News

Syracuse University Will Not Implement 2020 Payroll Tax Deferral

On Friday, August 28, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department issued guidance on a potential employee payroll tax deferral directed by a presidential memorandum released on August 8, 2020. The deferral provided employers the option to defer withholding the employee portion of social security tax payments from September 1 through December 31, 2020, with the deferred taxes to be repaid from January 1 through April 30, 2021. The deferral applied only to employees whose wages are less than $2,000 for a weekly pay period and to salaried workers earning less than $104,000 per year.

After consulting with tax, legal, and compensation experts, the University has decided not to participate in the optional deferral. Since this program only postpones tax payments, the University chose this option in an effort to safeguard our employees from higher withholdings beginning January 2021.

If you have any questions, please contact the Payroll Service Center at 315-443-4042 or payroll@syr.edu.

New SU I.D. Cards Allow Students, Faculty and Staff to Use Their Preferred Name

This fall, the Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services Office is debuting a new SU I.D. card design. Behind the new design is a new system—one that allows University community members to choose to use their preferred name on their SU I.D.

The ability to use preferred names on SU I.D. cards comes after years of work by the Pronoun, Gender and Preferred Name Advisory Council (PGPNAC). The council, led by Jenny Gluck, associate chief information officer, and Jorge A. Castillo, director of the LBGT Resource Center, has been active since its inception in June 2018. It was formed in response to Long-Term Recommendation #32 from the March 11, 2016, Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity Inclusion Final Report. The report affirmed that the University, “Expand (its) Preferred Name/MySlice process for choice of gender pronouns, email display names, ID cards, and issues related to Blackboard and other relevant platforms.”

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

2020 South Campus Composting Program Update

Sustainability Management is bringing back the South Campus Composting Program for the 2020-21 academic year, with a few changes from the past years.

Due to health concerns surrounding COVID-19, Sustainability Management is implementing a more hands-on experience for participants. Students will be provided a compost bin but will be required to bring their food scraps to a receptacle outside of 161 Farm Acre (where Sustainability Management is located). Participants will also be responsible for cleaning their bins each week. The food scraps schedule is Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays from noon to 4 p.m.; and Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Kris Klinger Named Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services

Kris Klinger has been named associate vice president of auxiliary services at Syracuse University. He has more than 30 years of experience in hospitality and auxiliary services and has spent the last 11 years as assistant vice president within the University of Southern California’s (USC) auxiliary services department. Klinger began his tenure with Syracuse University on July 27, and reports to Amir Rahnamay-Azar, senior vice president for business, finance and administrative services (BFAS) and chief financial officer.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Fresh Produce from Pete’s Giving Garden Now Available in Campus Food Pantries

The summer’s beautiful weather has resulted in a bountiful harvest of produce from Pete’s Giving Garden on Syracuse University’s South Campus. That produce is now available for University and SUNY-ESF students in the Hendricks Chapel and South Campus food pantries.

Staff from Hendricks Chapel and the Office of Sustainability Management, and faculty from nutrition and food studies in the Falk College worked together to care for the garden over the summer. At the end of April, they worked with Facilities Services to build a second raised bed and added a shed to store tools. In the beginning of May, staff members weeded, turned and added compost to the beds to prepare them for the seeds and seedlings. They also dug out the earth around the perimeter of the fence to provide more growing room for cherry tomatoes, herbs and future pollinator plants to support the honey bees on campus, says Syeisha Byrd, director of Hendricks Chapel’s Office of Engagement Programs.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Parking and Transit Services and Centro Working Together for Safe Campus Transportation

Syracuse University Parking and Transit Services Office is working closely with its partners at Centro and implementing changes to safeguard the health and safety of its passengers. The campus shuttles, buses and trolleys that crisscross campus will operate with different rules this semester to adhere to the latest public health guidance provided by Onondaga County and New York State.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Message from the Comptroller Regarding Paper Paychecks

All Syracuse University paper paychecks dated Wednesday, Aug. 26, and continuing until further notice will delivered via campus mail to each employee’s campus department.

As a reminder, anyone with a NetID and password are able to set up direct deposit through MySlice. The Payroll Office’s website provides step-by-step instructions to enroll in direct deposit.

Contact the Payroll Office at payroll@syr.edu or 315.443.4042, option 2 with any questions.

Food Services Ready to Handle New Challenges Brought by COVID-19

When the coronavirus pandemic caused the abrupt end of residential learning at the University in mid-March, the Food Services department kept working, and responded nimbly to the changes that swept across campus.

Hundreds of students were stranded in Central New York and remained in campus housing. As essential employees, Food Services staff members reported to campus each day to continue to operate dining centers, food courts and convenience stores to support students. They assisted other departments and took on tasks unrelated to food and dining in order to support their colleagues who were working from home.

With the initial challenge of the pandemic met, the Food Services staff have now turned their attention to the upcoming semester, as thousands of students return to campus.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Hundreds of New Students Arrive Early as Part of University’s Safety Efforts

Several hundred new students were welcomed to Syracuse University on Sunday as part of the effort to bring students to campus safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students coming from states listed in New York State’s travel advisory, with high infection rates of COVID-19, are required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arriving in New York. The University offered first-year and transfer students from those states, who might not have other alternatives, to move-in early to meet those requirements.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.