Category: June 2025

Each June the Staff Senate recognizes those staff senators who have completed their two-year term. This year we were joined by Chris Ackerman, vice president of human resources and Stacey Ellis, faculty and staff engagement program manager who presented senators with certificates and words of thanks during a brief recognition ceremony.

Thank you all for your service to the senate, the university, and our constituents. As Chris Ackerman said during his presentation, “I have been deeply impressed by the commitment and passion this group brings to supporting our classified staff and non-student wage colleagues…Despite the demands of your daily roles, you’ve made the time to lead and advocate for others—and that speaks volumes. Thank you for setting the standard for what servant leadership and active engagement look like at George Mason.”

The following senators were recognized:

Carlos Sandoval
Mason Square, Awards & Engagement Committee Co-Chair

Diana St. Amand-Campos
Mason Square

Jariatu Bah
Fairfax, Events Committee Co-Chair

Timothy Diggins
Fairfax

Jeremiah Garcia
Fairfax, Awards & Engagement Committee Co-Chair

Melissa Hallman
Fairfax, Parliamentarian

Tabatha Hargrove
Fairfax, 25th Anniversary Committee Chair

Lei An Ilan-Garcia
Fairfax

Megan Neff-Boyle
Fairfax, Events Committee Co-Chair

Danielle Fritz
At-Large

The June 2025 Staff Senate general meeting featured guest speaker Lauren Posey, director of state government relations.

The Staff Senate would like to apologize for not including a recording to this session. We experienced technical difficulties during the Zoom and were unable to capture the session. For those who missed the meeting, or would like to review the presentation, you can view the slides here. Slide 14 includes Lauren’s responses to the pre-submitted questions.

In addition to her presentation, Lauren referred to the following resources from the Office of State Government Relations website:

Guidelines for Public Testimony and Communication with State Officials

Members of the University Community are asked to keep these Guidelines for Public Testimony in mind when they choose to communicate with state officials. These policies have been approved by University Administration as well as both the Faculty and Staff Senates.

State Government Relations Key Facts Pocket Card

George Mason University State Government Relations Key Facts Pocket Card

Upcoming Microsoft Storage Changes
As cloud storage utilization has increased, vendors have responded by re-configuring their service offerings and storage pricing, making providing free storage no longer sustainable for higher ed institutions. ITS conducted a formal review of our Microsoft 365 (M365) system storage and found that approximately 90% of users are operating within 5GB or less of storage. As a result, new storage quotas will be implemented to manage further growth starting this summer. In the coming weeks, impacted users will receive direct communications from ITS on what to expect and how to prepare. For updated project details, see the M365 Storage Roadmap or the full announcement.

Microsoft Feature Updates
As of Monday, May 19, Microsoft feature updates for George Mason-managed computers will be rolled out in phases and completed by November 1, 2025. To minimize disruption, users will be able to defer the required reboot for up to three days. Please note: the reboot process may take up to 20 minutes, depending on your system.

macOS Updates
There are presently George Mason-managed Macs still operating on macOS 12 (Monterey), which is no longer supported. Some of these devices are actively in use and eligible for an upgrade. To check if your Mac can be upgraded, see the Apple Support page. For assistance with unused or unmanaged Macs, please submit a request to Hardware Support Services.  ITS will increase the frequency of scans to identify computers running unsupported versions of macOS and expand efforts to upgrade Macs to ensure security of these devices and the network. For instructions on how to update visit the update instructions webpage.

Blackboard Storage Reminder
Access to save any content from Blackboard will end on July 15. Before July 15, users are strongly encouraged to download and save any materials from Blackboard that they may want or need to keep. Once Blackboard access ends, these materials will no longer be available. You will not have access to these courses in Canvas. If you have any questions or need assistance downloading your materials, please visit the Canvas LMS transition webpage or contact the project team at [email protected].

Facilities & Campus Operations Information Technology Services (FITS) led a project to transfer nearly 140 elevators from wired to cellular phone services.

• • The project was completed two weeks ahead of schedule and in less than 90 days! Learn more about this impactful project!

 

The Free Store hosted by Patriot Packout will return to the Gillespie Gallery – generously provided by Mason Exhibitions – again this summer. The official schedule is forthcoming.

• • Check the Patriot Packout webpage for current information and opportunities to get more involved, like volunteering or joining the PPO Planning Committee.

 

Submit a Work Order if you notice something that is broken and needs to be fixed. You can also request via Work Order additional pick-ups for large volumes of trash/recycling.

• • You may submit a work order online or contact the Facilities & Campus Operations Customer Service Center at 703-993-2525 for repairs and pick-ups of large volumes of trash/recycling. If an additional pickup is needed, you will not be charged a fee for large volume trash/recycling pick-ups.

The Staff Senate will be in recess during the month of July while we focus on our Staff Senate Election. During August, we will have a closed session to welcome newly elected senators and plan for the new academic year.

We’ll see you at our next meeting on September 3, 2025 with guest speaker, Chris Ackerman, vice president of Human Resources and chief human resources officer (CHRO).

2025-2026 General Meeting schedule:

September 3, 2025
October 1, 2025
November 5, 2025
December 3, 2025
February 4, 2026
March 4, 2026
April 1, 2026
May 6, 2026
June 3, 2026

 

Becoming a Staff Senator is a great way to get involved with the university community and to have an impact on your workplace. The senate provides many opportunities to learn about how the university works and to collaborate with administrators and staff members outside of your unit. Terms begin in August and are for two years. Seats are open to classified staff and non-student wage employee classifications.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2025 election. The nomination form can be submitted for yourself or a colleague between June 9 – June 20.

The official election will be held between July 9 and July 23. Ballots will be emailed to all classified and non-student wage employees. Results will be published in the August Staff Senate newsletter.

Available Seats by Campus:
Fairfax: 8 seats
Mason Square: 2 seats
SciTech: 1 seat
At-Large: 1 seat

The May 2025 Staff Senate general meeting featured guest speaker Sharnnia Artis, vice president for Access, Compliance, and Community.

For those who missed the meeting, or would like to re-watch the session, the recording is now available.