Mason Staff Senate
STEM exCEL has amazing summer camps at Enrichment Center in Fairfax City all summer long! Until July 4th, all GMU employees are offered 20% off for week-long full-day camps! Please use GMUsummer upon checkout to receive 20% off.
Check out the Maker Camp, Gamer Week, Minecraft Mania, & Digital Art Camp week-long offerings. STEM exCEL is located at 4010 University Drive, a 5 minute drive from GMU Fairfax Campus.
If you have any questions, email them at info@stemexcel.org or call 571-349-0048.
The Faculty/Staff Book Scholarship is now available to full-time and part-time faculty and classified staff who are in a graduate degree program or graduate certificate program at Mason. Graduate certificate students were recently added to the eligibility requirements based on feedback given by the Staff Senate.
The information about the Faculty/Staff Book scholarship is available here.
At its meeting last month, the Board of Visitors approved the budget for the 2017-2018 academic year. The budget includes a 3% salary increase for staff and faculty.
All eligible classified staff who have been employed since April 10 and have satisfactory evaluations will receive a 3% increase, effective on July 10, 2017. Bi-weekly classified staff will receive their increase on their July 28 paychecks and semi-monthly classified staff will receive the increase on their August 1 paychecks. All classified staff will be able to view their new salary in Patriot Web on July 10, 2017.
For more information, please see the 2017 Increase Memo from Linda H. Harber and the FAQ’s document.
Physical Well-Being: Dimensions Tobacco Free Program
Dimensions is a 6-week course that provides education and skills to people who want to gain and maintain a tobacco free life. An interest meeting, facilitated by Amanda Pusey of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, will be held on Tuesday, June 6 from noon-1 pm in SUB I, Room 4210. Classes will be held at noon on Tuesdays from June 13 through July 25 (no class the week of July 3). Sponsored by the Student Support and Advocacy Center, HR & Payroll, and the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. For additional information and to register for the interest meeting, please visit http://ssac.gmu.edu/dimensions.
Social Well-Being: Family Matters Podcast Series
Tune into the Family Matters podcast series, brought to you by Bright Horizons®, for information on parenting, care-giving, and managing work with everyday life. Throughout the hustle and bustle of daily life, you may have questions, concerns, or simply need support. Bright Horizons parenting and education experts are here to help you navigate the parenting journey.
For details, please see the flyer at http://hr.gmu.edu/worklife/docs/2017FamilyMattersPodcastFlyer.pdf
Career Well-Being: Flexible Summer at Mason
Summer is right around the corner and so is “Flexible Summer @ Mason” (http://hr.gmu.edu/worklife/docs/MasonSummerFlexFLyer.pdf) which runs from Sunday, June 18 through Saturday, August 12. During this time, if and when possible, it is strongly suggested that departments make a concerted effort to integrate some type(s) of flex-work into their daily operations. Human Resources and Payroll will host drop-in sessions about Flexible Summer @ Mason to answer any questions individuals may have. Visit http://hr.gmu.edu for dates, times, and location of the sessions. A special abbreviated “Flexible Summer @ Mason” agreement form (http://hr.gmu.edu/worklife/docs/SummerFlexAbbreviatedAgreement2017.pdf) can be found at http://flexwork.gmu.edu.
Career Well-Being: Background Check Process Reminder
As you know, the Background Check Policy now includes all employees. We are writing to remind you of the process that’s required for new or rehired benefited and non-benefited employees. Please visit our webpage for background check process details.
Questions regarding the policy, our vendor, or the background check process? Contact Jessica Cain at 3.5298 or email jcain4@gmu.edu.
Community Well-Being: Smoking/Vaping Policy at Mason
A reminder that, as a state agency, Mason abides by Commonwealth policy on smoking as well as Mason’s own policy. Please do not smoke within 25’ of any building entrance/exit, window, air intake or covered walkway (including parking structures). Additionally, please dispose of cigarette butts properly by putting them in a receptacle designed for this purpose. Please do not litter. The use of e-cigarettes follows the same guidelines as the use of all tobacco products. A flyer on courtesy bridging differences between non-smokers and smokers can be found at http://wellnessbymason.gmu.edu/documents/SmokingCourtesyFlyer.pdf.
Financial Well-Being: FromYouFlowers Discount Now 25%
We’re happy to announce that the discount for FromYouFlowers has increased from 20% to 25%. Visit Mason’s customized website at http://www.fromyouflowers.com/gmu for details.
Due to scheduling and room availability conflicts, the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being will not be able to run the free weekly Yoga for Well-Being practice at noon at the JC Dance Studio over the summer term.
We WILL be running it during the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 terms! (Mondays and Thursdays 12-1pm in the JC Dance Studio beginning Monday, August 28th.)
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to seeing you in the Fall!
Heartfelt congratulations to Aziza Noory, Enterprise Center’s client support coordinator, for being selected as the May 2017 Employee of the Month. Read more about Molly in this Mason News article.
Do you know a superstar? Make sure they receive the deserved recognition, and submit a nomination for Mason’s Employee of the Month. Additional information can be found on the Human Resources and Payroll awards page.
Contact Reward and Recognition at awards@gmu.edu with questions.
Becoming a Mason Staff Senator is a great way to get involved with the university community and have an impact on your workplace. The Senate provides many opportunities to learn about how the university works and network with administrators and staff members outside your unit.
The Senate accepts nominations each June, and elections are held in July. Terms begin in August and are for two years. 2017 dates are below:
The Staff Senate nomination form can be found here: Nomination Form 2017 (Word Format). Completed forms are due to the Staff Senate administrative assistant on Friday, June 23, by 5:00 pm. All nominations must be submitted electronically to staffsenate@gmu.edu.
If you have any questions about the responsibilities of being a senator, please contact Megan Kirk, Staff Senate chair. For questions about the nomination or election process, please contact Amanda Corrigan, Staff Senate administrative assistant, at acorrig2@gmu.edu.
New Drop Off Box Location
There is a new drop box option. It is in the lobby of Fenwick which is open Sunday at 10am and closes Friday at 10pm and is open Saturday 10am to 10pm.
Law Library Construction Notice
Due to construction, the Scalia School of Law Library will be closed to the public beginning June 1, 2017.
The Law Library will re-open to the public when construction is complete. Your patience is appreciated while the Law Library is improved.
Questions? Please contact the Law Library Circulation Desk at 703-993-8120 or visit the Law Library website.
Interested in becoming a Mason Staff Senator? Want to learn about how the university functions from a new perspective, network across departments, and contribute to the well being of your colleagues?
The Staff Senate will hold an information session and discussion for Mason staff who are interested in learning about the nomination and election process, the work of the senate and what senators do. During the presentation, you will learn about the structure of the senate, how committees work, the time commitment expected of senators, and meet-and-greet with current representatives.
No registration is necessary.
The Staff Senate will hold the Staff Senate Information Session on
Wednesday, June 7 12:00-12:30 pm, during the first half hour of the June Staff Senate General Meeting.
You are welcome to stay for the Staff Senate Business Meeting which follows the information session at 12:30pm. The event will take place on the Fairfax campus in Merten Hall 1201 and will be video conferenced to Arlington, Founders Hall B119, and Science and Technology, Bull Run Hall 254.
If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Corrigan at acorrig2@gmu.edu.