November 10, 2017: Getting more out of our UT Benefits

Topic

Getting more out of our UT staff/faculty status

Date

10 Nov 2017

Attendees

Presenter: Talley, Sarah B

Discussion Notes

UT-Related Resources:

Longhorn Kids Club http://www.longhornskidsclub.com/?path=general (Kayla Ford's kids are members & below info is from her)
- Cost: $30/kid (for one year membership)
  - For new members, the kid receives:
    - Free admission to more than 100 regular season home Texas athletic events (women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball in the fall)
    - The official Longhorns Kids Club T-shirt or baby blanket (36" x 36")
    - Longhorns adjustable youth cap
    - Membership certificate
    - Membership card & lanyard
    - Quarterly newsletter
    - Fantasy Day experience
  - They also have lots of other little perks. Last weekend, they had a LKC appreciation event at the women’s volleyball game, so the kids
    - Got into the game for free
    - Got a free Longhorn cape
    - Got to be at the front of the rally line, so they high fived the players as they announced the starting line-up
    - Got a BINGO game to play throughout the volleyball game and when they got 3 in a row, they got a free prize (t-shirt, bobble head Bevo, and other cool stuff)
  - They also let us know early about clinics and fun stuff for kids connected to the games. At one of the soccer games, the UT soccer players hosted a soccer clinic after the game for kids and we heard about that through LKC.
- Note: parents do not get free admission to games, but tickets are usually low-cost ($4 for women's soccer, $10 for volleyball)
Life Mart- Employee savings Program https://hr.utexas.edu/employee-discount-program (Talley, Sarah B & Corson, Sara L report good results)
- Enroll through LifeCare (though health insurance pages)
- Discounts for all sorts of things: hotels, groceries (HEB coupons), Travel (Disney, flights, cruises), cell phone services, cars
  - Sara Corson got $1700 guaranteed discount on car purchase - put in make/model of car looking for, received code to give dealership
- Articles & Resources: debt, mental health, childcare, decluttering
- "Get Expert Help" feature
  - Can input question or need and real person will help you find information
    - Sara Corson found pediatrician in her area with weekend hours
    - Daycare/childcare lists in area/price range/etc
    - Eldercare
CPR Training Classes https://healthsafetytraining.utexas.edu/first-aid-cpr
- Through UT Health & Safety Center; $30 classes, can register online, may be able to get department/supervisor to cover cost as training/development
Fitness Discounts
- On the HR website
- 25$ enrollment fee + $25/month
  - Access multiple gyms without contract
Rec Sports Benefits that don't require RecSports membership
- Rec Sports Swimming Classes https://www.utrecsports.org/swimming-and-safety/youth-swimming-classes
  - 6-week classes throughout the semester
  - $40-$45
- Camping gear rental - free with UT ID https://www.utrecsports.org/adventure-and-climbing/outdoor-center
PCL/UT Libraries
- Youth Collection http://guides.lib.utexas.edu/youthlit
- DVDs of tv & movies for check-out (Julia D Chinnock has gotten Game of Thrones)
- Inter-UT library transfer – you can request material online & request that it be transferred to another UT library location closer to your office (ie: a DVD from Fine Arts Library could be sent to Architecture Library desk to pick up, in case you don't have a chance to go over to Fine Arts Library)
UT ID card rides free on CapMetro Bus & Rail https://www.capmetro.org/
- Children 5 and under ride free as well
- Free train ride! Even if you're not really going anywhere!
Lynda.com classes & training https://sites.utexas.edu/oe/ut-staff-professional-development/lynda-com-ut-portal/
- Free for UT staff
- Hard Skills/Software: Photography, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Excel
- Soft Skills: Project Management, Time Management, Teamwork

Community Resources:

YMCA Sports and Swimming Lessons https://www.austinymca.org/programs/swimming (Caroline Enriquez's kids have enjoyed classes here)
- $80 family membership
- Member price for classes is cheaper
  - $25/month ballet
  - $45/month for soccer (full season, includes uniform shirt)
Planet Fitness
- No contract all the time
- Often have $10/month coupons
Local Library Resources
- Storytimes
- Dads & Donuts events
- Austin Library- free screening of movies w/popcorn http://library.austintexas.gov/events/search?tags=1993&loc=All&keys=
- Newly-opened Central Library location
- Inter-library loan

Holiday Events:

North Pole Flyer/Train http://www.austinsteamtrain.org/special-events/north-pole-flyer/

Trail of Lights Fun Run https://austintrailoflights.org/2017-fun-run

UT Night at Trail of Lights: http://sites.utexas.edu/trailoflights/

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