HR Newsletter

COMMUNICATOR

pg 2 Report It!

pg 3 Kroepsch Award

pg 4 Everybody Has a Story

As I thought about which college policy to

highlight in this month’s issue, I reflected

on the recent events at my alma mater, Penn

State. I am deeply saddened by the failure

of employees of the university to protect

children, and while I will always be “Penn

State proud,” I will never forget the

breakdown of ethical and legal judgment.

So how does this relate to Bates? Well, it’s important to know that as an employee of the college, we want you to report problems and issues as they arise. Our hope is that you report the problem to a member of management so we have the opportunity to address the issue, and you can be assured of the college’s commitment to address issues that are reported by employees.

I ask that you carefully read our Whistleblowers Protection Policy and contact Human Resources if you have any questions. We all share the responsibility for ensuring that everyone attending,

working at or visiting our campus can enjoy the experience safely. Thank you for helping to protect Bates and the community with whom we share it.

The Policy: Whistleblowers Protection for EmployeesBates College requires all employees to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. As employees and representatives of the college, we must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities and comply with all applicable laws and regulations. It is our responsibility as employees to comply with the law and to report violations or suspected violations of the law in accordance with the federal Whistleblower Protection Act.

Bates College asks employees to raise serious con-cerns within the college prior to seeking resolution outside the college. Any employee who, in good faith, reports a violation of the law is protected from harassment, retaliation and negative consequences to their employment as a result of the report. Any-one who retaliates against someone who has report-ed a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

INFORMING THE BATES COMMUNITY

Fear less, hope

more, eat less, chew

more, whine less,

breathe more, talk

less, say more, hate

less, love more, and

good things will

be yours.

Swedish Proverb

Everybody Has a Story: Tom Carey ’73Amie Parker, Employment Manager

There are some people in life who know what they want from the moment they are born. Tom Carey ’73 is one of those people. He knew when he came to Bates as a student that he was destined to work with the law. Raised in Framingham, Mass., Tom came to Bates and never looked back. He spent summers in Lewiston, and after being connected with the Lewiston Police Department, became a vacation replacement officer for the department. While he initially thought he would attend law school after leaving Bates, he realized his calling was in law enforcement.

When he graduated from Bates, Tom became a full-time officer with the Lewiston Police Department and attended the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. He initially worked patrol and then continued to advance within the department. While working full time, he obtained his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine and set his sights on the FBI. When the FBI resumed hiring in the early 1980s, Tom applied, was accepted and attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. He was assigned to the Boston FBI office, specifically to the governor’s auto theft strike force. At that time, Boston was the auto theft capital of the country.

In 1984, Tom was transferred to Fargo, N.D. That’s right. Fargo. (I personally wondered if Fargo was a hotbed of crime in the 80s and I was just unaware of it.) He spent two years in North Dakota working in conjunction with local police and got to work on cases that involved everything from crimes on Indian reservations to kidnappings. In 1986, he was ordered to the Washington, D.C., field office and began his path in counterintelligence before working counterterrorism matters. Originally one of 12 agents in counterterrorism, he investigated cases of terrorism that involved American citizens overseas. He was involved in such widely known cases such as Pan Am 103, the bombing of U.S. government facilities in Europe and the taking of American hostages in Beirut, Lebanon.

Over the next few years, he continued to move up within the organization and eventually retired on July 3, 2003, as the senior executive responsible for domestic terrorism investigations. He vividly recalls his last task: briefing FBI Director Robert Mueller about security for the capital’s fourth of July celebration the following day.

Tom arrived at Bates on July 13. His wife’s family has ties to Lewiston-Auburn and settling back in this community was a natural for them. He’s proud of the fact that while his job took him everywhere, his family always moved with him and they learned that it’s not about where you live, but who you are with and what you make of it when you live there. Professor Sawyer Sylvester originally connected Tom with the Lewiston PD and Tom appreciates the opportunity to return to Bates and pay it forward by helping students have a “real chance of success” in their futures.

As for his own future? He’s looking forward to traveling more with his wife. Although he traveled extensively with the FBI, he primarily saw a lot of hotel rooms and never had the opportunity to enjoy those foreign lands with his wife and family. He told me that the one lesson he’s learned that is most important is that you “must enjoy life, because you don’t know how long you’ll have it.”

Fidelity-Bravery-Integrity. Not only words that guide the FBI, but words that have also guided the life of former FBI agent Tom Carey. He told me some other things too, but if I told you, I’d have to…..well, you know the rest.

We all share

the responsibility

for ensuring

that everyone

attending, working

at or visiting our

campus can enjoy

the experience

safely.

Lessons Learned from Penn StateMary Main, Human Resources Director

FEBRUARY 2012

VOL. 1, ISSUE 2

move any uncertainty about timeliness of reporting which can derail the Workers Compensation process and result in conflict between the parties.

It only takes a few minutes to let your supervisor know if you have been injured or are beginning to feel some discomfort or pain. Please take the time and let us use this opportunity to work together to further reduce and/or prevent risks and injuries.

It’s Time for Mid-Year Performance DiscussionsMary Main, Human Resources Director

During the months of January, February and March we recommend that supervisors and staff sit down

Senior Lecturer Katalin Vecsey (standing, second from left) teaches her voice and speech course on the stage of Schaeffer Theatre.

2012 Holiday

Calendar

Monday, January 2 New Year’s Day (observed)

Monday, May 28 Memorial Day

Wednesday, July 4 Independence Day

Monday, September 3 Labor Day

Thursday, November 22 Thanksgiving

Friday, November 23 Recognition Day

Monday, December 24 Holiday

Tuesday, December 25 Christmas

Wednesday, December 26 Staff Appreciation Day

Thursday, December 27 Staff Appreciation Day

Friday, December 28 Staff Appreciation Day

Monday, December 31 Staff Appreciation Day

Report It!Ray Potter, Environmental Health and Safety Manager

If we are injured at work it’s important to report it to our supervisor right away. Work injuries make us eligible for a benefit, one required by state law, namely Workers’ Compensation. There are many good reasons to report injuries when they happen.

Early reporting means early and appropriate care. Getting a leg up on the process also reduces the risk of complications with the various people and orga-nizations that will be helping you through the recov-ery process. Those may include doctors, the insur-ance company, the Workers’ Compensation board, your Human Resources representative, the safety guys and even payroll, particularly if your injury is

Employees are protected from retaliatory actions because they have reported to college management:

• A violation of the law

• A gross waste of public funds

• Something that risks someone’s health or safety

• Something that will endanger their life or someone else’s life.

If you are not comfortable speaking with your supervisor or you are not satisfied with your super-visor’s response, you are encouraged to speak con-fidentially with someone in the Human Resources Department or anyone in management whom you are comfortable in approaching.

Early reporting

lets the safety

guys and super-

visors look into

ways to prevent

repeat injuries

to you and your

co-workers.New Employees

Kayi Affo Custodian, Facility Services

Glenn Bingelis Sanitation Worker, Dining Services

Jessica Flaherty Campus Events Scheduling Coordinator, Dean of Students Office

Shauna’h Fuegen Curricular Technology Consultant, ILS

Kim Goding Administrative Assistant, Advancement

Eric Kent Catering/Delivery Worker, Dining Services

Gregory McLaughlin Network Administrator, ILS

Brian Pelletier Electrician, Facility Services

Alexander Sheets 3rd Cook, Dining Services

Megan Taft Program Coordinator, Office of Intercultural Education

Joseph TomarasAssociate Director, Office of External Grants

Dates of Interest

in February

February 2, 2012: Bi-weekly pay dateFebruary 9, 2012: Monthly pay dateFebruary 16, 2012: Bi-weekly pay date

Someone who lives the Bates principle of backing academic challenges with meaningful support, senior lecturer Katalin Vecsey has received the 2012 Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching. Expert in the anat-omy and the aesthetics of the voice, Vecsey teaches courses in voice, speech and gender — and works with students in every Bates theatrical production. She also directs, with her production of Five Women Wear-ing the Same Dress appearing March 16–18. “Students adore her. Stu-dents respect her. They work hard because she works hard,” says Travis Jones ’13, a double major in theater and in visual art and culture. Vecsey lives in Lewiston with her husband, John Painter, and their son, Kelen.

serious enough to prevent you from working. Early reporting lets the safety guys and supervisors look into ways to prevent repeat injuries to you and your co-workers. When the Incident Report is submitted to Human Resources, the information is passed on to the insurance company, which in turn ensures necessary reporting to the State of Maine occurs in compliance with the law. All of these actions begin with a simple report to your supervisor or depart-ment manager.

Repetitive motion injuries are another category of injuries that should be reported early. Sometimes an injury does not coincide with a particular moment in time or a particular event. Certain injuries can result when soft tissues such as muscle, tendons, liga-ments, nerves and connective tissues are stressed or strained by repetitive motions. Tightening one screw by hand may not cause a problem, but tight-ening hundreds of screws without taking a break has the potential to cause a soft tissue injury. The question becomes, “When should we report aches and pains?”

It’s easy to convince ourselves that minor discom-forts are just part of the aging process or that we have just used a set of muscles we don’t use every day. The early reporting rule is important with these types of injuries as well. Perhaps your supervisor or the safety guys can help figure out a way to re-duce the repetition or reduce the force required for a particular task. Maybe there are opportunities for restructuring or rescheduling work components that would serve to reduce risk and prevent further in-jury. Early reporting provides the initial information and awareness necessary to make such changes. But the early report on a soft tissue injury also helps re-

Bates Students and Recent Grads Honor Voice and Speech Teacher With Kroepsch AwardDoug Hubley, Writer, Bates Communications Office

together to review progress on performance goals which have been set for the year and also to review the college’s core competency standards. The Suc-cess Factors performance development system is designed to be a dynamic system that allows for changes, adjustments and updates as we move through the year. Reviewing your progress at mid-year is critical for making sure you are on track for a successful year-end review.

If you need any assistance with the online Success Factors system, please contact any Human Resources manager.