Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Vol. 35, No. 15 Next issue: Wednesday, November 28 Deadline for submissions: 5 p.m. Monday, November 26 ICM to Office of Public Relations T-NOTES or e-mail [email protected] Campus Communiqué Flag from U.S. soldier raised in honor of HR Notes Veterans’ Day NOTICE TO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES: Pictured from left to right: Public Safety Please complete and submit the Officer Tom Jones, Director of Public Safety following to Human Resources no later Don Aubrecht and President Robert C. Olson than November 27: raise a U.S. flag on campus in honor of • Benefit Plan Selection form for the Veteran’s Day. The flag was a gift from William 2008 Plan Year, indicating your choice Thiel Jr., a U.S. Army solider. The flag was of medical plan or waiver; individual or flown over one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces in family vision coverage, and low or high 2005. dental coverage at the individual or family level. • Guardian Life Insurance Company NOTE: The next issue of T-Notes will be published on enrollment form for Dental, Life and Wednesday, Nov. 28, submit news by Monday, Nov. 26 Disability – complete all sections of the form for dental, life and disability coverage including beneficiary information; sign and date on the Lowe’s donates bottled water to the College reverse side. Many thanks to Kyle Ward, father of • Health Savings Account and/or sophomore student and Harter Hall resident Flex Spending Account Payroll assistant, Josh Ward, and the manager of Deduction Authorization form for 2008 Lowe’s in Erie. Kyle called the student life Plan Year (can be obtained in office of office on Monday with an offer to donate Human Resources). bottled water to supplement the College’s • Highmark change form if you are supply during the Greenville boil notice. changing medical plans or Members of the Thiel staff picked up adding/deleting dependents (can be approximately 180 cases of water (or 4,320 obtained in office of Human bottles!) from the Hermitage store on Resources). Tuesday. The entire College community is grateful for the donation! ING REPRESENTATIVE Individual counseling sessions will be held in the Edwin Hodge conference Hall publishes literary book review room on Tuesday, Nov. 20 from Dr. Mary Theresa Hall’s (English) book contemporaneity of the topics that noon–4 p.m. review of Sacred and Secular in Medieval dominated the medieval and early Please contact George Loughry to and Early Modern Cultures by Lawrence modern literature, topics such as the set an appointment. Besserman appears in the fall 2007 secular and sacred dimensions of poetry Phone: 866-365-5600 edition of The Sixteenth-Century Journal: and prose; the linguistic and literary merit Email:[email protected] The Journal of Early Modern Studies (vol. of the works of the Pearl poet; biblical xxxviii, no.3). allusions in Shakespeare’s plays, Langenheim Memorial Library Each essay in this !0-essay volume especially The Merchant of Venice; Hours for Thanksgiving Week provides topics written by distinguished rhetoric in sacred history; vesting and ~~~~~~ medieval historians, literary scholars and implications of religious authority figures; Sunday, Nov. 18, 2 - 10 p.m. legal experts and is grounded in the and the altar as sacred space. Monday, Nov. 19, 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. historical, socio-political and religious Besserman’s volume provides Wednesday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. nuances that existed in England and on substantive, eclectic and cohesive essays Thursday Nov. 22 - Saturday Nov. 24, CLOSED the continent. This recent study (2006) that convincingly argue the persistent Sunday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. provides nuanced perspectives on intermingling of the sacred and secular in Monday, Nov. 26, Resume normal hours. authors from Chaucer to Shakespeare by Christian medieval and early modern underscoring the permeability and cultures. Extended hours for final exams will be forthcoming. Delta Sigma Phi is supporting the Prostate Cancer United Way Foundation by participating in the Movember, the charity event held during the month of November. Each Campaign

member of Delta Sigma Phi must grow out a mustache Thank you to those for the whole month of November, by doing this they who have already hope to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and to contributed to the United Way campaign. raise money for the foundation. As of today, the number of Thiel College employee To make a donation you may go to contributions is: www.movember.com/us/donate/ and enter the team leader’s name, Nick 24 Steadman, or your choice of a brother. The goal this year is to double the If you have any questions about this number of contributions from Thiel event you can contact the College employees—we have a President of Delta Sigma Phi, Jon long way to go. Keller, at ext. 2791 or Barbara Blue at Please complete contribution ext. 2192. cards and return them to Jennie Travaglini in the Office of Public Relations. For more information, or Please return Smart Classroom Keys to ask questions, please contact ext. 2188 or [email protected]. The MIMC has only one (out of several sets of Smart Classroom keys) available for temporary loan. The MIMC loans sets of keys that open smart classroom cabinets to faculty/staff on a temporary basis only. If you still HR Notes (con’t.) have keys that you have borrowed, please return them immediately. If you would like a permanent key, please contact Vic Miskolitz at ext. 2043. NOVEMBER PAY SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS FOR HOURLY EMPLOYEES: THIEL HOSTS DIVERSITY DAY SPEAKER Distribution of the second biweekly pay in November will be Former Cleveland Cavalier Jim Chones to speak to students adjusted to Wednesday, Nov. 21 due to the Thanksgiving holiday. In Jim Chones, former American 2004), and triplet sons Kameron (a order to meet the data entry and Association (ABA) and National student at Brown University), Kendall and processing deadlines, it is Basketball Association (NBA) player, will Kyle (both attending Colgate University). necessary for all employee speak on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. in the A first-round pick by the New York Knicks timesheets and department time Lutheran Heritage Room. He will discuss a in 1972, Chones had a 10-year career in records to be received no later multitude of topics with students, including the ABA and NBA, winning a title with the than noon on Thursday, Nov. the transition to life after in 1980 15 for pay date November 21. collegiate athletics, goal after five seasons as a Recognizing that the pay period setting and improving member of the Cleveland does not officially end until Saturday students' marketability after Cavaliers. In 1991, Chones of that week, please submit work college. was selected by Cavaliers hours as scheduled for Nov. 16, 17 “Jim Chones was a pioneer fans as the for the and 18, and submit any of his day, being only the “Classy Cavs Team,” covering adjustments in the following pay second NCAA student-athlete the first 20 years of Cleveland period. Timesheets not submitted to leave college early for the Cavaliers history. by the adjusted deadline will be NBA,” says Ricardo Franklin, Chones, born in Racine, processed in the following pay. co-director of the Office of Wis., played basketball for Please call payroll at ext. 2004 or Multicultural Affairs. “I think three years at Marquette HR at ext. 2150 or 2858 with any his presentation will help University before embarking questions. redefine some of our on his professional career. He students’ thoughts on how was only the second NCAA they should attack their player to declare for the NBA Job Opportunity classroom work as well as their draft prior to his graduating year. A 1972 The art and communication performances on the athletic field.” All-American selection, Chones scored department invites applications for Chones is the coordinator of sports and 952 points and totaled 583 rebounds Spring 2008 adjunct instructor(s) to leagues for the City of Bedford Heights, under legendary head coach Al McGuire. teach classes in Media Ethics and Ohio. He and his wife are the proud The presentation is being sponsored by Media Literacy. Visit the Thiel parents of daughters Kareeda, now the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Thiel. It College Web site at working for the Milwaukee Bucks of the is free and open to the public. www.thiel.edu/employment to learn NBA in sales/marketing, and Kaayla, a For more information, contact Franklin at Women’s National Basketball Association ext. 2010. about the position description and (WNBA) draftee (Washington Mystics, application requirements. EOE Important Notice from Thiel College About Your Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare

Please read this notice carefully and keep it where you can find it. This notice has information about your current prescription drug coverage with Thiel College and about your options under Medicare’s prescription drug coverage. This information can help you decide whether or not you want to join a Medicare drug plan. Information about where you can get help to make decisions about your prescription drug coverage is at the end of this notice.

1. Medicare prescription drug coverage became available in 2006 to everyone with Medicare. You can get this coverage if you join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or join a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO) that offers prescription drug coverage. All Medicare drug plans provide at least a standard level of coverage set by Medicare. Some plans may also offer more coverage for a higher monthly premium.

2. Thiel College has determined that the prescription drug coverage offered by the PPOBlue P110392 and PPOBlue High Deductible Health Plan 3006 options are, on average for all plan participants, expected to pay out as much as standard Medicare prescription drug coverage pays and are considered Creditable Coverage. ______Because your existing coverage is, on average, at least as good as standard Medicare prescription drug coverage, you can keep this coverage and not pay a higher premium (a penalty) if you later decide to join a Medicare drug plan.

You can join a Medicare drug plan when you first become eligible for Medicare and each year from November 15th through December 31st. This may mean that you may have to wait to join a Medicare drug plan and that you may pay a higher premium (a penalty) if you join later. You may pay that higher premium (a penalty) as long as you have Medicare prescription drug coverage. However, if you lose creditable prescription drug coverage, through no fault of your own, you will be eligible for a sixty (60) day Special Enrollment Period (SEP) because you lost creditable coverage to join a Part D plan. You should compare your current coverage, including which drugs are covered at what cost, with the coverage and costs of the plans offering Medicare prescription drug coverage in your area.

If you do decide to join a Medicare drug plan and drop your Thiel College medical and prescription drug coverage, be aware that you and your dependents may not be able to get this coverage back.

You should also know that if you drop or lose your coverage with Thiel College and don’t join a Medicare drug plan within 63 continuous days after your current coverage ends, you may pay a higher premium (a penalty) to join a Medicare drug plan later. If you go 63 continuous days or longer without prescription drug coverage that’s at least as good as Medicare’s prescription drug coverage, your monthly premium may go up by at least 1% of the base beneficiary premium per month for every month that you did not have that coverage. For example, if you go nineteen months without coverage, your premium may consistently be at least 19% higher than the base beneficiary premium. You may have to pay this higher premium (a penalty) as long as you have Medicare prescription drug coverage. In addition, you may have to wait until the following November to join. For more information about this notice or your current prescription drug coverage… Contact the person listed below for further information. NOTE: You’ll get this notice each year. You will also get it before the next period you can join a Medicare drug plan, and if this coverage through Thiel College changes. You also may request a copy. For more information about your options under Medicare prescription drug coverage… More detailed information about Medicare plans that offer prescription drug coverage is in the “Medicare & You” handbook. You’ll get a copy of the handbook in the mail every year from Medicare. You may also be contacted directly by Medicare drug plans. For more information about Medicare prescription drug coverage: x Visit www.medicare.gov x Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see the inside back cover of your copy of the “Medicare & You” handbook for their telephone number) for personalized help, x Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. If you have limited income and resources, extra help paying for Medicare prescription drug coverage is available. For information about this extra help, visit Social Security on the web at www.socialsecurity.gov, or call them at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Remember: Keep this Creditable Coverage notice. If you decide to join one of the Medicare drug plans, you may be required to provide a copy of this notice when you join to show whether or not you have maintained creditable coverage and whether or not you are required to pay a higher premium (a penalty).

Date: November 7, 2007 Name of Entity/Sender: Thiel College Contact--Position/Office: Human Resources Address: 75 College Avenue, Greenville, PA 16125 Phone Number: 724-589-2150 or 724-589-2858