Mason Staff Senate
Categories
February 2021

New Year – New Fiscal Training

Fiscal Services revamped its training structure and replaced the “Fiscal Orientations” with “Fiscal Administration Sessions” which includes updated information and reorganized content, to better fit the changing culture of Mason. Please review the training website for descriptions. 

Upon completion of the Fiscal Administration Program employees will have a basic understanding of Fiscal policies, procedures, and financial systems. This program is the first step in becoming a Fiscal Administration professional at Mason. We encourage employees to build upon this program by engaging with our Fiscal Support and Connections Network, reviewing the Month is Closed memo, and attending supplemental trainings, Lunch n Learns, and drop-in hours. 

 

Categories
February 2021

Mandatory Training – Mason Finance Gateway

The Mason Finance Gateway is scheduled to go live in February 2021 and will replace the current Travel Request System (TRS) and most manual reimbursement forms (Food and Beverage reimbursement, Payment Requests for reimbursement). The mandatory online navigation training is now available in Mason Leaps. To access the training go to Mason Leaps and login with your NetID and password. Locate the training under the “Required Training” tab. Click on the link to complete this training before February 15, 2021. Please refer to the Training Guide for assistance. 
   
Important information about the Gateway, an overview of benefits, what to expect, and resources to get started are available here.

 

 

Categories
February 2021

Updates from Human Resources & Payroll

Outstanding Achievement Awards 2021: Call for Nominations

Nominate your colleague for one of 14 Outstanding Achievement Awards!

The Outstanding Achievement Awards honor Mason’s faculty and staff across many award categories and celebrate their hard work, dedication, and contributions to the university. You are invited to nominate a colleague for an award by the deadline of March 5, 2021.

Please visit the Outstanding Achievement Awards website for more details, and note that the departmental awards may have different deadlines.

The Outstanding Achievement Awards ceremony is scheduled for April 13, 2021, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Location TBD.

Questions? Contact [email protected]. 

Employee of the Month Nominations

Do you work with an incredible Mason administrative/professional faculty member, classified staff member, or wage employee who goes the extra mile, collaborates with their colleagues, and supports the university?

Nominate them for Mason’s Employee of the Month award! Additional information can be found on the Employee of the Month page.

If you have questions, contact [email protected].

“This? Or That?” Well-Being Game

Would you choose this? Or that? Join the fun with your colleagues on HR & Payroll’s Instagram stories by playing the limited-time well-being game, “This? Or That?

Each Thursday for eight weeks, we will post well-being-themed polls that put your favorite well-being options against each other.

Visit our Instagram stories every Thursday to join the fun and maybe get some well-being ideas! Play at @GMUHRandPayroll!

Mindful Mondays Offered by Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is offering Mindful Mondays, which are classes designed to help you combat stress and build resilience.

Offered to members and non-members alike, upcoming sessions include topics like Stress and Emotional Eating and Getting Healthy Sleep.

Please see the flyer for more information and registration.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Well-Being Wednesdays by Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is offering Well-Being Wednesdays, which are a series of health education classes designed to help you build your overall physical and emotional well-being. This program is offered to Kaiser Permanente members and non-members alike.

Upcoming sessions include topics like Get Moving and Keeping a Healthy Heart.

For more information and to register, please see the flyer.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Supervisor Boot Camp

Register for Supervisor Boot Camp! This is a program designed to provide essential information, resources, and contacts to supervisors who are new to Mason or new to supervising.

The updated, virtual format includes five three-hour sessions, over 10 weeks, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. beginning Thursday, February 11 through Thursday, April 8. All sessions will be conducted via Zoom.

Participants must supervise at least one employee. Space is limited and registrations are first come, first served.

Please contact Margaret Vu at [email protected] to reserve your space.

New Discounts

Make sure you frequently check the Mason Discounts page to see the discounts you receive as a Mason employee.

We recently added new discounts including:

  • AVIS Car Rental
  • BUDGET Car Rental
  • HERTZ Car Rental
  • Hotels.com
  • Corporate Shopping Employee Discounts

Fidelity 1-on-1 Consultation Sessions

Fidelity will continue to host virtual or telephone 1-on-1 consultation sessions through March 2021. During the sessions, Ron Seegers, the Fidelity Retirement Planner, can address your retirement plan questions and concerns, review your investment strategy and portfolio allocation, and discuss retirement planning or other related topics. Upon request, the consultant can also produce annuity income projections.

Virtual/Telephone 1-on-1 consultations are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the following dates:

  • February 16 and 26
  • March 11 and 26

Go to www.fidelity.com/reserve to reserve your appointment.

TIAA Financial Seminars

Looking to learn more about your finances?

TIAA is hosting several financial well-being seminars. Check out the flyer to learn more.

Compensatory Leave Reminder

Have you earned compensatory leave? Make sure you are aware of the compensatory leave limits and expirations:

  • Employees are limited to 96 hours of accrued compensatory leave
  • Per State Policy 3.10, accrued compensatory leave expires one year from the pay period in which the hours are accrued, regardless of the 96-hour limit
  • Compensatory leave may not be used once hours expire or lapse

You can review your leave balance by visiting Patriot Web. If you have questions, please email [email protected].

 

Categories
January 2021

January Edition of the Staff Senate Newsletter

The January edition of the Staff Senate newsletter is now available. Check it out!

Categories
January 2021

December in Review

Categories
January 2021

February General Meeting to Discuss Title IX Updates

The Staff Senate will host Angela Nastase, Mason Title IX Coordinator, who will provide updates regarding Title IX.

Wednesday, Feb. 3
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
General Meeting will follow from 11 a.m. to noon (agenda)

Categories
January 2021

2021 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Evening of Reflection

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Evening of Reflection will take place Thursday, January 28, from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Keynote speaker will be Mason President Gregory Washington.

The 2021 theme, “The Burning House”, represents the current times in our nation of social inequality and unrest. Dr. King stated, “I’ve come upon something that disturbs me deeply. We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house…”

George Mason University is committed to diversity excellence, inclusion and to addressing the hard questions of where we are as a people and nation. This theme acknowledges that in some spaces, many voices are often silenced, identities overlooked, and racial and social healing are not sought after. Now, more than ever, it is important that we come together while embodying the values of Dr. King, Jr.

Register via Mason360: http://cglink.me/r918849

Categories
Profile of a Senator January 2021

Meet Ana Lopez: Staff Senator and Administrative Assistant, Volgenau School of Engineering Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations

Ana Lopez, Administrative Assistant, Volgenau School of Engineering Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations

Role: I provide support to the director of Advancement as well as to the VSE Advisory Board and Alumni Development Board. I coordinate events and meetings, manage the office budget and provide stewardship to our donors. One of the most rewarding aspects is the awarding of scholarships to students. This past semester we awarded around $100,000 in scholarships.

What’s new: Recently, I assisted with the Mechanical Engineering Alumni Match Challenge to raise funds for the Mechanical Engineering Student Capstone Projects Fund and to establish a scholarship. I also work to increase the number of alumni who give and share the message that it matters not how much they give but the impact they can have by showing annual support.

For Homecoming, Student Involvement and Alumni Relations will host virtual events from Feb. 5-14. They’re designed with alumni, students, faculty and staff in mind.

Mason journey: I started at Mason in May 2016 as the administrative assistant in the Office of the Dean in VSE. A year later, a position became available in the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations. The journey has been quite rewarding knowing that our office is making a difference in the lives of our students and engaging alumni. It’s a tremendous source of pride for Volgenau that Mason is the leading producer of tech talent in Virginia.

COVID-19 transition: At the start of the pandemic, I helped pivot our department to remote work and ensured everyone had the resources to successfully telework. We created a student emergency fund that alumni, faculty and staff have generously supported to help many engineering students through this difficult time. To further engage our alumni, we hosted virtual happy hours and games. We also hosted our signature event, “Whiskey, Widgets and Wonks” virtually. This is typically a reception that includes a whiskey tasting from KO Distiller, which is owned by a VSE alumnus, and lots of robots and engineering projects that are interactive, informative and fun. For this year, we had the whiskey delivered to the participants’ homes and shared videos and presentations from our faculty.

Best thing about working at Mason: The people – staff, faculty and students. I have had the great fortune of meeting a lot of wonderful and interesting people and I treasure all these connections. In particular, the students have a special place in my heart. They are driven, smart and want to make a positive change in their communities.

Why serve on the Staff Senate: Over the last few years, I have developed a deep appreciation of the work my fellow staff members do. They are often the unsung heroes of Mason. I feel that in these times of crisis, there will be important and hard decisions that the leadership will be making that will affect the classified staff. Therefore, I felt it is important for me to represent and advocate for my fellow staff members. Classified staff is the foundation upon which the university stands and I am proud to be their representative and advocate.

At the end of the day: I am proud to work at Mason and to represent our amazing staff. Mason is doing a wonderful service in the community by providing wonderful opportunities for its students. I look forward to making a positive difference in the lives of my colleagues.

Categories
December 2020

December Edition of the Staff Senate Newsletter

The December edition of the Staff Senate newsletter is now available. Check it out!

Categories
December 2020

Words of the Wise: Worth of Well-Being from University Life Associate Deans

Have you ever struggled balancing work and well-being? Join the Zoom webinar, Words of the Wise: Worth of Well-Being from Associate Deans, on Jan. 15, 2021, from 10:45 a.m. to noon.

Gain insight into resiliently managing work and life as Mason’s University Life (UL) associate deans share their struggles, successes, and the importance of prioritizing well-being during uncertain times.

Featuring:

  • Rachel Wernicke, Associate Dean and Chief Mental Health Officer, University Life
  • Creston Lynch, Associate Dean, University Life
  • Sally Lorentson, Associate Dean, University Life
  • Lewis Forest II, Associate Dean, University Life

This webinar is presented by the Supervision Collective, part of UL Professional Development.

Register today.

Contact Rebecca McCrory at [email protected] with questions.