June TUSS News for Staff

Published by on June 21, 2022 1:01 am Comments Off on June 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 

  • TUSS Chair and Vice Chair congratulated Senators for great work through semester/year. Also, a big thank you to the Senators completing their terms: 
  • Robert Karp 
  • Elysa Newman 
  • Judy Rixham 
  • Grady Sheffield 
  • Theresa Jenkins 
  • The 2022-2023 TUSS Executive Board was announced: 
  • Chair: Heather Sorensen 
  • Vice Chair: Bethany Pace 
  • Secretary: Vickie Hook 
  • Treasurer: Keisha Bownes 
  • Communications Officer: Ashley Arnold 
  • TU Impact Award recipients were recognized and given certificates. Details can be found here: https://tutoday.towson.edu/2022/06/06/congratulations-to-tu-impact-award-recipients-2022/  
  • Performance reviews: Reviews should be completed and submitted by the end of June. Support supervisors by actively participating in getting your review completed. 
  • STRATUS: TU is replacing PeopleSoft Financials with a new cloud-based system. July 11, 2022, is planned go-live date. For project updates, newsletters and FAQs, go to https://www.towson.edu/stratus. 
  • Budget: Eric Jones reported on state-supported funding and budget. 
  • Bylaws: A TUSS bylaws change was voted on and passed. 
  • Reminders: 
  • Library Access: Construction of the Academic Commons continues. For more information about the project, including a mock-up of the space, see Academic Commons website. 
  • Affinity groups are ways to connect with other staff and faculty. Learn more at https://www.towson.edu/inclusionequity/diversity/groups/. 
  • USM training is posted at https://www.usmd.edu/training-and-development/ . 
  • Next TUSS meeting is July 20, 2022. Send agenda items to TUSS@towson.edu before July 12, please. 

Awards 

Top Tigers 

Join us in congratulating Top Tiger Award recipients: 

  • Michael Stegman 
  • Scott Beyer 
  • Pam Healey 

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

TU Impact Award 

Join us in congratulating the 2022 TU Impact Award recipients: 

  • Exceptional Contribution – Ashley Gregg, COFAC 
  • Outstanding Service to Students – Kristin Pinkowski, FCSM 
  • Inclusion, Multiculturalism, Social Justice – Chris Casamassima, Allison Fischbach, Melvin Moore, and Natasha Sweitzer, Albert S. Cook Library 

Nominations will be open again in 2023. For more information about TU Impact Awards, go to www.towson.edu/tuimpact.  

Mark Your Calendar 

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Picnic: June 23, 2022, 3-7 p.m. in Tiger Plaza
Join colleagues for carnival-themed fun, food, games, and prizes to celebrate you and all you do at TU. Find out more and RSVP at towson.edu/picnic.  

TUSS Meeting: July 20, 2022, 1 p.m.
Zoom Direct Link: https://towson-edu.zoom.us/j/98702752003?pwd=N05Id3JZTEhxM2Z4ZUNBRk5OSDAvUT09
Meeting ID: 987 0275 2003
Passcode: TUSSZoom 

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

Senator Spotlight

This month features Division of Strategic Partnerships & Applied Research Exempt Senator, David Brasington (he/him/his), who is Events and Operations Manager in the Division of Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research. 

How long have you worked at TU?  

March 2022 marked my fifth year here at TU. 

What is your department and what does your position entail? 

First off, I work within a great team. In my role, I oversee logistics and execution of Division and contracted events, including the BTU Partnership Awards, Economic Outlook Forum, StarTUp Accelerator Showcase, and signature events of the Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute and the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, among others, ensuring all guests have a quality experience. I build and maintain relationships with internal and external partners and vendors to support payment processing, supply purchasing, and contract development. I also maintain and implement several systems including Salesforce for contact and event management, as well as other event management solutions that support our various workshops, seminars, meetings, and conferences. 

What do you enjoy the most about your job?  

The people and relationships this position have brought me surpassed any expectations I had when I started – not only the clients we engage as a part of our work, but also the people on my team and within our division. I deeply value the positive culture of our team environment. I believe it makes hard work easier to do, and it causes a ripple effect that can be felt by our organizational stakeholders, vendors, and everyday event attendees. 

What is your favorite place to eat on or around campus?  

This is a GREAT question. Our office is located in downtown Towson, so typically, when I don’t bring in my lunch, you can find me at Jake’s NY Deli, Pho Dat Thanh, or Spice and Dice Thai Kitchen on Joppa Road. Chipotle is also a solid “go-to” for me. On campus, the West Village Dining Hall is always a treat! (Is anyone else hungry now?) 

What do you do to relax?  

I love to cook to unwind. Trying new recipes or trying to recreate things I had at a restaurant and adding more of this or less of that helps me disconnect from the stressors around me. Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it is GREAT and I believe I am a culinary genius. Sometimes it’s bad and I learn how not to make a recipe – and that’s OK too. Or sometimes I make the thing I know I make extremely well, and it’s a comfort to know it will always be delicious. 

What’s one thing you wish you had known when you were a teenager? 

I did not have a lot of confidence growing up. Theatre and performance helped me with that. Sometimes people are born with innate confidence. But, as I have gotten older, I have realized that a lot of the time, people are pretending to have great confidence, which is often just as effective.  

Why did you decide to get involved with the TUSS? 

I really wanted to connect with other staff across campus and get a better idea of what goes on and what concerns staff who worked on core campus had day-to-day. I also wanted to be an advocate for others in my division when that voice was needed.  

 

___________________ 

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.