Staff
Staff awards, for those eligible, would be administered through the STAR Award Program. The payment is processed through Payroll. The entire amount ($750) would be taxable and would be paid at one of the regular bi-weekly or monthly pay cycles.
For those not eligible for a STAR Award, a $75 SPOT Award in the form of a gift card and a swag bag would be awarded. Gift cards will be purchased in advance and kept on hand for distribution.
NOTE: Per HR, of the represented population, only the CX bargaining unit (Teamsters Local 2020) is eligible to participate. UC Merced CX staff is made up of the following staff eligible to participate in STAR: Clerks, Blank Assistants, Child Development Teachers, Library Assistants, and Public Safety Dispatchers. All other represented staff are not eligible to participate in the STAR Award Program. These include, but are not limited to: custodians, food service workers, cooks, laborers, nurses, groundskeepers, security guards, lab assistants, med assistants, SRAs, etc.
Faculty/Academic Appointee
The Academic Personnel Office (APO) confirmed faculty and academic appointees can be provided an award through Payroll. The entire amount ($750) would be taxable and would be paid on the regular monthly or bi-weekly pay cycle.
Students
Student awardees would be given the option of adding $250 to their financial aid or a $75 SPOT award (gift card) and a swag bag.
Student Affairs confirmed that any cash award provided to a student would be considered a scholarship and would need to be distributed through the Financial Aid Office. The $250 could impact their total aid amount.
SPOT awards are in the form of a gift card and can be provided to the student as soon as they are selected. Gift cards will be purchased in advance and kept on hand for distribution.
Process
Awards are given out every other week; one for each category (staff, faculty/academic appointee, student). Nominations are emailed to ChancellorMunoz@ucmerced.edu. The Chancellor’s Executive Assistant forwards them to the Director of Administration who does the initial sort by category.
Suggested nomination deadlines are by 5:00 p.m. as follows:
August 31 (could push back a few days due to late roll out)
September 14
September 28
October 12
October 26
November 9
November 23
Nominator would need to provide the following information:
Name of Nominee:
Affiliation (Staff/Academic Appointee/Student):
Nominee Email:
Nominee Phone:
Reason for Nomination (How did they go above and beyond to help the campus respond to the challenges of COVID19?):
Director forwards all nominations to the appropriate unit for eligibility/vetting. Confirmation of good standing/eligibility would be due back by close of business on the Friday of the nomination week. The following week would be reserved for the selection committee to review and select awardees. Standing meeting times for selection committee should be scheduled in advance to avoid any delays.
Once the committee makes their selection, the winners are announced the Friday prior to the next nomination date.
The award processing would be handled by the Director of Administration, who would complete the STAR Award Nomination Form for unrepresented and Teamster/CUE staff in coordination with HR. For faculty/academic appointees, Director would provide information to APO for processing. For students, Director would reach out to the awardee to confirm their choice of the $250 financial aid or $75 SPOT Award gift card. Gift cards and swag bags would be mailed to address provided by awardee. Financial Aid office would administer the $250 scholarship.
Issues
Because of the differences in eligibility, there would be monetary differences in the award amounts.
