THIS IS JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER....WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN US, AND WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU PARTICIPATE AS A PRESENTER FOR THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE!

THIS IS JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER....WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN US, AND WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU PARTICIPATE AS A PRESENTER FOR THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE! 

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TIME TO REGISTER!

The Virginia Blackboard Users Group (VaBUG) announces its fifth annual conference, to be held at the Holiday Inn at Valley View, on Friday, October 24, 2014! This is a perfect time to enjoy the peak fall foliage in the Roanoke Valley area while you share knowledge and ideas with Blackboard users from across the state.

The Holiday Inn at Valley View is located just a couple of miles off of Interstate 81 and a short distance from the historic downtown market area. It is also just a short drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where you will be able to enjoy the beautiful fall colors.

The conference will once again have free registration, so that is even more reason to mark your calendar now.

We have reserved a block of rooms for those of you who want to stay the night.

Please make plans to joins us!

We hope you will add this date to your calendars, and that you will share this information with colleagues at your institution!

This year’s theme is:

“BROADENING EDUCATIONAL HORIZONS”

For more information, please visit our site at http://vabug.org.  You can also follow us on FACEBOOK.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS!

The VaBUG Conference Committee is now accepting proposals for our 2014 Annual Conference.

The VaBUG conference is a great opportunity for Blackboard users to discover, discuss, learn, and share best practices. In order to afford our members the best possible personal and professional development opportunities, we are asking instructors, administrators, staff members, and any other interested members to submit proposals for concurrent sessions for this year’s conference. What exciting ways have you been utilizing Blackboard in the past year?

Our conference theme this year is "Broadening Educational Horizons", so we are looking for sessions that focus on using Blackboard to better reach learners and expand the reach of learners' knowledge. The concurrent sessions will be scheduled for 50 minutes (this includes time for questions and answers). Sessions will be organized along the following tracks:

• Blackboard administration
• Instructional design
• Faculty best practices
• K-12 best practices

Please consider participating as a presenter, and pass this message along to someone you feel may be interested in participating. Students, maybe you could get a group together to present to the attending faculty on what you look for in Blackboard or meet with the Blackboard representatives about your needs from the product. 

We need your help to make this conference a success! For more information, please contact George Hoffman in the Center for Teaching & Learning at ghoffman@su.edu.

Obamacare Penalty Enforcement: How It Works

By Tim Parker | February 10, 2015 AAA | 

We’re only days away from a deadline (February 15, 2015) that could cost you a lot of money if you’re not in compliance. You may have missed hearing about it on the news, but it’s vitally important that you address it. It’s the date when open enrollment through the Health Insurance Marketplace for 2015 ends.
If you don’t have qualifying insurance through some other means, you probably want to get it through the Health Insurance Marketplace (see Find The Cheapest Health Insurance Providers). If you don’t, you may have to wait until November for the next open enrollment period to open or get insurance through a private company.
Here’s how it works. Under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, you are required to have health insurance. As long as you have insurance through your employer, insurance your purchased on your own, Medicare, Medicaid, a Veterans plan or some other qualifying coverage, you have nothing to worry about. You can check to see if your plan qualifies by clicking here.
How You Pay the Penalty
If you don’t have health insurance you pay a penalty on your tax return at the time you file your income taxes.

If you didn’t have health insurance in 2014, you will pay 1% of your household income or $95 per person – whichever is higher. If you have children under 18, the cost is $47.50 per child. There’s nothing you can do right now about 2014, other than talk to a tax specialist and hope that there’s something that will exempt you from the penalty (see below).
If you don't have health insurance in 2015, the sting of the penalty will be even worse. You’ll get hit with 2% of your yearly household income or $325 per person – whichever is higher, or $162.50 per child under 18.
Getting an Exemption
Like anything involving taxes, there are exemptions and situations where the penalty can be reduced, but you will likely need the help of a tax advisor to figure it all out. You can see if you qualify for an exemption from the penalty by clicking here.
Getting Coverage Between Enrollment Periods
You're out of luck if you missed the deadline, except under certain circumstances when you can still enroll through the Health Insurance Marketplace. If a major life event happens – you have a baby or lose your job, for example – you can get coverage through the Marketplace during non-enrollment periods. Click here to learn more about what the Marketplace calls "qualifying life events."
Also check with your state. Some states run their own Health Insurance Marketplace.
The Bottom Line
Time is running out. You only have a few days to get healthcare during the current open enrollment period at the Health Insurance Marketplace (see Avoid the Obamacare No-Insurance Penalty By Feb 15.) . If you miss the window, your coverage might be more expensive and your tax bill could be hefty in 2015. If you still need coverage, click here to sign up for coverage.

Let Insurance Be Your Peace of Mind
Do you know the 4 Types of Insurance Everyone Needs? Investopedia’s FREE Personal Finance newsletter provides the knowledge and information you need to make the best financial decisions. Click here to get this weekly guide and start learning how to prepare for life’s unexpected surprises.