Legislation passed earlier this week by the US Congress will affect taxes deducted from paychecks beginning this month.

It’s important to know how these tax changes will affect your pay.

Paychecks issued on Tuesday, January 8, to employees paid biweekly will reflect the changes, and employees paid monthly will notice the changes in paychecks issued on January 31.

Below is a summary of the changes passed by Congress:

Social Security Payroll Taxes (2 percent increase)

• The employee Social Security tax rate will increase from 4.2 percent to 6.2 percent due to the expiration of the payroll tax holiday enacted two years ago. This tax applies to Social Security wages of $113,700 or less.
• Estimates of the additional taxes employees will pay each month based on sample incomes are available on the UT System Payroll Office website.
• This tax will not be assessed on employees who are not subject to social security withholding, such as student workers.

Medicare Tax Rate

• The current Medicare tax rate of 1.45 percent will continue for 2013, but an additional Medicare tax of 0.9 percent will be withheld on wages paid to an employee in excess of $200,000 during the calendar year.

Federal Withholding Tax Rates

• Withholding tax rates also will increase for employees with annual incomes of more than $400,000 once the 2013 tax tables are released by the IRS.

You may contact the UT System Payroll Office with questions about the tax changes at 865-974-5251 through the website. Campus and institute payroll offices also are available to help.

In some cases, employees may wish to adjust federal withholding amounts on W-4 statements as a result of these changes. Staff in the payroll offices can answer questions about this process and provide forms.

Staff at the Safety, Environment, and Education (SEE) Center offer these basic tips for staying well as the semester comes to a close:

Stay Healthy

Although it is tempting to binge on junk food while hitting the books, a body can only handle so much sugar and grease. The SEE Center recommends putting the candy and fast food down and opting for healthier substitutes like string cheese, fresh fruit, and trail mix.

But it is not just what you eat that is important; it’s what you drink, too. The SEE Center recommends staying away from sugary coffee beverages and sticking to water for those long nights at the library.

Avoid the Flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this year’s flu season is off to an early start and may be worse than expected.

To minimize the risk of contracting or transmitting colds and seasonal flu:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand gel.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. If a tissue is not available, cough into your shirt sleeve.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Wash your hands before eating.
• Do not share food or drink with others.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.

Flu shots are not given at the Student Health Center, but are available at doctor’s offices, some drugstores and some grocery story pharmacy departments. For more information about the flu shot, visit www.cdc.gov/flu/.

Sleep Well

Sleep can be the last thing on a student’s mind during finals, but the SEE Center says it is important to get a restful night’s sleep, especially the night before a final exam.

To rest well, students should avoid eating or drinking large amounts before sleeping and establish a consistent “wind down” bedtime routine, which may include dimming the lights and doing deep breathing exercises.

And while it may be tempting to write a term paper in the coziness of bed, the bed should be reserved for sleeping. The brain will begin to recognize the bed is a place for sleep, and this will help you fall asleep faster.

Reduce Anxiety

The best way to reduce test-taking anxiety is to be well prepared.

Here are some tips from the SEE Center:

• Do not try to cram a semester’s worth of information into one night. Try to study some each day before a final.
• When the exam is first handed out, write down important facts, formulas, definitions, and keywords in the margin. This way there are no worries about a drawing a blank mid-exam.
• Read the instructions slowly and carefully, and remember to breathe. Realize you don’t have to get every question right to do well on the exam.

The SEE Center is a division of Student Life. Center representatives will be in Hodges Library from noon to 2:00 p.m. on December 6 and 7 and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on December 10, 11, and 12 to distribute stress balls and information on how to maintain wellness as a part of UT Libraries “De-Stress for Success” events.

Visit seecenter.utk.edu for more information.

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C O N T A C T :

Christine Copelan (974-2225, ccopela7@utk.edu)

Amy Blakely (974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

Simerly began serving in her new role on Tuesday. She was promoted from her position as lieutenant and has been managing the Community Relations Unit.

Lane selected Simerly for the job following a search. He reorganized the administrative positions of the department after a review its central functions.

“We are fortunate to have Emily assume this leadership position,” Lane said. “Her years of experience will help guide the department in the right direction. With her impressive qualifications and high praise from colleagues, I am convinced that she will continue to have a positive impact on the department.”

Simerly now oversees the department’s budget, payroll, recruiting, public information, community relations, records, and crime analysis and investigations.

Simerly joined the University of Tennessee Police Department in 1994. She has worked in all areas of the department, including patrol, investigations, and community relations.

She has a bachelor’s degree is sociology with a concentration in criminal justice from UT. She has been honored by the national Rape Aggression Defense organization and has received numerous awards from the department and other organizations.

The recipients are Phyllis Moore, interim senior director of Alumni Affairs for the Knoxville campus; Chris Parsons, development assistant for the College of Engineering; Angie Holtzclaw
, executive assistant for the statewide UT Alumni Association; and Kate Spencer, director of contracts and purchasing for the system’s Office of Finance and Operations.

The deadline for enrolling in UT’s improved flexible spending account program with a debit card for eligible expenses has been extended through 11:59 p.m. CST on Saturday, November 10.

The enrollment period for health, dental, vision and other benefits offered through the state has ended.

The flexible spending account allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible medical and dependent care expenses such as co-pays, daycare, prescriptions and prescribed over-the-counter medications. Employees will not pay federal income or social security taxes on program contributions.

Thanks to employee feedback, the University has contracted with a new vendor for 2013, PayFlex, to administer the program. Some enhancements include:

• A debit card for eligible medical expenses
• Faster reimbursement and claims submission
• An online information tool
• A smart phone app for accessing account information

Additional information about the program is available at the UT System Payroll Office website.

An online calculator also is available to help determine how much money should be set aside based on the previous year’s expenses and to estimate savings.

Enrollment must be done through the PayFlex website. Detailed instructions are available at the UT System Payroll Office website.

All questions can be directed to the UT System Payroll Office at (865) 974-5251.

Enrollment Quick Guide:

From the PayFlex website, click on employee account login at the top. UT personnel numbers, located at the top of pay statements, will serve as member IDs, and home zip codes will be used for additional verification.

In a survey of recent graduates of the certification program, participants reported improved attitudes and an increased knowledge base.

The certification process begins with the prerequisite course Customer Service 101, which will be offered from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 17, and Thursday, October 25, at the UT Conference Center. This course provides an overview of the certification and identifies how employees contribute to customer service regardless of the positions they hold. Participants will assess their customer service levels and review the “Fantastic Service Equation.”

The certification process is made up of eleven courses, including the prerequisite course. All courses are free to employees, though registration is required. To register for Customer Service 101, click here.

For more information call 974-6657.

The excavations are part of preparing the site for the construction of a proposed parking garage.

Employees who normally park in the Staff Lot 9 can park in the G-10 garage next to Thompson-Boling Arena.

Approximately ten handicapped parking spaces in lot 9 will be lost during the closure. To preserve handicapped parking in the area, a number of lot 9 spaces west of “Margaret’s Alley,” the roadway running north from Peyton Manning Pass behind the Claxton and Bailey education complexes, will be temporarily converted to handicapped parking. Once the rest of the lot 9 reopens, the temporary handicapped spots will revert to regular parking.

For more information on campus traffic, visit conezone.utk.edu.

Registration is now open for many classes. Employees interested in a variety of supervisory, management, and personal development classes can take advantage of this service by viewing Training Pages online.

EOD encourages managers and supervisors to share the catalog with employees who may not have access to e-mail by printing and posting the catalog pages in a communal area or sharing copies directly with employees.

For more information or to register for a course, visit the EOD website or call 974-6657.

The new system, launched in January, streamlines and automates many job search, application, and hiring processes. It also allows UT to better recruit and retain talented employees.

“Implementing the new system has been such a rewarding experience because I’ve been able to see, firsthand, the benefits it’s providing to both candidates and hiring managers,” said recruiter Ashlie Czyz. “We’re seeing an increased volume of talented candidates and our departments are finding it quicker and easier to fill positions with well-qualified individuals.”

Since UT Jobs launched, more than 7,000 applicants have created accounts and more than 450 jobs have been posted.

UT Jobs is accessible from the Human Resources website.

The new system offers many benefits to both job seekers and staff tasked with filling positions.

“Not only was it easy to search for jobs and add the ones I was interested in to my job cart, but it also was encouraging to be able to check the status of submitted applications and paperwork throughout the hiring process,” said Cari O’Neal, a recently hired administrative assistant at UT Chattanooga.

Carol Houser, an HR coordinator with the UT Foundation, attended training in January and has posted more than ten positions in the system thus far.

“Applicants can easily apply for multiple opportunities and their information can be shared more efficiently with the hiring managers or supervisors,” she said.

A video tutorial for hiring managers will be available soon, and applicants have access to quick references and tips within the system. Campus and institute HR representatives also are available to answer questions and help arrange additional training.

Benefits for Applicants:

• Customized search functions
• Applicant-managed job profiles
• Automatic notifications of new openings matching job profiles
• Electronic uploading and submission of resumes
• Automatic removal of positions once filled

Benefits for Staff Tasked with Filling Positions:

• Posting jobs, searching applicant materials and requesting and receiving necessary approvals
• Reviewing important hiring trends
• Analyzing why applicants decline job offers

The transition to in-house custodial services is set to be complete by July 1, 2013, with the hiring of approximately 120 employees. Currently about half of the cleaning crews work for outside contractors and the rest are university employees.

Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor of facilities services, said this “insourcing” of labor can be a bit more expensive, but the benefits are numerous.

“There is an extra cost, but it’s more than offset by increased service, better cleaning, and more responsiveness to the needs of the university,” Irvin said. In-house cleaning crews can be used for special events, back-to-school functions, and other activities in a way that was not always available with outsourced crews, he said.

In addition to greater flexibility, Irvin said, there is the pride of working directly for the university and the ability to be the “eyes and ears” for potential repair items and deferred maintenance needs.

“Bringing these employees onto the UT payroll also provides them with better wages, benefits, and continuing education opportunities,” Irvin said. “As we move toward our goal of being a Top 25 university, one of our commitments is to help improve employee compensation wherever we can, and this helps us do that.”

The “insourcing” move was a recommendation from a task force that looked at the university’s peer institutions and discovered that very few of the nation’s top universities continue to outsource these services.

With the new employees coming onboard, the university now can implement the “total cleaning” concept in campus buildings, Irvin said. This is an effort to keep restrooms and common areas cleaner and provide deeper levels of cleaning services in private offices by being more responsive to workers’ schedules on a building-by-building basis.

Total cleaning already is in place in the Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building and in the UT Conference Center, Irvin said, and the response has been positive. All campus buildings are set to transition to the total cleaning concept by July 2013.

For more information on the university’s custodial services, call 865-974-2054.

At the banquet, the largest UT honors event of the year, Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek saluted the accomplishments of key members of the campus community.

Among the top awards presented were:

Macebearer: Jan Simek, president emeritus and distinguished professor of anthropology, was honored for his contributions to the university in administrative leadership, scholarship and teaching. The university’s Macebearer — the top faculty honor — leads the faculty in processionals during commencement exercises.

His leadership roles include interim president of the university, interim dean of the College of Architecture and Design, and Anthropology department head. While serving in these administrative positions, Simek continued his research on caves and cave art. Last fall, he returned to his first calling of educating and mentoring students by teaching a general-education course.

Alexander Prize: Thomas J.A. Heffernan is the interim director of the new University of Tennessee Humanities Center and a professor of English and adjunct professor of Religious Studies. He is a senior medievalist who specializes in manuscript studies, medieval philosophy and sacred autobiography. Internally renowned for his scholarship, he also consistently receives praise from students and is one of the English department’s most charismatic professors. Named for former UT president and now Sen. Lamar Alexander and his wife, Honey, the award recognizes superior teaching and distinguished scholarship.

Jefferson Prize: Penny J. White is a professor of law and director of the College of Law’s Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. She has helped establish new experiential learning courses and significantly enhanced the center’s curriculum. A former associate justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, she is a sought-after speaker and an influential scholar and one of the college’s most prominent faculty members. The Jefferson Prize honors the principles of Thomas Jefferson and his pursuit of freedom and knowledge.

L.R. Hesler Award: Randall “Randy” Small is an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who has taught a wide variety of courses from freshmen general-education to advanced graduate -level seminars. Fellow faculty members say that he has a knack for sharing his broad knowledge of biology and creating an engaging learning environment. Students say his enthusiasm and openness encourages them to learn. The Hesler Award is named for the long time department head and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Torchbearer is the highest honor given to a student and is based on academic achievement, leadership and outstanding service. Cheek presented the 2012 Torchbearers with medals, and they participated in the ceremonial “passing of the torch” at the event.

The new honorees are:

Lauren Charles is an audiology major from Brentwood, Tenn. She is described as a “leader among leaders.” She has been a dedicated leader for Student Alumni Associates and played a critical role as the co-chair of a national conference for similar student organizations. She is active in Panhellenic, and serves as an executive officer in Delta Delta Delta sorority. She is a member of Mortar Board and the Chancellor’s Honors Program and chair of All Campus Events programming committee. Born with mild to moderate hearing loss, Lauren plans to pursue a doctorate in audiology to work with patients facing similar challenges and to help improve their quality of life.

Aeron Glover is a senior in industrial engineering from Memphis and a member of the inaugural class of Haslam Scholars. He is a resident assistant in the business college’s Venture learning community and on the weekends, he is a “big brother” to area children. He has studied abroad in Spain and China and represented the university on a broader scale by winning a national MTV-sponsored business competition. The entrepreneurial idea he conceived with a business partner, also a UT student, is now a new company in UT’s Business Incubator. He has interned with Google, Exxon-Mobil and FedEx and completed a summer management program at Harvard Business School.

Andrew “Drew” Shapiro is a senior in history from Germantown, Tenn., who has served as an executive officer in his fraternity and the Interfraternity Council and as a member of the Knoxville Mayor’s Student Advisory Board. He helps others through mission trips to Appalachia and volunteering locally at the Love Kitchen and Habitat for Humanity. As Student Government Association (SGA) student services director, Shapiro recognized the need to address student safety concerns and, as part of a broader restructuring, is developing a committee to focus on campus safety issues. He has pursued a rigorous curriculum combining science, history and business to prepare for medical school in the future.

Jayanni Webster is a College Scholars student from Memphis who was also honored with the Gene Mitchell Gray Pioneer Award for cultural enrichment on campus. Webster is a first-generation college student who has been a summa cum laude student for her entire undergraduate career. She served as an Ignite team leader and member of the Provost’s Student Advisory Committee. Last year, she was selected to participate in the PBS 50th anniversary -reenactment of the 1961 Freedom Rides. When she returned it campus she was passionate about sharing her experience and its value with others. One of her nominators says “all of us on campus are richer because she is here.”

Courtney Vick, a journalism and electronic media major from Lebanon, Tenn., has served the university through her work with SGA as president of the Mortar Board honor society; a Panhellenic executive council member and with the Volunteer Channel Network. In her work with TeamVOLS, Vick serves as corporate event and development chair for Dance Marathon. In this role, she goes into the community to request sponsorships that support Dance Marathon and Children’s Hospital. She visits businesses at least once a week to ask for support of Dance Marathon. After graduation she will serve as a member of Teach for America.

Mark Walker, a nuclear engineering major from Oak Ridge is a scientist, a talented musician and a dedicated leader committed to local and global issues. Walker has been a research assistant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and completed an internship at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington D.C. In 2011, Walker was one of only about 300 students nationally to be named a prestigious Goldwater Scholar. He has worked in leadership roles with engineering organizations to help recruit students into the field and organized and moderated panels to broaden people understanding of issues related to global nuclear security. He is an accomplished pianist and cellist and a member of the Knoxville Opera Board. In his spare time, he travels to Washington to advocate for Middle East Peace initiatives.

Chelsea Knotts, a senior from Ripley, W.Va., is finishing her degree in cellular and molecular biology. She is a member of the inaugural Haslam Scholars Program, the sole endorsed candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship, a Robert C. Byrd and National Merit Scholarship recipient, and a member of the Lady Vols Track and Field team. Perhaps most noteworthy is her leadership of the recent Haslam Scholars Program Community Service Project. Knotts led hundreds of UT students in an effort to end chronic homelessness, particularly in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. She began a running group for homeless men and women, organized a 5K benefit run, and regularly befriends people who are without shelter and stability.

The full list of all faculty, staff and student awards is available online at chancellor.utk.edu/honorsbanquet.

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C O N T A C T :

Beth Gladden (865-974-9008 or 865-771-1284, beth.gladden@tennessee.edu)

KAT will attempt to maintain a bus stop along Phillip Fulmer Way near the front entrance to the UC for the North-South route, while the Late Nite route will deposit visitors at the intersection of James Agee Street and Cumberland Avenue. The bus stop that returns visitors to the garage can be found on Volunteer Boulevard in front of the Stokely Management Center.

The T: North-South operates weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., running every ten minutes. The T: Late Nite operates evenings from 6:00 p.m. to well into the early morning hours daily, every ten minutes. Both routes operate only during the fall and spring semesters. Neither route operates in the summer.

For more information about getting around campus during construction of the new Student Union, visit the Cone Zone website at conezone.utk.edu.

Books must be donated with no strings attached and may be used in any way that benefits the new high school library or Knox County schools. Books may be dropped off at the Office of Research during the following times:

• 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 3
• 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, February 6-9
• 8:00 a.m. – noon Friday, February 10

All books are welcome. Book with a focus in introductory science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are especially desired. It is preferred that books be reasonably current, and in good condition. The school is unable to accept magazines or journals at this time. All books should be packed in boxes. (For extra boxes email eburman@utk.edu.)

View the L&N’s book wish list here. For more info visit the Office of Research website.

The UT Alert system sends messages to any device that can receive text messages through cellular service, such as cell phones, text pagers, and smart phones.

If you have not signed up for UT Alert, please take time to enroll now so that you will be included in the test. Sign up for UT Alert at http://www.utk.edu/utalert. You will need your NETID and password and the phone you are registering. Current subscribers also should take time to make sure their information is up to date. Confirm your information here.

UT Alert messages are sent only during serious emergencies when situations require you to act immediately or to be aware of an imminent threat to your safety and welfare. The system also is used to let you know about severe weather and major facilities issues that may impact a large portion of the campus or a large number of people.

In addition, the UT Alert system is used to notify the campus when the university is closed or on a delayed opening schedule due to inclement weather conditions.

There is no cost to sign up for UT Alert. The only charges you incur would be the normal fees charged by your mobile service provider for receiving text messages. For more information, visit the FAQ at http://www.utk.edu/utalert/faq.shtml.

If you have questions, contact utalert-help@utk.edu.

The two-day event features educational sessions, dietary discussions, and workout demonstrations focusing on the needs of women, men, and seniors. Highlights will include the Food City Eat Right Stage and Sampling Pavilion, ZUMBA fitness on the Dancemoves Get Active Stage, and free health checks and screenings from dozens of exhibitors.

The expo is open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. For more information on the event, visit the Healthy Living Expo website.

Safe Zone training explores LGBT issues in an honest and open way and provides an opportunity for participants to become an LGBT allies. Training sessions will take place on the following dates:

• Friday, February 17, 9:00 a.m. to noon in the University Center Crest Room
• Friday, April 13, 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Multicultural Student Life Center

Safe Zone awareness-building is part of the Chancellor’s Civility and Community initiative and is administered through the Office of the Dean of Students. UT’s Employee and Organizational Development provides the training through small group activities, information-sharing, and large group discussions that explore commonly held myths and beliefs of the LGBT community.

Those interested in the training should register through UT Human Resources Employee and Organizational Development or the Safe Zone training link on the Commission for LGBT People’s website.

Special departmental training can also be arranged. For more information call 974-6657 or e-mail safezone@utk.edu.

The same form (T-30) and supporting documents or invoices are still required. However, instead of submitting paper documents to the Office of the Treasurer, these must be scanned and routed electronically through IRIS. Instructions for processing these transactions are located here.

Beginning February 1, the Office of the Treasurer will no longer accept paper T-30 forms or invoices for conference registrations. For more information, contact Accounts Payable at 974-3086.

Registration is now open. Employees interested in a variety of supervisory, management, and personal development classes may take advantage of this service by visiting “Training Pages” at http://humanresources.tennessee.edu/eod/publications.html.

EOD encourages managers and supervisors to share the catalog with employees who may not have access to e-mail by printing and posting the catalog pages in a communal area or sharing copies directly with employees.

For more information or to register for a course, visit the website or call 974-6657.

E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows an employer, using information reported on an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to determine the eligibility of that employee to work in the United States.

To assist with the January implementation, Human Resources has developed websites and training documents at http://humanresources.tennessee.edu/recruitment/. Follow the link to I-9 and E-Verify on the left hand side.

Entry into the E-Verify system will be handled centrally by Human Resources, but departments will still have responsibility to submit I-9 paperwork to HR within three days of a hire.

Several legislative bills were introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly aimed at addressing illegal immigration in Tennessee. The Tennessee Lawful Employment Act passed and requires that employers with six or more employees to E-verify all new employees beginning January 1. Verification must occur within three days of hire for all new employees.

The university has been using the E-Verify process for employees that were paid from a grant or contract with a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause since 2009. New regulations now require the university to perform the function for all new workers.

For additional information or to schedule a departmental training, please call the HR Call Center at 946-8847 or email human resources at systemhr@tennessee.edu.

Experts say household waste often increases more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. That means the holidays can have a negative impact on the environment.

However, there are ways to make the holidays more environmentally friendly.

“Small changes to our routines can help make the holiday season more fun and less wasteful,” said Gordie Bennett, UT Knoxville’s sustainability manager.

An informal poll of UT Knoxville faculty and staff members found some unique and easy tips for “greening” the holidays this season. Here are two more interesting sustainability-focused holiday tips from UT Knoxville’s faculty and staff:

“We are firm believers in re-gifting. We also use old paper grocery bags as wrapping paper. You can decorate it with stencils and paint, and it may end up being nicer than the gift! Also, as our tree lights fail over time, we replace them with more energy-efficient strands.” – Aly Chapman, laboratory section chief, College of Veterinary Medicine

Gordie Bennett adds: “My personal tip is to skip presents in favor of making a contribution to your loved one’s favorite charity. This reduces waste and helps make the holidays a little nicer for someone in need.”