Student Employment Updates
Posting Student Positions: As a reminder, all departments are required to post their open positions and direct all candidates to apply via the Career Services Center’s Flash @ Work job board to comply with equal employment opportunity standards and ensure equal access under Federal law.
Position Descriptions:All departments should keep a current description for each position on file. The description should be shared with student employees during the job posting, the interview process and orientation to guide the performance evaluation process. The On-Campus Student Job Information Form, located in the Forms Library, illustrates the necessary components of a detailed job description.
Student Work Schedules: As you establish your student employees’ availability to work during the upcoming semester, please keep in mind students are not permitted to work during scheduled class times. Please be mindful of students’ current class schedules to ensure their work schedules do not conflict with classes. If a class is cancelled, dismissed early, etc., the students may work. However, you should document the irregularity in the schedule.
Spring Job and Internship Fair: The Career Services Center will hold its annual Spring Job and Internship Fair onThursday, Feb. 25, from noon to 4 p.m., on the 2nd floor of the Kent Student Center. The event is open to all Kent State students and alumni of all majors seeking full-time professional positions, internships, co-operatives or summer jobs. Please encourage your student employees to attend. They are encouraged to view the list of Registered Organizations (updated daily) and attend a Fair Prep Workshop.
Please contact Ami Hollis at ahollis@kent.edu or call ext. 28380 with questions.
Kent Campus Construction Updates
Spring semester will see the continuation of construction on and around the Kent Campus. Here is a brief update on two projects that may impact your travel around the university.
Summit Street
The Summit Street Improvement project will make enhancements to a one-mile stretch of the roadway from Lincoln Street to Loop Road, reducing congestion and making it safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. The project is being managed by the City of Kent and is expected to be completed in late 2017.
Construction is underway on the first phase, which runs from Fraternity Circle to Loop Road. One-way, one-lane eastbound traffic in this area is scheduled to begin in March. Access to buildings and parking lots will be available at all times. Expect traffic delays at times, and motorists are advised to allow additional travel time.
Traffic and other project updates are available throughout the project at www.kent.edu/summitstreet/news-announcements. Questions can be sent to summitst@kent.edu.
The Science Mall
Renovations are underway at Cunningham, Smith and Williams halls. Construction of a new addition to Cunningham Hall has resulted in the relocation of the building entrance. A temporary entrance and stairway are available for access to the building.
The north sidewalk in front of Cunningham Hall is closed. The sidewalk on the other side of the Science Corridor remains open to pedestrians.
Work continues on the new Integrated Sciences Building, which will wrap around Williams Hall and face the Student Green. A safe, temporary sidewalk for pedestrians is available on the south side of Summit Street between Fraternity Circle and Campus Center Drive.
Safe Drone Use on Campus
The Kent State Department of Public Safety established guidelines to ensure anyone flying a drone on the Kent Campus has a safe and enjoyable experience.
Anyone who flies an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or drone for recreational purposes that weighs more than .55 pounds must register the aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by Feb. 19, 2016. Anyone flying a UAS for profit must receive authorization from the FAA. Those who fail to register or receive authorization could face civil and criminal penalties. Registration can be completed at http://www.faa.gov/uas/registration/.
FAA regulations state that drones cannot be flown within five miles of an airport unless the airport and control tower are notified ahead of time. The Kent Campus is within a five mile radius of the Kent State Airport, so please notify the Airport Manager at airport@kent.edu.
Public Safety has several other guidelines, along with a map of open areas on the Kent Campus, recommended for safe drone flying. View the information here.
Minibuses Now Available for University Use
University Fleet Services has two minibuses available to departments for university travel. The vehicles each seat 15 passengers and are available for rental. Rates are $150 daily and $800 weekly. Drivers will be required to undergo a license check and training to operate the vehicle.
More detailed information on the minibuses, including rates and the necessary forms, can be found at www.kent.edu/ufm/15-passenger-mini-bus-rental. You can also contact John Croop, superintendent, Fleet Services, at 330-672-0818 or jcroop@kent.edu.
Free Income Tax Assistance Available
Kent State is once again offering the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program during the tax season. VITA offers free tax preparation assistance to low-to-moderate income taxpayers. The service is available to students, employees and community members who meet the eligibility requirements.
The Kent State VITA site will be located in the Schwartz Center. Appointments and walk-ins are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on three Saturdays: Feb. 6, March 5 and April 2. Individuals should go to the area outside the Office of the University Registrar on the first floor. The site also will be open by appointments only on Tuesdays from Feb. 9 through April 5, in the Schwartz Center.
View eligibility requirements and a list of documents to bring at www.kent.edu/vita.
To schedule an appointment, call 211 (dial 8 first if calling from the Kent Campus) and request information for Portage County. For questions, email vita@kent.edu.
1095-C Tax Form
The Internal Revenue Service granted an extension on producing and filing the 1095-C tax form. As such, this form is not required for full-time, benefits-eligible employees to file 2015 taxes.
Kent State University will still make the 1095-C form available to employees as soon as possible and will file the forms with the IRS once they are completed.
There is a box on the 1040 tax form that should be checked if you had "qualifying health care coverage"
for all of 2015.
Please direct any questions to the Benefits office at 330-672-3107.
Shred-Mania
Division of Human Resources Announces Annual Shred-Mania Event
Kent State University's Division of Human Resources is partnering with the Office of Sustainability to host Shred-Mania, Wednesday, March 30,from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kent State Ice Arena, as part of the annual RecycleMania competition.
Shred-Mania is open to all students, faculty, staff and the Kent community. Shred-Mania allows participants to recycle unwanted paper documents using a secured, onsite document destruction service. Materials permitted at Shred-Mania include documents, drawings, photos, blueprints, coupons, tickets, checks, magazines, spiral notebooks, hanging folders, paper bags and brochures. It is not necessary to remove paper/binding clips or staples from your documents in order to have them shredded. Limit of five boxes per person for Kent community members.
RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste-reduction activities to their campus communities. Everyone at Kent State University is eligible to participant in RecycleMania, an eight-week competition to promote waste reduction activities on campus. During RecycleMania, Feb. 7 through April 2, there are weekly office competitions for faculty and staff. The Kent State office or department with the most participation wins a grand prize and bragging rights. Students participate in RecycleMania through the Hall vs. Hall competition and weekly student competitions.
Before shredding Kent State property, staffers must follow university retention periods, complete a record destruction request form and get approval by General Council prior to shredding. A Record Destruction Form is available at http://tinyurl.com/RecordsDESTform. To participate in RecycleMania 2016, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability.
To see how you can get involved in RecycleMania 2016 and make Kent State a winner, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability and mark your calendars now for Shred-Mania.
If you have questions, please contact Melanie Knowles, Kent State's sustainability manager, at 330-672-8039 or mknowle1@kent.edu.
Mark Your Calendars - Spring Employee Recognition Events
Mark your calendars now for the university's two annual spring employee recognition events.
The Office Support Staff Recognition Program will be held Wednesday, April 27, in the Kent Student Center Ballroom. This luncheon recognizes university employees who provide office support throughout Kent State's campuses. Invitations will be mailed the first week in April. Managers and supervisors should schedule coverage for their respective units so invitees may attend.
For Office Support Staff Luncheon registration and information, please contact Alexa Wanchick at awanchic@kent.edu.
The 20-Year Club Service Awards Program is an annual event established in 1966 to honor classified and unclassified employees who have dedicated 20 years of continuous service to Kent State University.
The 20-Year Club dinner will be held Tuesday, May 24, in the Kent Student Center. Family, friends and co-workers join in honoring inductees at the awards dinner. Upon reaching this milestone, employees may select one of three things: a chair for home or office or a bench or tree to be placed on campus in their honor.
This year, 43 staff members will log 20 years of continuous service at Kent State. The list of inductees and dinner information is available on the 20-Year Club website.
For 20-Year Club registration and information, please contact Hector Sanchez at hsanchez@kent.edu.
Dates to Remember
Black History Month
Feb. 4
Rosa Parks Day
Feb. 5
National Wear Red Day
Feb. 6
Employee, Family and Friends men's basketball vs. University of Toledo, 7 p.m. Get tickets at http://kentstatesports.com/sb_output.aspx?form=15
Feb. 10
Ash Wednesday
Feb. 12
Lincoln's Birthday
Feb. 12
College of Podiatric Medicine Spring Classes End (third-year students)
Feb. 14
Valentine's Day
Feb. 15
President's Day (university open)
Feb. 15-26
College of Podiatric Medicine Spring Finals (third-year students)
Feb. 20
Employee, Family and Friends women's basketball vs. University of Akron, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22
Washington's Birthday
Feb. 27
Employee, Family and Friends men's basketball vs. University of Akron, 7 p.m.