The elevator in the Library Building will begin modernization maintenance today. The project is scheduled to conclude Nov. 26. The elevator will not be in service for the duration of the project. If you have an accessibility issue, call 6-9000 and report your situation. Every effort will be made to offer a reasonable accommodation.
The Classroom Building elevator is scheduled for
similar maintenance Dec. 1 – Jan. 16. The Dengerink Administration Building elevator concluded maintenance on time on Oct. 10.
Thank you for your patience during this very important maintenance project.
Order tickets for the 25th Anniversary Celebration Dinner—NOW!
6 p.m. Nov. 7
Red Lion Hotel on the River, Jantzen Beach
909 North Hayden Island Drive, Portland
Celebrate the achievements of our past and the promise of our future with your colleagues, student scholarship recipients, donors and community members. Start the evening mingling with friends, visit Butch’s Pick-a-Prize wall and enjoy a signature cocktail. The dinner program is sure to be a memorable milestone in our university’s history.
Due to unprecedented demand, please note the venue has changed to the Red Lion Hotel on the River, Jantzen Beach. We’ve had an overwhelming response to this event including more than 50 sponsored
tables. You are welcome, invited and encouraged to celebrate at this event, but available tickets are now limited. Act TODAY! Cocktail attire suggested.
Plan now for December Closure
WSU closes each year during the last week in December. Information regarding the December Closure
and the 2014 – 2020 WSU Holiday Schedule is available on the HRS website under the “Resources”
link. Please remember that you are strongly encouraged to use annual leave, personal holiday and/or accrued compensatory leave during December Closure, subject to supervisor approval. Employees who do not have sufficient leave balances may request personal leave without pay in accordance with departmental guidelines.
A July 7, 2014 memorandum from the provost encourages departments to be as flexible as possible when determining employee scheduling options:
“The university will be open for essential operations only, during regular business hours, in accordance with RCW
42.04.060. … Vice Presidents, Chancellors and Deans will exercise discretion to determine essential business operations and services, and essential minimal staffing levels.”
Please develop a plan for communicating the closure to your clients. The following are examples of communications to add to your business phone and email messages.
Sample language for offices closed
on Dec. 29, 30 and 31, and Jan. 2.
DEPT NAME will be closed Dec. 25 through Jan 2. We will return on Monday, Jan. 5. For urgent issues please call XXX-XXXX or EMAIL.
Sample language for offices open on Dec. 29, 30 and 31, and Jan. 2:
(Thank you for your email) DEPT NAME will be closed
for university holidays Thursday, Dec. 25, Friday, Dec. 26 and Thursday, Jan. 1. DEPT NAME will be open with limited staffing Monday, Dec. 29, Tuesday, Dec. 30, Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Friday, Jan. 2. For urgent issues please call XXX-XXXX or EMAIL.
Brush up on the inclement weather policy
It is rare that WSU Vancouver modifies operations for ANY weather conditions. Any closure or late opening announcements will be posted to major news and media outlets AND listed on the WSU Vancouver website home page
and the VanCoug Alerts
web page.
If plowing and/or de-icing is in progress when you arrive on campus, certain parking lots and pathways may be closed. In that case, please park in open, plowed parking lots—regardless of parking permit type—and use pathways that are plowed and de-iced.
It is your responsibility to decide if you can safely commute to WSU Vancouver in the event of inclement weather while WSU Vancouver remains open for operations. Review FAQ:
Inclement Weather for clarification on using leave during crummy weather.
Faculty members, if you cancel your class while WSU Vancouver remains open for operation, it is your responsibility to notify students of the cancellation.
The WSU Vancouver weather policy, along with instructional
President Floyd will be the guest speaker at a special APAC meeting
The Administrative Professional Advisory Council will meet with President Elson S. Floyd to hear updates on the medical college and National Collegiate Athletic Association changes. All WSU administrative professional staff are invited to attend. The meeting will originate in Pullman and can be viewed at http://apac.wsu.edu/APACMeetings.html. If you have questions, contact
Nikki Hinshaw, WSU Vancouver APAC representative, at 6-9465.
Symposium on racial coalition marks 50th anniversary of Civil Rights Act Oct. 29 and 30
Observe the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Summer of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act with a two-day symposium, “The Power of Racial Coalition,” on campus Oct. 29 – 30. Participants will explore the value of interracial unity, coalition building, political education and activism.
The event, which is free and open to the
public, will feature film footage, lectures and panel discussions. The Rev. Dr. Donald Matthews, author of “Honoring the Ancestor” and other books, will be the keynote speaker on Oct. 30.
Through film footage and discussion, this event will focus on coalition building and activism, centering on Freedom Summer of 1964. The Civil Rights Act was established on July 2 of that year. With white youth and black organizers joining in the cause, the coalition registered voters, established Freedom Schools and drew attention to violence and murders taking place in the Jim Crow South.
Matthews, a scholar of religion and black studies, will discuss the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of a “beloved community.” Panelists will include representatives from the Vancouver and Portland NAACP, Urban League and WSU Vancouver.
Open enrollment begins Nov. 1
Make adjustments to your employee benefits during open enrollment Nov. 1 – 30.
Enroll or re-enroll in a flexible spending account or Dependent Care Assistance Program—these MUST be renewed annually; they DO NOT automatically renew
Add an eligible family
member to your PEBB coverage
Remove a family member from your PEBB coverage
Change your medical and/or dental plan
Waive PEBB medical coverage, if you have other comprehensive group medical coverage
Enroll if you previously waived PEBB medical coverage
Changes to your medical and dental coverage can be made
online. However, if you are adding a new dependent who has never been on the plan, or if you are removing a spouse or domestic partner due to divorce or dissolution of a partnership, you will have to use a paper form available after Nov. 1 in the Human Resources Office, Dengerink Administration Building, Room 126.
During open enrollment, if you have a spouse or domestic partner enrolled on your 2015 PEBB medical coverage, you must re-attest to the
spousal coverage premium surcharge. To attest for 2015, Log into “My Account” starting Nov. 1, and follow the instructions.
Travel Café is an annual photography event for faculty, staff and students. The theme this year is “Access Your World.” Submit up to two high-resolution (300 dpi) original photographs that represent the theme as interpreted by you. The photos will be exhibited at the Travel Café event from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Nov. 19 in the Firstenburg Student Commons. Guests will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite photos. Winning photographers will be awarded prizes. Submitted photos will also be considered for inclusion in the 2015 Salmon Creek Journal.
Clark County Public Health says flu season is in full force. Help keep the spread down by getting vaccinated and using good hygiene practices. Vaccination with the most recent flu shot derivative is the most reliable method of preventing illness and death from influenza. An annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all people 6 months of age or older who do not have contraindications. Learn more online at
Clark County Public Health.
25 years ago, Washington State University opened its Vancouver branch on the Clark College campus. From the very beginning, the university has been closely tied to Clark County’s business community, and those partnerships have grown even stronger over the last quarter-century.
