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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

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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

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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.