April TUSS News for Staff

Published by on April 25, 2022 1:01 am Comments Off on April TUSS News for Staff in General

The Towson University Staff Senate (TUSS) is the advocate body for all university staff employees. All TU staff are general members of the senate and are encouraged to attend meetings. Meeting agendas and minutes are posted to TUSS SharePoint. 

Highlights from the recent TUSS Meeting 

  • President Schatzel addressed TUSS. Highlights included that we had four Fulbright Scholars, the most in TU history; several other points of excellence across the campus; additions to the leadership team; looking forward to The Big Give; thanked everyone for supporting students and each other over the past few years. She was excited to speak at the Council of University System Staff (CUSS) meeting that TU hosted virtually, and TU’s shared governance model was applauded by the Council. 
  • Budget: FY23 budgets are being discussed in the President’s Council and directives about that should be coming after those discussions are completed. Budget cuts that were made in FY21 were restored, and a significant amount of capital funding was approved as well. 
  • Tuition: Tuition and fee rates were approved but are not finalized until the full USM Board of Regents meeting on April 29. TU is confident they will be approved. 
  • COLA and Merit increases: Performance reviews for this year will be important for the July merit increase. All USM schools are awaiting more information from the Chancellor regarding effective date and eligibility. COLA is expected in July, but final information on exact effective date is still TBD. Employees on probation may be affected, but that protocol is not clearly defined yet. 
  • OIIE (Office of Institutional Inclusion and Equity): The USM Cultural and Diversity Report was submitted on April 15, and they are working on the Title IX and Campus Climate Student Survey. OIIE will begin designing a formal mentoring program, and TUSS is excited to partner with OIIE on this important initiative. 
  • West Village 1 and 2: The Building Naming Committee has collected suggestions and is moving forward. The TUSS Executive Board has submitted our letter of support for their recommendation. More to come. 
  • Telework: Telework requests are coming in and HR is working on consistency across the campus. Per the approved TU policy, these agreements must be reviewed annually. 
  • Parking: Steve Jones presented on proposed parking fees for FY23. Updates are happening to garages over the summer, so stay informed as to how your events may be affected. In fall 2022, TU will pilot red/green lights to indicate if a garage is full.  
  • Timesheets: Eric Jones provided follow-up on TUSS timesheets feedback – they implemented employee name and ID number in the notification email that goes to supervisors for unapproved timesheets. They are working through other feedback from TUSS and the campus. 
  • Time to Care Act: This bill passed in the legislature but does not go into effect until 2025.  
  • COVID: The Covid Response Leadership Team continues to meet, looking ahead at summer and fall regarding testing protocols, vaccination for incoming students and new hires, etc. The plan is to continue following CDC guidelines and expert recommendations as we have been. 
  • TUSS Election: Voting begins on April 27, 2022. Check your email that day for info. 
  • TUSS Events and Engagement Committee: TUSS By-laws were updated to include the new Events and Engagement Committee. All TU Staff Senate general members are welcome to join this committee. Contact tuss@towson.edu if you’re interested. 
  • Council of University System Staff (CUSS): The 30th anniversary of CUSS is coming up in June 2022. 

 

Awards 

Top Tiger 

Join us in congratulating Top Tiger Award recipients: 

  • Dr. Rocela Lopez, Physician in the Health Center 
  • Vani Jupelly, Senior Application Developer for Enterprise Applications & Analytics 

TU faculty, staff and students can nominate TU staff members for a Top Tiger award by submitting the Top Tiger Nomination Form.  

Mark Your Calendar 

Notify TUSS@towson.edu by Monday before the meeting if you need to attend in person, please. 

TU Big Give: April 27, 2022
The goal is 1500 donors at $5 or more that day. Join us in donating to TU if you are able to do so. More information is at https://give.towson.edu/. 

Administrative Professionals Conference: April 28, 2022
Presented by USM. Register today at https://www.usmd.edu/training-and-development/. 

TUSS Meeting: May 18, 2022, 1 p.m.
Zoom Direct Link: https://towson-edu.zoom.us/j/98702752003?pwd=N05Id3JZTEhxM2Z4ZUNBRk5OSDAvUT09
Meeting ID: 987 0275 2003
Passcode: TUSSZoom 

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Picnic: May 20, 2022, 3-7 p.m.
Join colleagues for carnival-themed fun, food, games, and prizes as we celebrate you and all you do at TU. 

 

Senator Spotlight 

This month features At-Large Exempt Senator, Theresa L. Jenkins (she/her/hers). She is the Manager of Technology, Facilities and Events in the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Office. 

How long have you worked at TU?
17 Years 

What is your department and what does your position entail? 
I work for the CLA Dean’s office. My duties involve being CLA Faculty’s liaison with OTS and vendors for classroom & research technology and software. I design classroom & other spaces to meet the needs of faculty, staff & students and work with internal divisions to create them. I am also an events liaison; working with ECS, faculty, staff, students and external guests to host events and courses in LA. And, I ensure that all of LA’s building issues are addressed in collaboration with ABM, Facilities, OTS and others. 

What do you enjoy the most about your job?
The ability to help people bring their ideas to life, the ability to explore new technologies and having access to great staff, student and faculty minds are the most enjoyable things about my job.  

If we were to create a TU playlist, what song would you want to include and why?
When I was a kid, I fell in love with “99 Luftballoons” by Nena but admit that I was too young to understand it. Now I do and it is relevant today. 

Why did you decide to get involved with the TUSS?
I got involved with TUSS because I was asked to do so. But I stayed because I had knowledgeable & passionate senators, like Grady Sheffield, around me who helped me keep a pulse on, and advocate for issues, while keeping me grounded. 

 

___________________ 

Please visit the website for more information about TUSS, details about upcoming meetings, the list of senators, and details about staff awards: https://www.towson.edu/tuss . 

 

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This post was written by Karp, Robert J.