December 2022 - Seasons Greetings and December Updates

Noontime Workshops to Resume in 2023

In the new year we will reconvene the Noontime Workshop series on Tuesdays from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm to talk about all things Finance Transformation. Stay tuned for a more detailed calendar of the topics we’ll cover, and we’ll see you next year!

Our Team Continues to Grow!

Since we last wrote, AST has welcomed several new members:

• Sam Quiambao, Dahlia Duong, and Lisa Rachal joined Amy at the end of November and in early December as founding members of our newly-formed Help Team! They will be providing front-line customer assistance to answer your questions, calls, and requests, as well as making updates to our website and managing our I-9 processes.
• Michael DiDomizio and Alice Quezada joined the HR/Payroll group in November. They are working with John, Gabrielle, Veronica, and Ivy (and Jim!) to respond to payroll requests.
• Jim Ballew, previously of Academic HR, joined our merry band on December 12 as the Assistant Director of Personnel. He will be working with Ivy to manage the HR/Payroll group and will serve on the AST Leadership team.

Our hiring will continue into the new year for positions with our Payment/Procurement group and our new Accounting Services Group that will manage the journal entries, month-end close, FECs/GCCRs, and grant close activities. If you know potential candidates for any of these positions, please encourage them to check UWHR’s jobs website for more information.

PAYMENTS AND PROCUREMENT

Office Depot Minimum Order

Office Depot has begun enforcing their $50 minimum order requirement as part of their existing contract with the university. Although the policy has been in place for a few years, it was waived until recently (pandemic, anyone?).

What does this mean for you and your department?

• Prior to placing an order, take a quick survey of your department's other office supply needs so you can place a single larger order rather than multiple smaller ones.
• Consider creating a planned cycle for placing orders to ensure all office supply needs are met and your unit is not caught short.
• Ariba prevents users from submitting orders less than $50.

AST will continue to identify any additional changers and relay them to you. If you have any questions, please contact us at teamcas@uw.edu.

FOREIGN NATIONAL SERVICES

Submit H Visa Requests Now for September 2023 Starts

The Office of Academic Personnel recently shared a reminder that units should submit H Visa Request Forms to ISO for positions with a September 1, 2023 start date that are not subject to a collective bargaining agreement. For more information on H-1B processing times, review the How to Sponsor an H-1B Temporary Worker page or send your questions to our Foreign National Services manager, Jack Hamrick, at hamrickj@uw.edu.

AST PAYROLL UNITS

We're Hosting I-9 Drop-In Hours for Winter Quarter

‘Tis the season for I-9 verifications with Winter Quarter just around the corner! We are pleased to announce we will be hosting our Winter Quarter I-9 drop-in hours at the CAS Dean’s office from January 3rd – 17th to assist new hires with verifying their I-9 acceptable documents. Please share the attached drop-in calendar with any new hires.

In addition, we encourage you to continue sharing the following resources with your newly hired employees:

• I-9 Journey Map: This ISC resource helps guide new-to-the-university employees through the process of filling out Section 1 of their Form I-9 in Workday.
• I-9 Verification Appointment Link: New employees who cannot make our drop-in hours should use this link to schedule an appointment. New hires should complete their I-9 document verification in the Dean’s office within 3 business days of their first day of work.

Please contact us at teamcas-i9@uw.edu if you have any questions.

Updated COVID-19 Language for Academic Personnel Offer Letters

Governor Inslee’s emergency proclamation regarding COVID-19 vaccinations expired on October 31, but university policy will continue to uphold the vaccination requirement. The Office of Academic Personnel has provided updated language that needs to be included in all offer letters, including moves from unpaid to paid status. The College offer letter templates have also been updated to reflect this change.

As always, please contact any of us or email teamcas@uw.edu with any questions or concerns. 

Warmest wishes to you and your unit from the entire AST family!

Heidi Tilghman
Ivy Mason-Sharrah
Cara Ball
Amy Cox
Jim Ballew