MSU Administrative Professional Association

2013 APA Annual Picnic is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29, 2013. This member event will be held at Patriarche Park at 1100 Alton Street in East Lansing from 4:30pm to 7:00pm.

Relax, network, and have fun! Food and beverages will be provided. Bring the whole family to the festivities. There will be fun activities for kids of all ages.

Please direct questions to Nick Bourland: bourlan2@msu.edu

We hope to see you there.

Many deserving MSU students need a coat, hat, or other winter clothing this season.  APA is working in conjunction with the Migrant Student Services programs to collect warm garments in order to help see these students through the cold Michigan weather. Of particular need are students from migrant labor families coming to MSU for the dream of education, but with few funds and no experience with freezing temperatures.

Please contribute new or good condition coats, hats, scarves, gloves and boots to any of the following locations between November 26 and December 21.

250 Administration – Aleida Martinez - marti995@msu.edu

205 Berkey Hall – Trudy Wesley - wesleyt@msu.edu

250 W Akers Hall – Sue Brandt - brandts@msu.edu

115 Erickson Hall – Sue Carpenter - carpen16@msu.edu

Physical Plant, IT Dept – David Graff - dsgraff@pplant.msu.edu

300 Spartan Way – Laura Peek - lpeek@msu.edu

126 Natural Resources – Carol Graysmith - graysmit@msu.edu

C246 Holden Hall – Elias Lopez - lopezel1@vps.msu.edu

Foyer E & W Fee Halls “Simple Gifts” - Pat.Grauer@hc.msu.edu

B419 Clinical Center – Jackie Botsford - Jackie.Botsford@hc.msu.edu

A218 Life Science – Deborah Sudduth - Deborah.Sudduth@hc.msu.edu

93 Kellogg Center – Cindy Helms - chelms@msu.edu

Last Thursday, Gov. Rick Snyder and the lame-duck Michigan legislature rammed through their so-called “right-to-work” bills in hours, locked citizens out of the Capitol, made a mockery of the democratic process and undermined the rights of Michigan’s middle class. It is anticipated that the House and Senate will pass the final versions of the RTW bills on Tuesday (Dec 11) and send them to the governor for his signature.

To view a video message from MEA President Steve Cook about the session’s activities please follow this link: http://youtu.be/EvLL8oxXFxM.

All members are encouraged to join in the fight against this anti-worker legislation and protect their rights to reach fair agreements with their employer.

Join fellow members and labor advocates at the state Capitol on Tuesday and make your voice heard. Workers from across Michigan will be there all day speaking out against right-to-work and its disastrous and divisive impact on working. If your personal schedule can be arranged to provide a window of opportunity to join us at the Michigan Capitol, by all means you are welcomed and encouraged to attend. A shuttle bus from the APA/MEA office (1216 Kendale Blvd. in East Lansing) will transport members to the Capitol grounds starting at 7am and will run all day long.

If you can’t make it to the Capitol on Tuesday, please take just a few minutes to hop on your phone or email and contact Gov. Snyder and lawmakers.

The time to act is now.

The APA Annual Membership meeting will commence on November 20 at 5:30pm at the APA office located at 1480 Kendale Blvd., Suite 300 in East Lansing.

The APA office can be easily reached one of two ways traveling north from Campus on Abbott Rd.

1) Turn right (east) onto Saginaw Hwy.
Turn left (north) onto Kendale Blvd.
1480 is the 3rd building on the right.

2) Continue north over Saginaw Hwy.
Turn right (east) onto Woodland Pass
Turn right (south) onto Kendale Blvd
1480 is the 3rd building on the left.

The APA Annual Membership meeting will commence on November 20 at 5:30pm at the APA office located at 1480 Kendale Blvd., Suite 300 in East Lansing.

The APA office can be easily reached one of two ways traveling north from Campus on Abbott Rd.

1) Turn right (east) onto Saginaw Hwy.
Turn left (north) onto Kendale Blvd.
1480 is the 3rd building on the right.

2) Continue north over Saginaw Hwy.
Turn right (east) onto Woodland Pass
Turn right (south) onto Kendale Blvd
1480 is the 3rd building on the left.

Benefits Open Enrollment for the 2012-13 plan year has begun and will continue through Monday, May 7, 2012. The 2012 Open Enrollment Guide is available online at www.hr.msu.edu/openenrollment.

To participate in Open Enrollment:

1. Go to ebs.msu.edu on the web and select “EBS Login.”

2. Log in with your MSU NetID and password.

3. Select the ESS tab.

4. Click “Benefits.”

5. Click on “Enrollment Services.”

6. Select the “Open Enrollment” link.

7. Employees who currently cover a spouse or OEI on their benefits will have the Health Plan Affidavit appear.

8. Next the Plan Selection screen will appear. You must select each plan that you would like to add, edit or remove. See detailed enrollment instructions and a video tutorial at www.hr.msu.edu/openenrollment.

There will be three Benefits Fairs during open enrollment where faculty and staff can learn about benefits options and ask questions of benefits plan vendor representatives and Human Resources staff members:

- Tuesday, April 24, 2012 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the MSU Union, Parlors B & C.

- Wednesday, April 25, 2012 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Nisbet Building, First Floor.

- Thursday, April 26, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the International Center, Spartan Rooms B & C.

In addition to the Benefits Fairs, there will be several enrollment site labs during open enrollment. Attend a site lab and staff will walk you through how to complete open enrollment in EBS. See the current schedule at www.hr.msu.edu/openenrollment.

Please remember any changes made during Open Enrollment are effective July 1, 2012.
Have questions? Contact MSU Human Resources Benefits at benefitsinfo@hr.msu.edu, 517-353-4434 or 800-353-4434.

Open enrollment is March 1 to May 31, 2012, for the employee-paid vision insurance program for MSU employees and retirees.

The Coalition of Labor Organizations at Michigan State University (CLO) sponsors the voluntary vision program, which is administered by Michigan Employee Benefit Services (MEBS), a Michigan-based company.

All MSU employees — regardless of Union status — are allowed to use payroll deduction to participate in the program.

To enroll, go to https://tpaenrollment.com. This website is open only during the enrollment period of March 1 to May 31, 2012. Some documents that might be of assistance are:

MEBS Open Enrollment Employee Letter
Volunteer Vision Plan Rates
Vision Plan Enrollment Form
All inquiries about the vision program should be directed to MEBS. Call 1-800-968-6327 and select option 6, or email billingmail@mebs.com.

The 2011 APA General Membership meeting will be held in the Spartans Rooms of the MSU International Center from 12noon to 1pm on Tuesday, November 15, 2011.  This brown bag event will provide reports from APA leadership and committees.  We hope to see you there!