Working @ UB
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Deadline extended for flex accounts
The Governor’s Office of Employee Relations is extending the 2013 application deadline for Flex Spending Accounts to Nov. 30 due to Hurricane Sandy.
The open enrollment application system was suspended temporarily at midnight on Nov. 9. It will reopen on Nov. 16 and close at 10 p.m. Nov. 30.
New York State Flex Spending Accounts allow state employees to pay for certain expenses with pre-tax dollars.
The Health Care Spending Account lets employees set aside any amount—from $100 up to $2,500 for the 2013 plan year—to pay for health care expenses that are not reimbursed by health insurance or other benefit plans. These include medically necessary medical, hospital, dental, vision, hearing and prescription drug expenses for employees and their tax dependents.
The Dependent Care Advantage Account allows workers to set aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax salary for eligible child care, elder care or disabled dependent care expenses that are necessary for the employee and his or her spouse to work.
For more information, visit the Flex Spending Account website or call the Flexible Spending Account hotline at 1-800-358-7202.
Networking meeting planned
UB researchers from all disciplines interested in community-based research are invited to attend a Research Network Meeting on Nov. 30 sponsored by the Civic Engagement and Public Policy (CEPP) strategic initiative.
The meeting will take place from 2-3 p.m. in 9 Norton Hall, North Campus.
Researchers are encouraged to share their experiences—and questions—regarding community-based research.
Prior to the networking meeting, 2010-11 CEPP research fellow Debabrata Talukdar, associate professor of marketing, will give a presentation on “Rental Housing Markets at the Base of the ‘Economic Pyramid’: Insights from the Slums in Kenya and Senegal” from 12:30-2 p.m., also in 9 Norton.
Lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m.
The CEPP research presentations will continue on Dec. 7 with a talk by Daniel Hess, associate professor of urban and regional planning, from 8:30-10 a.m. in the Office of Economic Development, Room 208 in the UB Downtown Gateway, 77 Goodell St., Buffalo.
Hess will discuss “Older Adults’ Vulnerabilities to Extreme Weather in Western New York: Results from a Survey of Meals on Wheels Clients” with Debra Street, professor of sociology.
All events are free and open to the public.
For more information or to RSVP for any of these events, contact Laura Mangan at Lmangan@buffalo.edu or 645-5376.
Join UB’s Polar Plunge team
UB’s Polar Plunge team is looking for faculty, staff and students to take a dip in Lake Erie next month to benefit the Special Olympics.
The plunge will take place Dec. 1 at Woodlawn Beach State Park in Hamburg. Registration is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the plunge is at 2 p.m.
Team members can raise money online or host their own fundraisers and bring the money the day of the event.
Students who raise more than $25 are eligible to receive free transportation from UB to the plunge and back. Those raising at least $100 will receive a free Polar Plunge sweatshirt.
Last year’s team raised $10.500.
Register online. Click “register here” and then “join a team.” When asked to select a team, choose “TEAM UB.”
UB’s participation in the Polar Plunge is coordinated by Student Life, Campus Dining & Shops, Athletics, University Police and Alumni Relations.
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