Personnel Relations Newsletter

January 1982Career Direction Series

The 1982 Brown Bag Seminars, jointlysponsored by the A-i Assembly and thePersonnel Relations Training Office,began on Tuesday, January 19, with a

presentation by Dr. Marilyn Morgan,Assistant Professor of Management inthe Wharton School, on "Career

Planning'.Elizabeth Rosenberg, a career

development specialist, assisted in theskills inventory workshopson January25 and will speak on "What Next" onFebruary 1 in the Harrison-Smith-Penniman Room of Houston Hall from1:00 to 2:00p.m. Ms. Rosenberg, whoholdsa Master's Degree with a specialtyin group processand counseling, hasbeen working with adults for the pastfive years on the process of makingcareer decisions. Currently, sheworksat the Lifelong Learning Center of theFree Library of Philadelphia and atCLEO, the Consortium for LifelongEducational Opportunities. As acareerspecialist, shecounsels individualsconcerning career problems, conductsworkshops, and develops learningmaterials. Shealso teachesacoursecalled career choice at the CommunityCollege of Philadelphia and has a pri-vate counseling practice.

The following session on February15 will be divided between twopanels,"Communications/Human Relations"and "Physical/Mechanical Skills". Reg-istration for all sessions can be sent toMs. Vicki Mulhern, 237 Med Labs G 3, ormay be phoned in to Ms. Alice Abdullahat extension 3429. Participation in thesesessions is open to any interestedmembersof the University staff.

From theExecutive Director ofPersonnel Relations

In ourefforts to keep the Personnel Pol-

icy Manual up to date, we will be distrib-

uting anumber of corrected statementsin the next fewweeks. I'm highlightingthis matter simply as awayof encourag-ing manual holders to replace theoldstatements and keep their manualscurrent.

If there areanyquestions aboutthese recent changes, or if you haveany suggestions for us, please contact

Douglas Dickson at extension 6093.Gerald L. Robinson

Marilyn Morgan

Social Security Taxes-UpAgain In1982

This year, either weekly or monthly, theFICA (Social Security) deduction willbe somewhat higher, as the rate risesfrom the 1981 rate of 6.65% to 6.7%. Forsomeonewith a monthly salary of$1,000 this will mean afifty-centincrease in the FICA deduction. Whencombined with the rise in the taxablebase, the new rate will result in an addi-tional $195.74during the course of the

year for those at the highest salarylevels.

Adding to the larger FICA bite forsome is a new provision passed byCongress in December which makesthe first six months of sick pay subjectto withholding for Social Security pur-poses. All of thesechangesare, ofcourse, related to the well publicizedfinancial problems of the Social Secur-ity system.

As hasalways been true in the past,the University will match every deduc-tion from each employee's pay in itsown payments to the Social Securitytrust funds. Whiletheextra deduction isannoying for the individual, for the Uni-versity it is staggering. The increasedcharge to the University for 1982 over1981 is estimated at $1,415,000.

What is an IRA?

During recent weeks, newspapers,magazines, and radio broadcasts havebeen full of references to IndividualRetirement Accounts (also calledl.R.A.s or Iras). The reason for all of thepublicity is obvious. As of this past Jan-uary 1, eligibility for participation inIRAs has been broadened by law toinclude those who were already partici-pating in a tax-qualified retirementplan-which means virtually all per-manent full-time members of the Uni-versity staff.

For many years employees of theUniversity have been allowed to setaside substantial portions of theirincome in tax-sheltered investmentsunder special provisions of the InternalRevenue Service code. Those provi-sions, which are still in effect, allowstaff members to contribute to TIAA/-CREF and/or Equivest through salaryreduction.

Now, in addition, an individual maycontribute up to $2,000 annually($2,250 fora participant with a non-

working spouse) on a tax-deferredbasis. Interest earnings accumulate taxfree, and withdrawals and annuityincome aretaxable as income whenreceived. Some or all of thetax benefitswill be lost, however, if a distributionfrom the IRA to the participant is madebefore the individual reaches 591/2.

If an employee is interested in

establishing an IRA, arrangementsshould be made directly with a broker,bank, or other financial institution.Payments are made by the participantto the financial institution with whichthe individual has arranged the IRA.Both TIAA and the Equitable Life Assur-ance Society offer IRAs in addition tothe Supplementary Retirement Annui-ties many membersof the Universitystaff are already contributing to. Addedinformation about these can beobtained by calling TIAA collect at(212) 490-9000or Charles Rose ofEquitable at 561-4000.

Although the Personnel BenefitsOffice cannot, of course, provide taxorlegal counseling, you maycall thatoffice (extension 7281 between 10:30am. and 2:30 p.m.) for additional infor-mation comparing the University's tax-sheltered programs with IRAs.

Personnel Relations/i

Getting to Know You: Catherine Welsh

If anyone had asked Kitty Welsh what aStaff Dental Assistant waswhen shefirst came to work for the University of

Pennsylvania in 1975, shecould nothave answered. Neither could anyoneelse, for that title did not exist. Althoughthere are Staff Dental Assistants now,

Kitty wasthe first.In 1975, shecame to the School of

Dental Medicine as a Dental Assistant I,fresh from ayear of training at DobbinsTechnical High School. Her trainingincluded externships at the Veteran's

Hospital, Temple, and Einstein North.When Kitty started in 1974 Dobbins pro-videdthe only D.A. program in the area

leading to certification. Although theyhadan affiliation with Pennsylvania, shewasnot assigned here. Her one view ofour clinic, with its many dental chairsand numerous staff was rather intimi-

dating, and shedid not really want an

assignment to Penn.Today, however, shefinds it much

less intimidating. In fact, Kitty hasmadeonesection of that large clinical area

practically herown. Managing thePerio-dontic Clinic, she now does moreadministrative work than the technicaltasks forwhich she wastrained.

Kitty's entrance into the program atDobbins is astory in itself. Shehadworked in clerical and receptionist jobsafter high school, and stoppedthosewhen her first child wason the way.During the next ten years, herhomeand family (which eventually enlargedto three children) left no time forafull-time job outside herhome, butthedaycame when sheand her husband

agreed that a part-time jobwould bereasonable. An opportunity occurredwhen a local dentist advertised fora

receptionist to fill in acouple of eve-

flings aweek.Soon thereafter his regular assis-

tant became ill and Kitty found herself

working full-time, without formal train-

ing. Although she learned much fromheremployer, Kitty wanted more formal

training.So it was back to school, full-time, and work twoevenings a week.When theyear of schooling and extern-

ship was over, Kitty promised herself amonth's vacation. However, the dentistneeded heras a full-time employee, sothe vacation went by the boards.

When shefinished hertraining in1975, Kitty could have worked as a den-tal assistant in private practice, but twothings attracted herto the University:her deep interest in surgery, whichmade an opening in the PeriodonticClinic attractive, andthestudents. Likeso many others, Kitty found workingwith students interesting, challenging,and sometimes exasperating, butalways stimulating.

In 1975 thePeriodontic Clinic con-sisted of two operative chairs and oneDental Assistant in addition to the

2/Personnel Relations

Catherine Welsh

faculty and students. Thereare still onlytwochairs, or surgeries, officially, butthree others commandeered as needed

provide for six to eight facultymembers, graduate and undergraduatestudents, and a second dental assistant.

Kitty notonly continues hertechnicalwork, but schedules the surgeries,approves all patient charges, and

designates the credit that should be

given to each student forwork in theClinic.

The combined demands of homeand job don't leave much extra time, butsomehow Kitty managesto be a leaderin the relatively new profession of Den-tal Assistant. Home includes not justthe family, but home remodeling aswell-but she and her husband are

planning types, not do-it-yourselftypes. Kitty is also active in the Phila-

delphia Dental Assistant Society and,here at Pennsylvania, sheacts as Coodi-nator for the growing groupof DentalAssistants. Arranging continuing edu-cation programs and in-service trainingspanning both thecampus and thearea

provides particular satisfaction for thislocal pioneer in the Dental Assistant

profession.

JobOpportunities Elsewhere

If you are planning to leave Philadel-

phia andwish to continue your careerin higher education, the Personnel Rela-tions Employment Office may be able to

help you. The University participates ina job listing exchange with other Ivyinstitutions, Penn State, Stanford, andseveral Boston schools.

Positions include several mid to

high level posts at each school. Thejoblisting is up-dated monthly and islocated in the Employment Office,Room 130, Franklin Building.

How New Is a New Employee?

Whenever a New Employee Orientation

program is announced, the questionarises, "How new is new?"Judging bythe December 11th session held in theHarrison-Smith-Penniman roomsofHouston Hall between noon and 1:30

p.m., most of the forty or so present feltthat they were "new" if they had workedat the University for three months orless. Butsome had been here longer,and at least one had worked for the

University for more than four years. So'new", like "young", is what youfeel.

You mayask, "Which employeesmay attend the Orientation?" Theanswer is easy: anynewemployeeinterested in gathering useful informa-tion on awide range of topics relatingto "University Life". Whether it is HeleneHamlin talking about recreational op-portunities at the University, KatherinePollak outlining the University's provi-sions for continuing education, RuthWells discussing safety issues, or Vic-

toria Mulhern bringing Universitybenefits programs to theattention ofthose present, the subjects arethosewhich will be of interest to operations,clerical, or administrative staff. Addingto the list of presentors are Pat Byrne,who explains Faculty and Staff Scholar-

ship arrangements, and Davida Ramey,who discusses the University's Affirma-

tive Action Program.Judith Zamost hosts theprograms

on behalf of the Personnel Relations

Department and presides over suchtraditional amenities as theawarding ofdoor prizes (provided by the UniversityBookstore) and the distribution ofinformation packets. Material that can-not be covered during the Orientation

Program (such as the Annenberg Cen-ter schedule, for example, or the Uni-

versity bustime table) is included in the

packets.The New Employee Orienta-tions are conducted almost monthly.ChecktheTraining Schedule at the endof this issue for the next one.

Blood Donor DatesAs mentioned in the December

Newsletter, the Penn Student BloodDonorClub welcomes University staffmembersto thedonor drives it has

arranged with theAmerican Red Cross.Oneof the Red Cross's fourteen bloodtrucks will visit the University campusfive timesduring the next month, eachtime for five hours:

Tuesday, January 26Hill House 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Thursday, January28Vance HaIl 10:00a.m.-3:00p.m.

Tuesday, February 2Houston Hall 12:00-5:00p.m.

Thursday, February 11

High Rise East 2:00-7:00p.m.Thursday, February 18McClelland Hall 1:00-6:00 p.m.

Getting to Know You:Marion C. Friedman

"Onlygrownups with bad memoriesbelieve that childhood and youth is all

joy," says Marion Friedman. Still, sheadds, "The orphanage made life plea-sant for us, and we had alot of goodtimes and fun. We were not disadvan-

taged in a material way. Only in adult-hood did I begin to have a feeling ofhaving missed something."

And so Marion hasbeen making upfor what she might have missed.

During herschooling years, careerpreparation seemed theonly practicalgoal, and theonly reasonable careerchoice then was in the clerical field. Soshe took commercial courses in orderto get ajobwhen shegraduated from

high school. And this she did, but

always with a feeling that shewouldhave liked to pursue more academicstudies. Forthree years, while still in hertwenties, she took eveningcourses in

advertising, butthese neither satisfiedherlonging nor promised a viablecareer option. So it was not until 1960that Marion first audited a course inGerman at Pennsylvania and disco-vered that academic work was indeed tohertaste andthat shecould dope with it

very well.Sincethen shehascompleted work

for an A.B. degree in the College ofGeneral Studies-there was a celebra-tion in the FAS Advising Office last Mayto mark the event-and has adopted thePenn campus as hersecond home.Some years after starting herdegreeprogram in C.G.S., Marion went to workfor the Department of Chemistry, whereshe worked for eleven years. But evenbefore becoming a member of the staff,Marion had become an admirer of the

campus and of campus residents: par-ticularly squirrels and birds, which shehas been feeding for twenty yearsormore. More recently, Marion has addedstudents to her lists of favorite campusresidents, and shegivesthem thesamedevotion that shegives to wildlife andher domesticated cats.

Especially since moving to the FAS

(now College Advising Office) in 1977,wheresheworks closely with studentsin making sure their credit for priorwork taken elsewhere is properly evalu-ated and recorded, Marion has foundstudents becoming an important part ofher life. The letters she receives frompresent and former students in the Col-lege brighten herwork dayand makethe routine which is part of anyjobseem worth while.

Although Marion considers herselfliberated, shecannot standthedesigna-tion "Ms" ("As far as lam concerned,ms. is adesignation for manuscript, andI am notasheaf of paper") and couldnot possible compete with her motherin the women's liberation movement.Her mother,who had been born in Kiev,

Marion Friedman

was one of the suffragettes jailed duringthe campaign for thewomen's vote in1919; Marion's liberation consists of

accepting rather than assertingequality.

Still, she is active in matters that

engage her interest. She is a member oftheA-3 Coordinating Committee and itsrepresentative on the Community Rela-tions and Athletic Committees. Athlet-ics did notcapture her interest early inlife, butshe has more than made up forthat now. After passing forty shelearned to swim well enough to teachher two"Little Sisters" the skill; shemight have learned as achild, but beingpushed into the water by the boys in thehome did not inspire herto aquaticachievements then. And at agefifty shetook up ice-skating, and now finds it awonderful pastime. In fact, sheandCaroline McCarthy organized the PennIce Skating Club. But that is anotherstory.

Travels with her husband (they liketo take bus trips westward from Phila-

delphiaand have been as far as Yose-mite), keeping up with pen-pals inVienna and Bremen, beinga Big Sisterto two young girls, swimming, skating,and auditing courses-Marion feels noneed to take courses for credit now-plus herjob leaves little time for any-thing else. Except perhaps feeding thesquirrels on thecampus green.

Personnel Relations NewsletterVolume 4, Number 5The newsletter appears monthly exceptIn May, June, July, andAugustEdited by: Douglas R. Dickson(243-6093)Photos by: David Gladstone

Training Office Guidelines

The following guidelines have beenestablished by the Training Office andwere effective with the classes begin-ning the week of January 11, 1982.

1) Enrollment in the Business Commun-ications and Clerical Skills Programs isdependent upon the approval of anemployee's office or department.

2) In order to reserve a place in a par-ticular class, the employee and supervi-sor must complete the appropriateapplication formsand return them to516 Franklin Building/16.

3) On the first dayof the Clerical Skillsand Business Communications Pro-grams, the Training Specialist willadminister a pre-test. Final acceptanceinto thecourse will be determined bythe Training Specialist's evaluation ofthe pre-test along with anyother rele-vant information. Any registrant whohas not been contacted by the TrainingSpecialist should come to thesecondclass. If the Training Specialist deter-minesthat a registrant should not beadmitted into the class, shewill contactthe applicant and his or her supervisor,give the reasonswhy and counsel themas to other training possibilities.

4) Once final acceptance is made, each

employee will be givena departmentpayment form which should be com-pleted by his or her supervisor and

budget administrator and returned toAlice Abdulah at 516 FB/I6. As stated onthe course descriptions, the fee for theClerical Skills or Business Communica-tions Programs is $100 to be paid by thedepartment. If an employee is register-ing for a second course, the departmentwill be charged $65.

5) Attendance in class is required. If forsome reason a participant must miss aclass, the Training Specialist or Train-

ing Office should be notified. If ab-sences occur morethan twice, the Train-

ing Specialist will contact the person'ssupervisor to determine what might bethe problem and how the situation canbe remedied.

6) If aclass must be cancelled foranyreason, the Training Office will contactthe participants.

7) The Clerical Skills and BusinessCommunications Programs are de-

signed to help the employee as well ashis or heroffice or department. The

employee gains personally because ofthe improved or newly acquired skillswhich mayfoster his or hercareerdevelopmentat the University;eachoffice or department gainsbecause ofthe skills which are brought back to thejob. Therefore, dueto the joint advan-tages derived from these programs,both employeesand their departments

Personnel Relations/3

are being asked to contribute time onan equal basis. That is:

a. If an employee is enrolled in aclass which begins and ends duringregularly scheduled working hours

(normally 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. withone hour for lunch), 50% of the timeis contributed as paid work time bythe department and 50%as non-paidtime contributed by theemployee.The employee may usethe neces-

sary amount of time from his or her

unpaid lunch hour to fulfill this timecommitment.

b) If an employee is enrolled in aclass which begins during regularlyscheduled working hours butextends beyond 5:00 p.m., the paidwork time before 5:00 p.m. should becounted as the50% contributed bythe department; the time after 5:00

p.m. should be counted as theSO%

non-paid time to be contributed bythe employee. Employees in theseclasses are entitled to their regularlunch hour.

It should be understood that theabove are guidelines. Supervisors stillretain the right to approve the schedul-ing of time to be used on the basis ofthe departmental or employee's workrequirements.

8) Employees interested in attendinganyother workshops which are sche-duled during work hoursshould seekpermission from their supervisor priorto registering.

It's Clerical Recruiting Time Again

Each year the Personnel Employmentoffice recruits high school andjuniorcollege seniors for secretarial and cleri-cal positions at the University. Thesestudents are generally bright and eagerindividuals, willing to be trained in allaspects of office procedure includingtyping, filing, bookkeeping and tele-phone work. Many of them have gainedwork experience by participating in the

University's Cooperative Education Pro-

gram while still attending school. Thesestudents have become an excellentsource of skilled secretarial and clericalcandidates for positions such as Clerkl-IV, Typist, Secretary II, JuniorAccountant, and Delivery Clerk.

These students are available nowfor part-time (Co-op) positions and willbe graduating in May/June. For furtherinformation about the program, pleasecall Marie Skelston, Personnel

Employment, Extension 7285.

Penn Ice Skating Club

This year the Penn Ice Skating Club hasmade arrangements to usethe Spring-field Ice Rink, at 400 West Sproul Road.The Club is open to people affiliatedwith the University, whether as studentsor members of the staff.

Until this year, the Club has utilizedthe facilities of the Class of 1923 Rink,but last fall satisfactory financial ar-rangements could not be worked out;hencethe move to Springfield.

The Club owes its origin to achance meeting of Caroline McCarthyand Marion Friedman at theClass of1923 Ice Rink in 1978. Dissatisfied withthe arrangements for staff skating, theyconceived the idea of organizing a club,and eventually their idea-supportedwith lots of work-results in aclub thatnow has officers from undergraduate,graduate, and staff ranks. But CarolineMcCarthy and Marion Friedman are stillTrustees of the Club.

Membership is open, and may bearranged by calling Fl 2-8638 (eveningsand weekends) or 243-7017 (daytimes-ask for Andrea Weisberg).

Training ScheduleOngoingPrograms

Events Date Time For Registration and Information Call

New Employee OrientationMarch 1212:00 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429

Resume' DevelopmentFebruary 5, February 2612:00 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429

Preparing to be InterviewedFebruary 12, March 1212:00 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429

How to Conduct anJanuary 29, February 19,12:00 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429InterviewMarch26

Purchasing Orientation1st and 3rd Wednesday2:00 p.m. Dorothy Vaccaro Ext. 4078of each month

Accounts PayableEveryother Thursday2:00 p.m. Isabel Muse Ext. 7263Orientation Seminar

Clerical Skills UpgradingContact Training Specialist Linda Haynes Ext. 8808

Program for information.3400

Business Communications IClasses in progress. Next1:30-3:00 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429session begins February23. Classes meet Tuesdayand Thursday for sixweeks.

BusinessCommunications II Classes in progress. Next10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429session begins February (Section I)23. Classes meet Tuesday 4:15-5:45 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429and Thursday for six (Section II)weeks.

Weight WatchersEvery Monday4:30 p.m. HUP Benefits Office 227-3178

Career Directions SeriesFebruary 15, March 1,1:00 p.m. Alice N. Abdulah Ext. 3429Skills PanelsMarch 15, March 29,

April 12

All of the aboveprograms require advance registration. Interested participants should call the contact person to register.Registration is accepted on a first come, first-served basis.

4/Personnel Relations