Congratulations Fee Waiver Graduates!

“Being a full-time employee and student with bills to pay, the fee waiver substantially reduced the cost of my education, which I am very grateful for. The process was quick and easy to use. It is amazing how quickly two years go by and I'm ecstatic to be graduating this May with my MBA! Go Spartans!” – Carwin Liang, Spring 2016 MBA graduate

As graduation quickly approaches, Human Resources would like to say a special congratulations to the staff graduates using fee waiver!

Current and past fee waiver participants can attest to the value of this program. You can pursue your degree while working or take classes to enhance your job skills. Full-time employees and part-time permanent employees are eligible, and fee waiver covers 2 courses or 6 units per semester (whichever is greater).

Visit the Staff Fee Waiver webpage or contact Julie Inouye Wong, julie.wong@sjsu.edu/ext 4-2256 with any questions about the Staff Fee Waiver Program. Contact Faculty Affairs for questions about the Faculty Fee Waiver Program.

More than 275 Spartans laced up their sneakers and made a commitment to work towards a healthier lifestyle by participating in the Health Trails Wellness Challenge. Well U, the employee wellness program, partnered with Kaiser Permanente to bring Health Trails to SJSU staff and faculty. Participants logged their exercise minutes, produce servings, and stretch breaks online and traveled virtually along trails throughout the world. Employees of all fitness levels were encouraged to join.

Everyone had the opportunity to participate as individuals or as teams. Teammates helped motivate each other and hold each other accountable. Although the goal was to have friendly competition amongst teams, some teams took it very seriously and the competition went from friendly to intense!

At the end of the challenge we held a celebration, and individuals and teams who reached the goal of traveling 300+ virtual miles were entered in a drawing for prizes provided by Kaiser Permanente.

Wellness challenges are a great way to begin or maintain a healthy lifestyle. The simple act of logging activities helps us to be more mindful of better health choices. Here’s one testimonial from this year’s challenge:

“This year's challenge was a challenge on its own. Without the motivation from my team, it would have been even harder. In the Library, we are very competitive against our colleagues and ourselves. The pressure is on! If I knew I had a busy day and did not think I would complete my full 90 mins, I would do my 60 minutes at home and when I arrived at work I would park on the 4th floor of the parking garage and take the stairs down. All in all, the challenge was great. It helped further develop relationships with co-workers. Will I do it again? Yes!” Sharon Thompson, University Library

To receive information about all wellness events, email julie.wong@sjsu.edu to join the Well U Google Group.

Buzz on...Aggie Anaya 

When customers visit Human Resources, they are welcomed by Aggie’s warm smile. Most people don’t know this about Aggie, but before joining the HR team she worked in private industry for many years as a Regional Operations Manager, which allowed her the opportunity to travel throughout the US, Canada and Europe. After leaving private industry, Aggie became a stay-at-home mom and an avid treasure (antique) hunter. Aggie loves spending time on the weekends or on her vacations antique shopping. Keep reading  to learn more about Aggie.

Q. Where did you grow up?

A. I grew up here in San Jose, but moved to Modesto about 20 years ago. I recently came back to San Jose to be closer to my 10 grandchildren. I come from a very large family and have many siblings.

Q. What do you like to eat?

A. Oh! My favorite has to be Chinese food. Back in the day, my parents had a friend that owned a Chinese restaurant in Mountain View and I remember going there all the time, especially for the fortune cookies. Chinese food is just one of those cuisines that is nostalgic to me. I also have my guilty pleasure food - FRIES. It doesn’t matter if they are from a fast food place or a nice restaurant. If I can find them, I will eat them. I just LOVE fries!

Q. What is your favorite spot on campus?

A. It has to be the Tower Lawn. When I’m sitting in the middle, by the fountain, it just gives me a sense of relaxation. It doesn’t matter how busy everything is around me or that I’m in the middle of a busy city and university, the Tower Lawn offers me a sense of peace.

Q. What is the most satisfying part of your job?

A. I love my job because every day, I get to do something different or help someone different. I love talking to customers and being able to connect with them. If customers walk out of the HR office with a smile on their face, that really brings me satisfaction and lets me know I did a great job helping them.

Q. How do you spend your time outside of work?

A. Most people don’t know this, but I have many jobs. I volunteer with a non-profit organization where I work with at-risk females ages 13-18; I also work for a property management company. Other than work, I really enjoy spending time with my grandchildren. Every Friday night is Baskin Robbins night. My grandkids look forward to me picking them up every Friday for ice cream, dinner and a movie. I just adore them so much.

Q. Who is someone that inspires you?​

A. It definitely has to be my father because I’m very much like him. My father always had a full time job, worked long hours, made time for side jobs but yet, I always remember him being there with all of us kids. My father made it important to put family first. His love for people, his spirituality, his religion and his kind heart really inspire me because that’s everything I want to be.

Save the Dates!

Employee Services Fair

The Employee Services Fair will be held Thursday, September 22, 2016. Learn about the benefits and perks available to you directly from the vendors. We had over 80 vendors last year offering discounts, giveaways and prizes to SJSU employees. We are working hard to make this year's fair even bigger and better!

Spartan Service Celebration

The 49th Annual Spartan Service Celebration will be held Thursday, November 3, 2016. Join us as we honor our dedicated staff for their milestone years of service. The list of honorees will be released in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned to future issues of HR Buzz for more information about both of these events.

Spartans Stepping Beyond

Retirement Resources Fair

On April 28 Human Resources hosted our first Retirement Resources Fair. SJSU employees had the opportunity to connect with representatives from Social Security, CalPERS, Savings Plus, Fidelity, Kaiser Permanente, and United Health Care. Fair attendees got their retirement questions answered and were given information about resources available to them.

The idea for the fair came from the CalPERS-hosted benefits education events held throughout the Bay Area. We heard feedback that though these events are popular, they are overcrowded and the information provided is not specific to CSU employees. Rather than sending our employees to the CalPERS events, we decided to host our own fair and bring all of the retirement benefits resources to campus.

The fair was a big success and we got great feedback from attendees and the vendors. We hope to make this an annual event!

CalPERS will be back on campus June 22 for two workshops: Future Planning from 9:00 to 11:00 and Planning Your Retirement from 1:30 to 4:00. The Future Planning workshop is for employees who want more information about CalPERS but aren't ready for retirement yet. The Planning Your Retirement workshop is for employees who are nearing retirement and need information about how to choose their retirement date. Both classes are in Clark 547. Contact Julie Wong, julie.wong@sjsu.edu, for more information and to register.

HR Website Survey Winner!

Thanks to everyone who completed our HR website survey. Your input is appreciated and valued. Congratulations to Jeanine Jones, our winner of
a Spartan umbrella!

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