December 18, 2011 - December 24, 2011 Archives

Enter freshmen Scholarship Automation batches by Monday, March 12th in order to have scholarships included on the Estimated Financial Aid Award Notice (Paper) for Fall/Spring 2012-2013.

The CLA Academic Hiring Authorization (AHA) form has been slightly revised and simplified. Since each department now carries the responsibility to stay within their instructional funding allocation, departments will no longer need to identify funding sources on the AHA for non-faculty appointments. Please use the new AHA for all hiring and discard any older versions of the form you may have. The new form can be found on both the CLA HR and Faculty intranet at:

Please submit human resources requests for assistance to the CLA-HR email account (clahr@umn.edu), rather than directly to one of the HR team members. Between December 23 and January 2, several staff will be out of the office for periods of time, but the email account will be checked daily, and forwarded to the person available to expedite a response.

Message from the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action regarding seasonal celebration guidelines:

• Instead of "holiday" parties use a winter celebration or a year-end celebration theme.
• Do not use invitations that reflect any particular religion - keep it neutral and related to winter (I.e. Snow, snowflakes, winter activities like skating).
• Decorations, music, and food should be general, and not specific to any religion. Remember to also be mindful and respectful of any dietary restrictions and provide options.
• Individuals may display expressions of their religious faith in their own personal space, but not in public areas and within reason.
• Re-evaluate long standing practices, such as "Secret Santa," partnerships with outside organizations/charities, and ask how inclusive these really are.
• Encourage individuals to express their concerns/objections and provide information for anonymous reporting options.
• Be mindful that there are holidays and special dates throughout the year. Be respectful of these dates and plan meetings and events around them.
• Be consistent. Try to be flexible with the needs and scheduling of individuals for holidays throughout the year.
• If you do not know if you need to approach someone in your department about the expression of their faith or you are concerned that there are inappropriate religious celebrations in your work or learning environment please contact EOAA at 612-624-9547.

Thank you very much and enjoy the beginning of winter!