni.edu email account.

Is Your Personal Information Up-to-Date?

To make changes to your office and/or home (confidential) contact information:

Login to MyUNIverse > My Page > Update My Personal Information. This information is sent to Human Resource Services and will be updated within four working days.

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