Category: July 2015

The July Staff Senate Newsletter is out!

Who’s Walking Wednesday? Could It Be You?
Every Wednesday at noon, there is a campus walk at Arlington, Fairfax, and Science and Technology. Exercise your leadership and lead a walk. For details,  visit hr.gmu.edu/worklife/lunch and scroll to Who’s Walking Wednesday. Remember, you can always lead an indoor walk using Mason Walk In’ (one-mile walks mapped out in buildings on all three campuses). View indoor route details. See photos from past walks on Facebook and Twitter. Want to share a photo from your walk? Send it to worklife@gmu.edu.

Save Some Money . . . Here’s How
A reminder that discount opportunities abound. Because discounts come from different places, below are three links to keep in mind:

• Life/Work Connections
  • Includes Tick Tocks. Check out the latest one from Texas de Brazil in D.C. (Conditions apply.)
• Mason Merchants
• Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM)

Election season is here!  We are pleased to have 15 candidates running in the upcoming Staff Senate Election, all from various backgrounds and representing diverse constituencies. Voting will start on July 6, and end at 5 p.m. on July 17.

In the meantime, stop by and meet the candidates at the Sizzlin’ Summer Social on your campus. You can also preview a sample ballot on our website at staffsenate.gmu.edu/election2015.  The link for voting will also be posted at that link, beginning July 6.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see highlights of the election candidates and election results.

Contact staffsenate@gmu.edu with questions.

Working at Mason was my first job out of college. I accepted a part-time, temporary position and moved around to a couple different departments before finding a home in Fiscal Services. During my time at Mason, I have come to love working in a college atmosphere. I enjoy learning how the university is run and all the different facets that have to be taken into account when working in this environment.

I joined Staff Senate because I was fascinated that the staff had its own representation on campus. It seemed like such a great advocacy team, and I wanted to be a part of it. There wasn’t anyone from my department in the Staff Senate, so I wanted to be a representative for them, so they could feel that they had a voice in Staff Senate.

I serve on the Events Committee, which organizes the Staff Appreciation events. We handle everything from the catering to the decorations. After helping to plan the Staff Appreciation Winter Warm-Up, it was so rewarding to work at the sign-in table. I got to see staff members arrive looking happy that they got a little break during their work day.

Outside my time at Mason, I love to travel. I’m going to London in September with some friends and cannot wait for that experience. I got my undergraduate degree in Art History. Though my current position has nothing to do with art history, I still love the subject, and one of my favorite things to do in D.C. and when I travel is to visit museums and architectural monuments.

Amanda Kennedy
Staff Senator

Staff Senate welcomes questions from the Mason community. In this feature, we share questions received and the answers we have researched for you.

Question: “The Field House pay machine [for parking] is always broken. It causes a great deal of stress to wonder if I will be ticketed because I can’t use the machine to purchase a parking permit for the day.” -from a Mason staff member

Answer from Parking Services: If the Pay and Display machine is not working for credit cards (MasterCard and Visa) or coins, customers can utilize Parkmobile to pay for their parking. Parkmobile is a pay-by-cell provider used here at Mason. The link to their website is us.parkmobile.com/mobile. Or, if you have the opportunity to print a permit in advance, you may buy the parking permit through Mason’s Parking and Transportation website. This requires printing out the Field House Daily Permit as the last part of the transaction. When in doubt, you can always call Parking Services at 703-993-2710 (office) or 703-987-4991 (24 hour cell phone) to make arrangements or ask questions.

Thank you for taking the time to read another edition of our fantastic newsletter. Our Education & Outreach Committee works tirelessly to bring you the latest news from the Mason community, and I think they are doing a great job!

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Nicole Roth, and I have been elected as Chair of the Staff Senate. I am overwhelmingly excited to take on this new role and deeply appreciate the opportunity to advocate for staff at my alma mater. I began my adventure at Mason in fall 2004 as an undergraduate student, and I graduated in spring 2008 with a dual major in English and Art History. I immediately started working at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. I have also held positions with the Graduate Admissions Office in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as my current role as Graduate Coordinator in the Department of History and Art History.

Throughout my time at Mason, I have had the opportunity to experience some of the university’s most exciting moments. But, I believe the best is yet to come. I hope that as we settle in to our summer routines you will stop by a Sizzlin’ Summertime Staff Appreciation event in July. You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy refreshments, chat with colleagues, and vote for the next class of Senators. The Staff Senate is preparing for another year of advocacy, but we need your input to make it happen. We want to hear your concerns, and I’d love the opportunity to meet you!

Nicole Roth
Chair, Staff Senate

Staff Senate will resume its General Meeting schedule in September. There will be no general meeting in July, as we will be focused on honoring and celebrating the hard work of Mason staff at the Staff Senate Sizzlin’ Summertime Social.

In August, we will have our Kickoff Meeting and Orientation with newly elected senators.

The next general meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 2, 12 p.m. – 2 p.m., in Research Hall, Room 163. Videoconference rooms at Arlington and Science and Technology will be announced.

Learn about simple actions that can reduce your environmental footprint in your office at Mason, including sustainability resources available for transportation, recycling, energy, and more.

Grab a few of your fellow staff members for a quick ten minute conversation with a representative from the Office of Sustainability. Register here.

For questions contact Roger LeBlanc at rleblanc@gmu.edu.

Healthy finances are a cornerstone of personal well-being. It is always important to save for your long-term goals: ending student debt, buying a car or home, saving for the kids’ or grand-kids’ college education, and retirement. No matter your age, retirement is one of everyone’s long term goals.

To help with your plans, take advantage of on-campus, individual retirement counseling sessions offered by TIAA-CREF, Fidelity, and ICMA-RC. For dates and times, visit hr.gmu.edu/benefits/retire/tiaa.php.

Contact benefits@gmu.edu for more information.