CoffeeBreak is an e-newsletter distributed to Averett faculty and staff to keep them up to date on campus activities and information. Please send information you would like included in CoffeeBreak via this form. For the next CoffeeBreak, please submit by Friday, Oct. 11, for a Wednesday, Oct. 16, publication.
Averett Aids Hurricane Relief
Averett University is continuing its efforts in assisting with hurricane relief. The Averett Aeronautics department continues to fly supplies to affected areas. Those interested in donating items to the relief efforts can take goods to the Averett Flight Center at Danville Regional Airport. Secondary donations are also accepted at the CCECC building and the Welcome Center in Main Hall, from 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
True and Bold, Blue and Gold Averett 2024 Homecoming Upcoming Events
The True and Bold, Blue and Gold Averett 2024 Homecoming will take place Oct. 18- 20.
Friday, Oct. 18 – Homecoming Party at 2 Witches Winery & Brewery. Registration will include one drink and an Averett True and Bold, Blue and Gold Homecoming t-shirt. For more information and to register for the party, please click HERE.
Also, a limited number of Alumni Association Tailgate spots are still available. To register for the tailgating spots, use this LINK. For more information about True and Bold, Blue and Gold Averett 2024 Homecoming, please click HERE.
Saturday, Oct. 19 at noon, there will be a classroom dedication for the late Barbara Kushubar in the Grant Center.
Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook Coming to Arts@Averett
Something terrible happened to Junie B. Jones at school today! Someone stole her new furry mittens! So, when Junie B. finds a wonderful pen of many colors, she should be allowed to keep it, right? Because finders keepers, losers weepers. And guess what? There’s a new boy in kindergarten and he is the handsomest. The only thing is both Grace and Lucille want him to be their boyfriend. Maybe he will love Junie B. when he sees her wonderful pen! It is okay to keep it, right? Junie B. Jones is not a crook . . . or is she? A hilarious and heartfelt tale based on the best-selling book series by Barbara Park. It will be performed Tuesday, Oct. 22 and Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. in Pritchett Auditorium.
Tickets for Averett Players’ productions may be purchased in advance or on the night of the show online at averett.booktix.com or from the Pritchett Auditorium Box Office 434-791-5867.
Community Service/IDS 110
The 2024 Fall IDS 110-08 class did a trash pick-up community service event at Anglers Park on Thursday, Sept 26. The Danville Parks and Recreation Department enjoyed having the students do the event and put photos on their Facebook page with a “Thank You” to Averett University.
If you go to this LINK, you will see that posting.
Federal Reserve District Dialogues – Class Dismissed: The Economic Cost of Pandemic Learning Loss
Thursday, Nov. 14 – Federal Reserve District Dialogues
Class Dismissed: The Economic Cost of Pandemic Learning Loss
6 – 8 p.m. In-Person and Virtual
Audiences: Academia, Business Leaders, Community Advocates, Educators, General Public, Policymakers and Students
Deadline for Registration: Friday, Nov. 8
For more information and to register, please click HERE.
Four Ways to Attend:
For this year’s District Dialogues event, we’re offering four ways to join the conversation: In-person at one of our three branch locations (Richmond, Baltimore or Charlotte–addresses below) or virtually via Zoom.
• Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Richmond Branch, 701 E Byrd Street, Richmond, VA 23219
• Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Baltimore Branch, 502 S. Sharp Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
• Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Charlotte Branch, 530 East Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Averett University Holiday Calendar – 2024-25
The Averett University holiday calendar has been confirmed and University holidays will also be listed on Averett’s website calendar.
The University Holiday Calendar is as follows:
Independence Day – Thursday, July 4 & Friday July 5
Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 2
Thanksgiving – Thursday, Nov. 28 & Friday, Nov. 29
Holiday Break – Monday, Dec. 23 – Friday, Jan. 3
Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Monday, Jan. 20
Good Friday – Friday, April 18
Memorial Day – Monday, May 26
Juneteenth – Thursday, June 19
Feel free to contact Cathryn Estes at [email protected] with questions or for additional information.
2025 Medical, Vision and Dental Benefit Plans and Updates for 2025
Open Enrollment is your opportunity to review and make changes to your health benefit elections for the upcoming plan year January-December 2025. Open Enrollment is scheduled for Nov. 1-14, 2024.
Medical
All Medical Plan premiums will see an increase for 2025 rates. Please refer to the 2025 Fringe Benefits Fact Sheet for new rates. The $20 monthly wellness discount premium incentive option will remain in effect for 2025.
• New 2024 IRS minimums on high deductible health plans increase the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for Plan 7 from $3,200 to $3,300.
• New HDHP plan option on Anthem HealthKeepers network added for 2025 (Plan 8). More details for Plan 8 will appear in next week’s CoffeeBreak.
• Addition of digital physical therapy program.
• New Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Anthem. We will now have two from which to choose.
Pharmacy
• New Essential Formulary as of Jan. 1, 2025.
• Mandatory 90-day prescriptions for all maintenance medications.
Voluntary Vision
• Voluntary Vision – if enrolled in Averett’s medical plan you will use the medical ID card for vision services.
• Name transition from UniView to BlueView Vision, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
• No change in rates, network or design.
Voluntary Dental
• No changes to dental plan network design. Rates will increase nominally
Connect with Pam Paynter, benefits coordinator, [email protected] or Kathie Tune, chief human resources officer, [email protected] for additional information. Moving to Medicare? Connect with Kathie Tune for resource information.
Fringe Benefits Fact Sheet OE 2025
Open Enrollment for 2025 Health Benefits Timeline Set
Each year, Averett University and other member institutions in the Virginia Private College Benefit Consortium (VPCBC) conduct an Open Enrollment process for benefits eligible faculty and staff. To learn more about the consortium, go to www.vpcbc.org.
Open Enrollment allows employees to decide which medical, dental and vision benefit plan(s) they elect for insurance coverage for the upcoming calendar year, including FSA and HSA options. The Empyrean health benefits enrollment portal will be open for the two-week enrollment window scheduled for Friday, Nov. 1 to Thursday, Nov. 14.
An Open Enrollment letter will be sent to all benefits-eligible faculty and staff around mid-October.
Questions concerning the upcoming Open Enrollment period? Connect with Pam Paynter, benefits coordinator, at [email protected] or Kathie Tune, chief HR officer, at [email protected].
Plan 8 is another option this year that offers the same coverage as Plans 4 and 7 but carries a lower premium for employees and employers. It is a High Deductible HMO plan that uses the HealthKeepers network of providers for Virginia and the PPO network for all other states. The Anthem HealthKeepers network flyer for out-of-state coverage is provided in this article. HealthKeepers PPO Wrap Flyer 04 24.
For a quick view of Plans 4, 7 and 8 and instructions to locating providers in Virginia and outside of Virginia, see the charts below.
Have Questions about Your Retirement Accounts or Financial Planning?
Financial Advisors from Millennium are available to meet virtually to:
• Answer questions about your retirement account.
• Discuss if you should consider moving your old retirement accounts to the current retirement plan contract.
• Provide financial planning and be a resource to help you make decisions regarding your retirement accounts.
Every employee can go through holistic financial planning sessions and receive a customized financial plan based on your goals. If you have a spouse or significant other, they are encouraged and welcome to attend as well!
These planning sessions are geared to help answer questions like:
• What changes should I consider making to my retirement plan based on my retirement and other goals?
• Am I saving enough to meet my goals in retirement?
• Is my current investment strategy appropriate given what I am trying to accomplish?
Contact MAS at your earliest convenience. You can also reach our Scheduling Team by filling out our scheduling form at the link below or by phone at (877) 435-2489 and select option 1.
Questions? You may also connect with Kathie Tune at [email protected] or (434) 791-7106
On Display from the Averett Archives
The Averett archives contains numerous items and collections that are only tangentially related to Averett’s own institutional history. This year’s archival display schedule includes a few months that will focus on some of these collections of more general interest.
On display for the month of October, on the main floor of Blount Library, are numerous pieces of sheet music from the ragtime music boom from the early 1900s, which feature bold and colorful cover art. Some have been selected for their beauty, others for their inherent silliness, but all remain worth a look for those with an interest in art, art history and the history of popular culture. Please visit the library blog, linked below, for a deeper dive into the display and the origin of the pieces in our collection.
All staff and students are welcome to visit Blount Library during operating hours to view the display. You are always welcome to contact the archivist ([email protected]) if you would like to explore the collections further.
BOGO Hat Sale
BOGO 50% off hat sale at the Averett Bookstore from Tuesday, Oct. 8 until Friday, Oct. 11.
Buy one hat at full price, receive a second hat of equal or lesser value for 50% off. Excludes clearance items.
Halloween Lunch
The Admissions Office and Averett Central will host a Halloween Chili/Soup Lunch on Oct. 31, from noon – 2 p.m. for staff and faculty in the Welcome Center Main Hall. Dress up for Halloween for fun.
Averett 110 Dinners
Once again this semester, President Franks and Joe Franks are continuing the tradition of hosting Averett 110 classes for dinners at the President’s House. Please see some of the positive comments that were shared at recent dinners:
Family atmosphere on campus- Diversity on campus
- Bonner program
- Small campus – good proximity to my classes
- I’m local, living on campus, and like that, I can still be close to my Mom
- Classes are great when you can know your professors
- Easy to make friends here
- Main Hall rooms
- Professors communicate well
- Friendly roommates and suitemates
- The “chill” on campus – there are fun things to do
- Theatre program – people care
- North Campus facilities
The helpful parking lady understood my situation and did not give me a ticket- Security is nice – they came late at night and let me in when I was locked out
- Making friends is easy
- I can plug into campus life and activities
- Easy transition to college – it feels like a home
- Teaching and coaching mentors
- Small class size makes it easy to focus
- Easy to get help and support – professors and tutors
- Walking around campus is peaceful
- One-to-one involvement with my professors
Important Links
Driver Certification Form – Driver Certification Information
Drug and Alcohol Policy or Drug-Free Workplace Policy – 855-Employee-Drug-and-Alcohol-Policy-2024 (2)
Service-Learning Intent Form – Fall 2024 Service-Learning Intent Form (office.com)
Tuition Remission Form – Click HERE
Tuition Exchange Websites – tuitionexchange.org & cic.edu
Part-time Employment Form – Part-time-Employment-Form-2024.docx (live.com)
To Schedule A Virtual Meeting with A Retirement and Financial Planning Advisor – Select a Date & Time – Calendly
Wellness Portal – www.healthadvocate.com/AverettUniversity
Averett Employee Assistance Plan (Telus Health One)
Averett Fringe Benefits Fact Sheet – 2024-Fringe-Benefits-Fact-Sheet-1.pdf (averett.edu)
Virginia Private Colleges Benefit’s Consortium, Inc. (VPCBC) – https://www.vpcbc.org
Reach out to an EAP counselor, which is available to all benefits-eligible employees and their eligible household members (details below).
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- To set an appointment with a licensed EAP counselor, call 1-888-319-7819 and select “Employee Assistance Program” when prompted to be connected to a counselor. There is no cost to the employee for the first three phone or video consultation sessions.
- For the online chat option, visit one.telushealth.com, user name: metlifeeap and password: eap. There is a chat feature that allows users to talk directly with a consultant to guide you to the information you are looking for or help you schedule an appointment with a counselor.
- Employees on the Averett health plan can go to “Find Care” on their Sydney App or Anthem dashboard and locate counseling services that would be available to us through our CICV plan. Go to Anthem.com and locate Find Care or go to https://www.sydneyhealth.com/.
Wednesday Wellness
Check out this blog from Health Advocate about when to get screened for breast cancer along with other tips attached in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast cancer: Know your risk and when to get screened – Health Advocate Blog
Have a great rest of the week, and of course reach out if you need any assistance.
– The Wellness Guy