Submit a Tuition Benefit Request for Academic Year 2024

A Tuition Benefit Request will need to be submitted before the start of the Fall 2024 term if you, your spouse, and/or dependent(s) are a continuing student or new student for the 2024 Academic Year (Fall 2023 – Summer 2024) .


How to submit your tuition benefit request online:

Log into my.SMU > Employee Self Service > Tuition Benefits

  1. Read the attestations, click the button stating they have been read, and click Save.
  2. Choose AY24 in the table and click Save a second time.

HR will follow your account for the entire academic year, and award the tuition benefit.

Visit the Tuition Benefit website for eligibility requirements, program details, and grad tax information.

If you have any questions please email TuitionBenefits@smu.edu.

 

Posted in Benefits, HR General | Tagged , | Comments Off on Submit a Tuition Benefit Request for Academic Year 2024

Request a Catapult Health Screening Home Kit by May 12, 2023

SMU has partnered with Catapult Health to provide you with a health checkup at no cost to you, as part of your health care benefits.

There is still time to order a virtual kit.

To begin the process, request a Home Kit at www.VirtualCheckup.com/SMU

  • Collect your sample at home in just 10 minutes
  • Return your sample in the pre-paid UPS overnight envelope, then watch for an invitation to schedule your consultation
  • Live video consult with a nurse practitioner, on your device, at a time chosen by you
  • Review your results, then create a personal action plan with your nurse practitioner while learning about fully-covered wellness programs that may benefit you

Virtual kits can be requested now through May 12, 2023.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Request a Catapult Health Screening Home Kit by May 12, 2023

2023 SMU HR Staff Compensation Study

January 30, 2023

SMU Staff Compensation Study

SMU will soon launch a compensation study that will include a review of most all benefit-eligible staff job descriptions and other related information to ensure the positions are titled and compensated appropriately. The University conducts these periodic reviews to ensure staff positions are classified correctly and that compensation is comparable and competitive to other similar positions in the job market.

How will the study be conducted?

The analysis will compare staff job responsibilities and salary to our national higher education peer and aspirant institutions as well as other top employers in the DFW region.

Who is conducting the study and when will it be completed?

SMU’s Human Resources Department (SMU HR) will lead the study and will be assisted by Segal, a national employee benefits and compensation consultancy. The staff compensation study will begin on March 1 and wrap up by October 1.

What do managers and supervisors need to do to prepare for the compensation study?

Managers and supervisors will soon receive the current job descriptions of positions within their departments that are currently on file in SMU HR.

For the compensation study to be effective, departments must ensure that all position descriptions are accurate and reflect the current responsibilities and requirements for each position. Managers will have until February 28 to update any job descriptions and submit them to SMU HR.

It is also important to note that any adjustments to staff compensation beyond the current merit FY 2024 budget process should not occur during the compensation study review period (January 30 through October 1). This is to ensure that the compensation analysis captures the most accurate information for benchmarking purposes.

Where can I learn more about the study?

For more information about the staff compensation study, including FAQs and how Managers and Supervisors can update their job descriptions, please visit this dedicated website.

Thank you for all you do to help make SMU a special place to live, learn and work.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Compensation Study

 

Posted in HR General | Tagged , , | Comments Off on 2023 SMU HR Staff Compensation Study

Announcing a New Vendor Platform (Vector Solutions) for SMU Employee Required On-line Training Modules

Vector Solutions recently purchased Everfi and their Foundry platform necessitating a transition to the Vector Platform

HR and OIT have been working for several months to prepare for the transition to a new vendor platform for the employee required training on the following topics:

  • Harassment and Discrimination Prevention
  • Youth Protection under the Program for the Protection of Minors
  • Data Security and Privacy
  • FERPA for those requiring access to student record date in PeopleSoft for the work role.

Preparations are completed and the transition to Vector will occur in the coming days.

What does the transition mean to SMU employees?

If you are current on your assigned training, you will not be required to do anything until you receive an email from Vector announcing you have a training assignment either a first-time assignment or a scheduled refresh assignment.  Following are the refresh schedules for each training topic:

  • Harassment and Discrimination Prevention – every 3 years
  • Youth Protection under the Program for the Protection of Minors – every 2 years
  • Data Security and Privacy – no refresh
  • FERPA- every 3 years

If you have a current incomplete assignment with the previous vendor, whether you have made forward progress in the course or not, the assignment will be re-created in the Vector platform.

How will I access my training in the new Vector platform?

Upon creation of new or refresh assignments, you will receive an email from the Vector platform announcing your assignment is available.  You may click on the link in that email to enter your SMU SSO credentials (SMU ID and password) and follow the instructions from there to access the training.

You may view your Vector dashboard at any time by entering the following into a browser window:  smu.edu/vector.

You may also view your training assignments and completions in my.SMU>Learning & Development>View Training Summary.  Status will be indicated as Enrolled or Completed.

The IT Training Team has created a short video with information on accessing the new platform and viewing your training modules.  You may view it here: https://www.smu.edu/oit/services/vector-solutions.

After the transition is complete, you should direct your questions to the OIT Help Desk at help@smu.edu or 8-2194.

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in HR General, Learning and Development, Resources, Total Orientation Process for New Employees, Working at SMU | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Announcing a New Vendor Platform (Vector Solutions) for SMU Employee Required On-line Training Modules

Supervisor Checklist for Hiring Student Workers

Hiring student workers this Fall?

Here are four things supervisors can do to provide a seamless on-boarding process for student workers.

Verify the Form I-9 is Complete

SMU is required by federal law to complete an Employment Verification Form (Form I-9) for all employees, including student workers. The student worker must complete Section 1 of the Form I-9 on or before their start date.

  • Student workers should not begin working until the Form I-9 is complete.
  • Don’t assume a student worker already has a Form I-9 “on file” OR that a Form I-9 completed previously is acceptable.
  • To verify the student is I-9 compliant, supervisors should verify directly with HR or verify that HR has signed off that the student is I-9 compliant
  • Supervisors hiring International Student Workers must follow the instructions provided by the International Scholars & Students Office (ISSS) and verify that HR has signed off that the student is I-9 compliant on his/her On-Campus Work Eligibility Form.
  • Supervisors must provide new student workers the New Student Employment Packet, which includes the list of acceptable documents to complete the Form I-9.
  • Student workers needing to complete or update a Form I-9 should schedule an appointment. Students will need their SMU ID and anticipated start date to book an appointment.

Complete the ePAF to Ensure Your Student Worker is Paid on Time

As employees of the University, it is essential for each student worker to be set-up correctly in the payroll system in order to receive timely pay.

  • Supervisors must submit an electronic Hire/Rehire Forms (formerly called “ePAFs”) for each student worker. The Hire/Rehire Form documents the information necessary to establish or update a student workers job record. The electronic forms are available under Manager Self Service > Hire/Rehire Employee tile in SMU.edu.
  • End date for Hire/Rehire Form: Work study program jobs must end on or before May 3, 2024. Regular student worker jobs must end on or before May 17, 2024.

 International Student Workers: The student’s Hire/Rehire Form start and end date must stay within the ISSS-authorized dates and scheduled work hoursFailure to do so could endanger your student worker’s ability to remain within the U.S. to complete his/her education and/or to work in the U.S. after graduation.

Manage Student Worker Schedules to Remain Within Weekly Limits

The tax benefits student workers are eligible to receive are contingent on SMU limiting these recipients to no more than 20 hours of work per week. Supervisors must ensure each student worker’s schedule abides by the 20 hour per week limitation. This applies to any student being paid under a student worker.

Engage Your Student Worker

Student workers are a vital resource to the University. Students should be on-boarded and orientated to work expectations similarly to the on-boarding our regular employees’ experience. Introduce your student workers to the work team, make sure they understand the role your team/department plays in achieving the University’s goals. Share dress codes and culturally specific information so they feel included. Set clear expectations for the work they will do as well as how and when to notify you when they are ill or have conflicts with their work schedule. Provide regular feedback about the work they are doing and the impact they are having. Doing so will ensure your student is engaged and providing maximum support to your team.

Questions?  Email us at smuhr@smu.edu

Posted in HR General, Recruitment, Resources | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Supervisor Checklist for Hiring Student Workers

Required Training Modules for Student Workers

Training Requirements for Student Workers

Did you know that student workers (both undergraduate and graduate) are required to complete two training tutorials upon employment and to refresh on these topics at scheduled intervals?

The following tutorials are automatically assigned after student workers begin their first day of employment and their employment information is recorded in my.SMU:

  • Data Security and Privacy (no refresh requirement) per SMU’s Chief Security Officer
  • SMU Program for the Protection of Minors:  Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse; per SMU Policy 7.26 (two year “refresh” requirement)

Student workers are notified via email to their SMU email account that the training has been assigned.  The email contains a link to access the training with SMU’s single sign on  (SSO) feature.  Alternately, students may enter the following into a browser winder and utilize the SSO feature to enter their SMU SSO credentials:  smu.edu/vector.
Email reminders are sent every two weeks until the training is completed.

Students should complete these training assignments as soon as possible after beginning employment and  should be paid for the time required to complete the training.

If you supervise student workers, please ensure they are aware of the training requirement and that they have completed the training in a timely manner.

Students with previous work engagements with SMU will not be reassigned training until they has passed the refresh timeline outlined above.  To ensure training is complete ask your student to log into the training platform and print a certificate of completion to verify they have completed the training.  Refresh assignments are automatically made by the system and your student worker should complete these as soon as possible and provide you with the certificate of completion for your records.

Questions may be directed to DevelopU@smu.edu.

Requests for FERPA training for students who will require access to student records for their work responsibilities should be forwarded to the OIT Help Desk at help@smu.edu. Please include the student’s name and SMU ID#.   A Help Desk representative will make the training assignment, monitor completion and grant access to student records upon completion of the training.  The refresh schedule for FERPA is every three years.

Posted in HR General, Learning and Development, Resources, Working at SMU | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Required Training Modules for Student Workers

Training Requirements for Student Workers

Student workers are required to complete two (2) training tutorials via Everfi (SMU’s vendor for e-learning training). They are:

  • Youth Protection required under SMU’s Program for the Protection of Minors and
  • Data Security and Privacy

Data Security is a one-time assignment with no refresh required.  Youth Protection has a two (2) year refresh schedule.  If the student has not completed the training or if they are outside their refresh schedule, they will receive an email notification to their SMU email address announcing the assignments with a link to access the training. As with regular employees, students should use the SMU ID and password to log in via the single sign on portal at smu.edu/Foundry. Additional training may be assigned based on job responsibilities; for example, FERPA for those requesting access to student records or Golf Cart Safety if they will have access/use.

Those supervising student workers should manage training completion within the allocated timeframe. This may be confirmed by asking the student to provide a copy of their training summary in my.SMU or by providing a certificate that may be generated within the Everfi dashboard.

Questions?  Please email us at DevelopU@smu.edu.

Posted in HR General, Resources, Working at SMU | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Training Requirements for Student Workers

Coming soon – Special Enrollment – Voluntary Long Term Care

Enrollment dates – September 6 – September 27, 2022


Long Term Care Insurance Can Help You Protect What Matters Most:

  • Protect your family, future and finances
  • Help relieve the burden of care from family and friends

 

Attend a Special Enrollment meeting to learn more about Caregiving and our new Long Term Care insurance benefit!

 

DATE                                            TIME                                       REGISTER

Tuesday, September 13               10:00am CST                              Register
                                                      Expressway Tower
                                                      HR Training Rm #208

Wednesday, September 14         2:00pm CST                                Register
                                                      Hughes Trigg Student
                                                      Center “The Chamber”

Thursday, September 22             10:00am CST                              Register
                                                       Hughes Trigg Student
                                                       Center “The Chamber

Questions?  Email BenefitsU@smu.edu

Posted in Benefits, HR General | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Coming soon – Special Enrollment – Voluntary Long Term Care

Information Regarding the Floating Holiday Benefit

As President Turner outlined in his message to faculty and staff on April 29, SMU is providing benefit-eligible staff a floating holiday each fiscal year.

Staff members on the payroll before the start of the current fiscal year (June 1, 2022) will see the floating holiday in their leave balances on my.SMU.  Staff members hired in the current fiscal year will receive the time off at the start of the next fiscal year (June 1, 2023).

The floating holiday is chosen by the employee with their supervisor’s approval and must be used during the fiscal year as the time off is not carried over from one year to the next.

The floating holiday is based on an employee’s standard hours. For example, employees who work 37.5 hours per week will accrue 7.5 hours of holiday time.

When recording the floating holiday on timesheets, bi-weekly employees should report the time as FLB (Floating Holiday Bi-Weekly) and monthly employees should report it as FLT (Floating Holiday-Monthly).

In addition to the new Floating Holiday, the following dates are designated as
SMU Holidays for fiscal year 2022-2023:

2022

Independence Day — Monday, July 4

Labor Day Monday, September 5

Thanksgiving — Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25

Christmas/Winter Break — Friday, December 23 through Monday, January 2

2023

Martin Luther King, Jr, Day — Monday, January 16

Good Friday — Friday, April 7

Memorial Day — Monday, May 29

Questions may be directed to BenefitsU@smu.edu.

Posted in Benefits, HR General, Working at SMU | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Information Regarding the Floating Holiday Benefit

IT IS NEVER TOO SOON TO PLAN FOR RETIREMENT!

Do you have questions about Social Security, Medicare, SMU’s Emeriti Retiree Health Program?

Please plan to join Tom Clark, an experienced Social Security and Medicare consultant, and a representative from the SMU Department of Human Resources for an overview of these programs.  (See Tom’s bio at the end of the post).

Todd Hutson, Retirement Planning Consultant, Transamerica Retirement Education and Planning Services, will also be available to answer any questions you may have regarding the SMU 403(b) Retirement Plan.

Schedule of Sessions

Sessions will be hosted on the following dates and times.  You may opt to attend in-person in  Expressway Tower, Room 208 or virtually via Zoom.  Click on the link below to register for a session and to select your preferred attendance option.

Thursday, March 24, 2022 from 9:30 am-10:30 am

Thursday, March 24, 2022 from 1:30 pm-3:30 pm

Friday, March 25, 2022 from 9:30-11:30 am

Friday, March 25, 2022 from 1:30-2:30 pm

Registration

Register for a session

Due to the popularity of the workshop, we request you only register if you are certain you can attend.   When registering, enter your name, SMU ID# and SMU email address and if attending an in-person session, let us know if you plan to bring a guest.  Then click Submit.    If you find you are unable to attend the workshop following your registration, please send an email to BenefitsU@smu.edu so that one of your peers will have the option to attend.

Parking at Expressway Tower

SMU visitors to Expressway Tower may park in the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center/Barr-McMillion Natatorium AUP parking lot to the east of Expressway Tower (behind the fence) or the AUP Dyer lot located one block north of Expressway Tower off the Central Expressway service road.  Please visit Parking and ID Services to view the Campus Parking Map.

Questions?

Email us at BenefitsU@smu.edu

Tom Clark’s Bio:  Tom worked for the Social Security Administration for 33 years as a claims representative, operations supervisor, field representative and public affairs specialist.  He made over 6,000 speeches as an employee of the Social Security Administration and produced and appeared in over 200 informational television shows about Social Security and Medicare.  Tom received two Commissioner Citations, Social Security’s highest award, and four Deputy Commissioner of Communications Citations for excellence in explaining the complexities of Social Security.
Posted in Benefits, HR General, Retirement, Working at SMU | Comments Off on IT IS NEVER TOO SOON TO PLAN FOR RETIREMENT!