All GW staff and faculty are welcome to join Sustainability for a day of sustainable shopping at The Loop, GW’s free clothing exchange! At our thrift store, all clothing, shoes, and accessories are completely free for the GW community. Bring clothing donations and exchange them for a brand new-to-you outfit! The Loop is located on the Mount Vernon Campus, in Academic Building Room 122.
Interested in getting more involved with sustainability at GW? Stop by between 10-11am to learn more about the Green Office Network, our office certification program and network of sustainability-minded GW staff!
Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.
Wednesday 7/31
Privacy 101 – What every GW employee should know about Privacy Join the GW Privacy Office and learn more about the importance of protecting the privacy of personal information of our community members.
This webinar will cover topics such as:
Defining Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or personal data
Applicable privacy laws and individuals’ privacy rights
The universtity’s Personal Information and Privacy Policy
You will leave this webinar with a stronger understanding of your role and responsibilities in protecting the privacy of those whose personal data you are collecting, accessing and/or managing on behalf of the university.
FERPA workshop for GW staff and faculty This interactive workshop will address FERPA basics and explore requirements for the protection of student records, when those records may be shared, and discusses some of the applicable exceptions to the FERPA requirement for consent.
GW staff and faculty members are encouraged to submit their questions via the event’s registration survey.
Carl Bryant and Brian Johnson for performing a successful rash pickup at 2147 F St: “Couldn’t have happened faster. Many thanks.”
Nana Antwi for vacuuming an office at Rome Hall: “The gentleman always does a good job.”
Christopher Gammon and Jose Ruiz for repairing an HVAC issue at 522 22nd St: “The technician was helpful, professional, and went above and beyond to fix the issue.”
Louis Everett for treating a room at 1922 F St. for pests: “Prompt and excellent. Thank you!!”
William Speight for responding to a customer’s concern over the security of the Building entrance door handle of 2147 F St: “Well done communication between locksmith and carpenter. Truly appreciated how well each knew what was needed.”
Jose Avila for responding to and escalating a carpentry emergency: ” Thoughtful and professional”
Souk Vongs for replacing several lights at Enterprise Hall: “Thank you!”
Nelson Ventura for replacing a broken fridge in Shenkman Hall: “I appreciate the in and out and the knowing exactly what needed to occur so the problem was solved in a timely and efficient manner.”
George Lovette for performing a requested carpet clean and stain removal at SEH: “Your staff is always professional and kind. Much appreciated. Thank you.”
Steven Wilson and Kevin Jackson for installing blinds at Tompkins Hall: “Thanks”
Nana Antwi for performing a vacuum cleaning in Rome 102B : “The gentleman always does a good job.”
As we step into the new month, let’s take a moment to relive some June highlights.
The Proud to be GW event was the place to be on June 5th in Foggy Bottom. Staff and Faculty turned out for an afternoon of music, exciting activities, a raffle, and a variety of food trucks.
Baxter hosted an appreciation lunch for all Facilities members who played crucial roles in safeguarding, repairing, and maintaining the yard and campus during the protests. Thank you for all your hard work!
With several significant changes happening within the division, we wanted to share this message that Vice President for Safety and Facilities, Baxter Goodly, wrote to the newly named DSO Division.
Dear Teammates:
I am writing to share a number of important organizational updates for our Division.
As you know, over the last several months I have acted in the capacity of Interim Vice President for Safety & Facilities. At the request of EVP CFO & Treasurer, Bruno Fernandes, I am humbled and excited to take on this position permanently.
I also want to share with you exciting news regarding the expansion of our Division. The Office of Real Estate (ORE), led by Associate Vice President Karen Zinn, officially joins our team effective immediately. Karen and her team will be joining us in the Support Building later this month. ORE has always been a critical partner with regard to campus development and retail management, and I am confident that this will be a smooth transition. I welcome Karen as a senior member of my leadership team.
In addition, as you may be aware, the Office of University Events and Venues, led by Associate Vice President Paul Hegarty, had been operating within our Division on a temporary basis. I am pleased to share that Events and Venues will now be a permanent part of our team. Officing at 2000 Penn, Paul’s team joins us coming off of a very successful Commencement 2024 and will soon be gearing up for the 2025 Presidential Inauguration. I am very pleased to have Paul become a permanent member of my senior leadership team.
Finally, given the expansion of responsibilities and service areas, the Division of Safety & Facilities will be rebranded as the Division of Safety & Operations (DSO). In addition, the Business Integration Group will now be known as the Office of Administration, Communication and Training (ACT). Work will begin immediately to refresh and update these name changes accordingly.
I know this is a lot of information but it is all good news that supports our trajectory to be a more efficient and effective service organization. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence and dedicated service to GW. Your work truly makes a difference for the entire GW community; I am truly blessed to be a part of this incredible team and I look forward to the journey ahead.
The month of July is bringing several changes for the GW community. The new Vacation Time Policy for staff which became effective July 1, 2024 and the new Time Reporting System, launching on July 7, 2024. Below, you will find a summary of the changes which are further detailed in the new Vacation Policy Overview and posted in the updated Time Off and Leave (TOL) Guide.
Time Reporting System Overview
We encourage you to review the highlights of the upgraded system which are provided in the What’s New and Changing Section of the TRS upgrade overview website. Included in the overview are tools to learn more about the new features and functionality available.
The Payroll and Benefits Teams will also be hosting regular Office Hours to assist with the TRS upgrade after it launches on July 7, 2024.
REMINDER: Time Off Requests To ensure correct starting balances in the upgraded TRS, all outstanding time off requests for a date on or before July 6, 2024 that have been submitted but have not been approved/denied need to be addressed prior to the transition on July 7, 2024.
More information can be found by visiting the How to Prepare Section of the TRS upgrade overview website.
New Vacation Policy Reminders
Staff will accrue vacation time up to their applicable maximum accrual limit based on years of service tiers. Once this limit is reached, staff will need to use accrued time before they can accrue more.
All accrued but unused annual time as of June 30, 2024 will show as your starting vacation balance in the upgraded Time Reporting System (TRS) on July 7, 2024. See the section below, “Upgraded Time Reporting System (TRS) launching July 7, 2024” for more details.
Staff hired before July 1, 2024 will receive a transition time balance to be used during the transition period. 40 hours of transition time (20 hours for Part Time staff) will be accessible starting on July 1, 2024 and available to use through December 31, 2024 to support vacation time off requests during the first six months of the transition period. (Please note: Transition time is not paid out upon termination.)
Our GW community is constantly growing, whether it’s with new faces joining our team or familiar ones climbing to new heights in their careers. Join us in extending our warmest congratulations and heartfelt welcomes to all the newcomers and promotees! Tune in every week to find out Who’s New At GW DSO!
New Hires
Welcome to Sisay Tessema for joining GW a Environmental Compliance Inspector. Welcome to Jasmine Gillus for joining GW as the Senior Associate Director of University Events. Welcome to Jerran Kowalski for joining GW as the Technology Manager of Theater Arts. Welcome to Trey Wise for joining GW as the Technology Manager of Theater Arts Lighting.
Join us in kicking off the month with Five Star FixIt Reviews!
Sonia Alvarado Hernandez for vacuuming an open suite in SEH: “Your staff is always professional and kind. Much appreciated. Thank you.”
Julio Martinez for his quick turn around time creating a backlog of cubicle signs: “After being out on sick leave for six weeks, Julio came back to a pile of work! He went into overdrive and gave me all the signs that I had been asking for within his first week back.”
Leule Ambaye for repairing a damaged wall at Samson Hall: “Wonderful job: prompt, great attention to detail, finished fast, thorough clean-up”
Andre Freeman and Stephen Ankoma for repairing the A/C at GHSED: “The technicians who fixed my AC were efficient and fixed it within a few hours of submitting the ticket. Thank you!”
Michael Graham for responding to and investigating a power outage at MPA: “The “tech” was perfect polite and polished for the position 🙂 he did great”
Souk Vongs for replacing several lights at Enterprise Hall: “Thank you!”
Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.
Thursday 7/18
GW’s Privacy of Personal Information Policy-What does it mean and who should comply with it? This workshop will provide GW staff and faculty with an overview of this policy, and of the university’s privacy and data protection requirements, processes and procedures covering the collection, access and use of personal data. You will leave this webinar with a stronger understanding of your role and responsibilities in protecting the privacy of those whose personal data you are collecting, accessing and/or managing on behalf of the university.
Privacy 101 – What every GW employee should know about Privacy? Join the GW Privacy Office and learn more about the importance of protecting the privacy of personal information of our community members. This webinar will cover topics such as:
Defining Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or personal data
Applicable privacy laws and individuals’ privacy rights
The universtity’s Personal Information and Privacy Policy
