May TUSS News for Staff

Published by on May 22, 2023 12:00 am Comments Off on May 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 general meetings. Meeting agendas and minutes are posted to TUSS SharePoint.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE RECENT TUSS MEETING:

  • TUSS Elections: Welcome our newly elected senators for the July 2023 – June 2026 term. The 23/24 Executive Board will be announced at the June meeting.

At-Large – Exempt: Roodinz Vital
At-Large – Non-Exempt: Jordan Schloss
Advancement: Liz Kelly
Enrollment: Marcela Bender
Enrollment: Rebecca Halaney
Executive: Jennifer Walsh
Marketing & Communications: Keisha Bownes (re-elected)
Operations & Human Resources: Bianca Thornley
Strategic Partnerships & Applied Research: Amber Taylor
Student Affairs: Carolyn J. Harris

  • Big Give: The Big Give was a record breaker in two ways this year: over $374,000 was raised in just 24 hours, from over 1600 donors.
  • Stratus: Reports are continuing to improve and there are more reporting functions, including TU Foundation, and more are coming. Learn more at https://www.towson.edu/financialsystems/stratus/.
  • Inclusion & Institutional Equity: OIIE is working on an equity report for campus. The VP and the DEI Education team will be bringing Fix Your Climate training to every college and division.
  • Market Assessment and Pay Study: Updates on the study were presented by Jen Stano. The website will be updated soon: https://www.towson.edu/hr/current/pay-study/.
  • COLA and Merit: An email was sent on May 11 regarding compensation guidelines for FY 2024 relating to COLA and Merit. Review the email and address any questions to the Office of Human Resources (OHR).
  • Enrollment Managment: The incoming freshman class enrollment looks great – the highest numbers in TU history! Boyd Bradshaw presented TU’s enrollment strategy and reminded us that staff and the entire campus community play an essential role in recruitment and retention. Enrollment is up by 462 students for the freshman class, which is over 16% higher than this time last year. Numbers are also up by 12.1% in graduate studies.
  • Research: Associate Provost Sidd Kaza presented an update on the high research model for TU. Earning this Carnegie classification would have a positive impact in most areas of campus and matters to all of us.
  • Telework: TUSS is committed to ensuring telework policy review occurs. The OHR team is looking for feedback on the policy and procedures. Feedback can be sent to OHRcompliance@towson.edu.
  • Council of University System Staff (CUSS): The last meeting was held at UMBC. President Ashby has prioritized inclusion and excellence starting with faculty and staff. She said that staff are everywhere on campus and help the university run. CUSS Chairs are considering sending the annual shared governance survey to ALL staff on USM campuses next year, rather than just members of the staff senates. TU will be hosting the CUSS meeting on April 9, 2024 – save the date!
  • Autism Studies Ph.D.: The new Ph.D. program will begin in fall 2023. It’s the first of its kind in Maryland! Learn more at https://www.towson.edu/chp/departments/autism-studies-doctorate/.
  • Administration & Finance: AVP Brandon Cohen has resigned. Best wishes to Brandon! Administration and Finance will be seeking applicants for this position, so if you know a great candidate encourage them to apply!
  • Academic Senate: The academic senate passed a policy revision that includes a reconfiguration of the academic department chair evaluation on their reappointment year. Staff are encouraged to review the policy and participate in department chair evaluations. The Academic Senate Chair-elect and Vice Chair-elect are Bart Dubicki and Stephen Scales – congratulations and TUSS looks forward to working with you beginning in September!

QUESTION FOR STAFF:

What are your thoughts on USM campuses having an ombudsperson position? Email them to tuss@towson.edu.

REMINDERS:

AWARDS:

Top Tigers 

Join us in congratulating recent Top Tiger Award recipients:

  • Charlotte Basta
  • Meghan Behm
  • Nicholas Campbell
  • Keith Combs
  • Audrey Day
  • Jamie Gillispie
  • Lauren Meredith
  • Maggie Saunders
  • Bryan Schlein
  • Heather Tolson

Top Tigers receive a recognition certificate and a lunch credit in honor of their work in making TU a great place! If you have received exceptional service from a staff member, please nominate them for the monthly Top Tiger Award. This award is designed to recognize staff excellence. TU faculty, staff and students can nominate TU staff members by submitting the Top Tiger Nomination Form: https://www.towson.edu/about/administration/staff-senate/staff-awards/top-tiger-award.html.


TU Impact Award

TU Staff Senate is pleased to announce the 2023 TU Impact Award recipients. Congratulations!

  • Cynthia Baker, Inclusion, Multiculturalism, and Social Justice
  • Henry O. Jackson, Extraordinary Public Service
  • Tammie King-Kelly, Outstanding Service to Students
  • Travis Sammott, Exceptional Contribution

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:


Staff Appreciation Week: June 12 – June 16
Join us for a week including large and small ways to appreciate staff employees. We are #TUProud of our staff who lead, assist, teach and support our students, faculty, visitors, colleagues and community! More information to come.

TUSS Meeting: June 21, 2023, 1 p.m.
Zoom Direct Link: https://towson-edu.zoom.us/j/98702752003?pwd=N05Id3JZTEhxM2Z4ZUNBRk5OSDAvUT09
Meeting ID: 987 0275 2003
Passcode: TUSSZoom

SENATOR SPOTLIGHT:

Brian Jara

This month features At-Large Exempt senator Brian Jara (he/him/his or they/them/theirs), Assistant Director of Diversity Training & Educational Initiatives in the Office of Inclusion & Institutional Equity (OIIE).

 

How long have you worked at TU?
Since 2/15/2017.

What is your department and what does your position entail?
OIIE includes four units: Accessibility and Disability Services, the Center for Student Diversity, Equity & Compliance, and DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) Training & Initiatives. I’m in the DEI Education team and my position has two larger parts: helping to organize the plan for student, staff and faculty education on all things diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, belonging, accessibility, and more while offering many of those sessions (solo or with the team); supporting larger DEI initiatives such as TU’s diversity strategic plan.

What does a typical workday look like for you?
No such thing! The list for a typical week includes: offering a few educational sessions or trainings, consulting with unit leaders on what their current educational needs are, lots of meetings for collaborations with campus partners, and always lots of “behind the scenes” work (research, developing training content, planning and assessment).

What do you enjoy the most about your job?
Every time an individual or team takes a risk into being more frank about topics related to DEI, or their experiences of belonging (or not) at TU, I remember why I enjoy my work. TU is a special and imperfect place and I enjoy having a small part in people’s willingness to struggle together.

What is your favorite place to eat on or around campus?
Wherever Chef Ronnie is cooking. I long for the return of his summer outdoor grilling station!

What do you do to relax?
I’ve always been able to unwind by getting my hands dirty: gardening or dabbling in ceramics. During the pandemic I rediscovered my love of Lego.

If we were to create a TU playlist, what song would you want to include and why?
Lovely Day: the original version by Bill Withers as well as the newer cover by Jill Scott

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
In grade school, I was an amateur competitive Rubik’s Cube solver. I recently watched the documentary The Speed Cubers and had no idea it was still popular!

What’s one thing you wish you had known when you were a teenager?
Your failures are great opportunities to learn more about yourself and others. Embrace them.

Why did you decide to get involved with the TUSS?
In my job I get to work with, literally, all staff on campus. Having that vantage point is very helpful for an At-Large Senator role.

Describe what you have learned (or hope to learn) during your time in TUSS?
The category “staff” encompasses so many different types of jobs, experiences, concerns, and needs and TUSS helps ensure that the university remembers that.

 

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Please visit our 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 Arnold, Ashley