Month: December 2023

Inbox Highlights: Staff Meal Plans and Popular LinkedIn Learning Courses

Published by Costanzo on December 22, 2023

We encourage you to read all emails sent to university employees, but we realize it’s easy to miss the details in the barrage of content sometimes. Below we’ve compiled a few highlights from recent editions of GWell, Focus on Yourself Fridays, and The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter.

GWell

HR’s monthly newsletter.

Faculty and Staff Meal Plans

Faculty & Staff Meal Plans are available again for the Spring 2024 semester! These plans come at a discounted price for Faculty & Staff and are paid for through payroll deduction (either biweekly or monthly). The deadline to enroll in a plan will be January 12, 2024; no changes can be made after a plan is selected. To learn more about how to sign-up, pay for, and use a Faculty & Staff Meal Plan please visit the dining website.

Focus on Yourself Fridays

Resources to help you develop professionally.

LinkedIn Learning

This past year, Focus on Yourself Fridays provided LinkedIn Learning recommendations in each newsletter. The most popular LinkedIn Learning recommendation was Event Planning Foundations.

Other popular courses included Emotional Intelligence Basics, and Leading without Formal Authority.

The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter

The official newsletter for GW’s Staff Council.

Learn How to Make Your Work More Accessible

There are ways that you can make your work more accessible to everyone who encounters it, including those with disabilities. Below are some ways you can learn more about making content usable and accessible.

Provide agendas and materials in advance if you can so people can review and prepare to contribute thoughtfully.
Break up long content into more manageable chunks. For documents, you can do this using headings to designate segments, or you can split into shorter documents. If you’re giving a longer meeting or presentation, make space for processing or questions every 15 minutes.

From the Desk of Baxter Goodly: Happy Holidays, FPCM

Published by Costanzo on December 22, 2023

FPCM Senior Associate Vice President Baxter Goodly sent along the following message to FPCM staff for the holidays.

Team,

We’re coming to the end of 2023 and I can say with confidence that another Fall semester filled with service improvements and major projects has earned all of you a restful Winter Break. These last several months at GW have been marked by significant events, including the introduction of a new university president, the initiation of a substantial effort to revitalize AiM, and the execution of one of the most well-organized move-ins in recent memory.

Your dedication and hard work have truly charted our course for the year, making it a period of transformation and unparalleled productivity (a claim I’m proud to report is backed up by the numbers). Each of you has played a crucial role in the success of our endeavors, and I am immensely proud to be part of such a dynamic and committed team.

As we reflect on the achievements of 2023, I am filled with optimism about the future. The challenges we faced were met with resilience and collaboration, setting the stage for a promising New Year. Looking ahead to 2024, I anticipate more impressive milestones to come, many of which I can’t predict as they will be the result of your own creativity and planning in the face of unexpected circumstances. Together, we will continue to enhance the campus environment and provide the best possible support for our university community.

Many of you will be on campus during the break, ensuring the smooth operation of our facilities and the well-being of our students. I acknowledge your dedication and hard work, and I hope that amidst your responsibilities, you find moments of joy with your loved ones.

Wishing you all a safe and rejuvenating break. Be well, stay safe, and I look forward to reconnecting with you all in 2024!

All the best,
Baxter

Winter Break 2023: Who’s On Campus and What’s Operating?

Published by Costanzo on December 21, 2023

Winter Break is now in full swing and that means our campuses are a bit quieter than usual. That said, we still have 600 residents staying with us through the holiday (and a smattering of faculty and staff), so if you’re a staff member who regularly interacts with our residents, remember to knock on doors and follow usual customer service best practices. The first day of class of the Spring Semester is January 16, but students will begin to trickle back in before that. As a result of reduced numbers, some services may be temporarily halted or modified as seen on the university’s Winter Break adjusted campus services page. Some retail venues may also be closed during break as seen below.

Venue	Altered Hours	Closed
Subway	Normal Hours Except When Closed	Dec. 25
Starbucks (1959 E St.)	Dec. 23-25: 8am-3pm Dec. 30-Jan. 1: 8am-3pm	Not Closing for Winter Break
Secretea	Normal Hours Except When Closed	Dec. 25
Tonic	Normal Hours Except When Closed	Dec. 23-30
Carvings	Dec. 22-23: 8am-4pm Dec. 26-30: 8am-3pm Jan. 2-5: 8am-3pm Jan. 8-12: 8am-10pm Jan. 13: 8am-12am	Dec. 24-25 Dec. 31-Jan. 1 Jan. 6-7
Point Chaud	Normal Hours Except When Closed	Dec. 19-Jan. 14
Starbucks (Gelman)	Dec. 22-Jan. 3 Monday-Friday: 6am-6pm Saturday-Sunday: 6:30am-4pm	Dec. 24-25 Jan. 1-2
South Block	Normal Hours Except When Closed	Dec. 19-Jan. 14
Panera	Jan. 2-8: Close at 6pm	Dec. 22-Jan. 2
The Bistro	Normal Hours Except When Closed	Dec. 20-Jan. 3
Beefsteak	Hours Subject to Change	Not Closing for Winter Break
Pete’s Coffee	Jan 2-5: 7am-3pm Jan 8-12: 7am-3pm	Dec. 23-Jan. 1 Jan. 6-7

Below you’ll find all the buildings we expect to have occupants and the number currently staying.

District House – 94
South Hall – 75
Thurston Hall – 53
Mitchell Hall – 44
JBKO Hall – 23
Fulbright Hall – 21
FSK Hall – 18
Dakota – 17
Guthridge Hall – 17
1959 E Street – 15
2109 F Street – 14
Munson Hall – 14
Building JJ – 11
International House – 11
Lafayette Hall – 11
Greek Townhouse A – 9
Madison Hall – 9
Potomac House – 8
Greek Townhouse F – 4
605 21st Street – 3
2123 F Street – 2
Strong Hall – 2
603 22nd Street – 1
Greek Townhouse B – 1
Greek Townhouse C – 1

Faculty and Staff Winter Celebration 2023 Photo Roundup

Published by stephanie.stinfort on December 21, 2023

Last week faculty and staff got together at USC to enjoy the GW Winter Celebration. A great time was had as employees mingled over good food, listened to live music, and even got their likenesses captured by one of the several caricature artists. Night Staff enjoyed a more intimate celebration, leaving with portraits, photobooth pictures, and prizes. Thanks for wrapping up the year with us in style!

Five Star FixIt Reviews 12/18/2023

Published by stephanie.stinfort on December 18, 2023

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Take a moment to read about this weeks Kudos Recipients!

Tim Lindsey for fixing a standing desk at Enterprise Hall: “Even though the problem he was called to fix wasn’t clearly listed under Facilities, he tackled it perfectly. He downloaded the manual, read it and came back the next day to fix it.”
Raymond Wallace for adjusting the temperature at an Enterprise office: “Very prompt and effective response thank you!”
William McKnight for opening the heating valves and restoring heat to a Rome Hall classroom: “It was so quick!”
John Gutierrez for adjusting the temperature at an SEH lab: “When I asked for a change to the temperature in my office, I could feel the change a couple of hours later.”
George Clemons and Louis Everett for their assistance in treating a pest issue at Madison Hall: “George was excellent to talk to when he came for the pre-pesticide inspection and the gentleman who completed the pesticide application was just as excellent to talk to. Great job and very thankful for your help!”
Souk Vongs and Roger White for repairing a broken door lock at Innovation Hall: “Great Techs! Very happy with experience.”
Jose Chevez for unclogging a bathroom sink in Guthridge Hall: “They showed up much faster than I expected”

GW Today: Thurston Earns LEED Platinum

Published by Costanzo on December 13, 2023

Thurston Hall has been awarded LEED platinum certification and GW Today is all over this tremendous achievement. As our chief news source explains, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a widely used rating system to recognize “green” building. Check out the article for quotes from our very own Director of Sustainability Josh Lasky and Assistant Vice President for Construction Management and Campus Planning Adam Aaronson.

Josh Lasky:
“When I lived in Thurston, it was a much different space,” Lasky said. “I’m a little jealous that students today have such an incredible living environment to enjoy in one of the most progressively designed green buildings in the District of Columbia.”

Adam Aaronson:
“Being able to achieve the energy savings while reusing an existing historic structure is certainly a challenge. And the team really rose to the challenge. This really took the collective effort of the design team, the construction team and all of the dozens of people at GW that were involved.”

FPCM Forward Awards from 2022 to 2023

Published by stephanie.stinfort on December 12, 2023

We want to take a moment to recognize all of the FPCM Forward awards winners both past and present. The FPCM forwards awards commemorates staff for their commitment to GW’s Service Priorities: Safety, Care, and Efficiency. Outstanding new employees receive the Rookie Award and those that have demonstrated a mastery of all our Service Priorities receive the Only at GW Award.

October 2023

Safety – Reid Thomas
Care – Phillip Thomas
Care – Ebony Malone
Efficiency – Anthony Baylor
Efficiency – Jose Flores
Rookie – Anya Welch
Only at GW – Terry McGhee

Winners of the most recent FPCM Forward Awards with special guests President Granberg and Vice President Sharon Reich Paulsen.

FPCM All Hands October 2023: Safety and Only at GW

FPCM All Hands October 2023: Rookie and Efficiency

FPCM All Hands October 2023: Care

July 2023

Safety – Calvin Stewart
Care – Nelson Ventura
Care – Eslie Murraine Jr
Efficiency – Danielle Patterson
Rookie – Sultan Karimi
Only at GW – Dionne Thomas

FPCM All Hands July 2023: Care

FPCM All Hands July 2023: Efficiency and Only at GW

FPCM All Hands July 2023: Rookie and Safety

March 2023

Safety – Leon Keys
Care – Jose Guzman
Efficiency – Kevin Thomas
Rookie – Anny Lin
Rookie – Ashley Nicholas

FPCM All Hands March 2023: Safety and Only at GW

FPCM All Hands March 2023: Efficiency and Care Awards

FPCM All Hands March 2023: Rookie

October 2022

Safety – Veronica Franklin
Care – Julie Perry
Efficiency – Ernest Hayes
Rookie – Vanea Pharr
Rookie – Brenda Guzman
Only at GW – Steve Ferrara

FPCM All Hands October 2022

June 2022

Safety – Leon Rink
Care – John Kane
Care – Glenda Alvarez
Efficiency – Monet Ballard
Efficiency – Almasi Sabir
Only at GW – Franklin Ard

FPCM All Hands June 2022

Midnight Breakfast 2023 in Pictures

Published by Costanzo on December 12, 2023

GW’s annual Midnight Breakfast organized by our pals in the Division of Student Affairs went down this week on Monday night, much to the delight of our students. DSF staff volunteered to help students take their minds off finals (if only for a few hours) to focus on fun and good food. Over 2,200 students attended the deep sea themed party this year. Check out the picture evidence below!

Get Your Tickets to the DSF Holiday Basketball Game!

Published by Costanzo on December 12, 2023

DSF is once again headed to the ball game! And during the work day no less! Join us on December 21 at 11am to enjoy a free Revolutionaries game and a complimentary meal just before the holiday break! All DSF staff is invited to attend, but we only have 120 tickets, so you’ll need to register if you’d like to attend. It’s first come, first serve, so sign up now!

Get Your Ticket!

Five Star FixIt Reviews 12/11/2023

Published by stephanie.stinfort on December 11, 2023

Felicitations, acclamations and congratulations to this weeks Kudos Recipients!

Duke Nyangau for replacing the thermostat at Guthridge Hall: “The guy who came was super super nice and respectful and even offered to leave if I needed to change my clothes or needed privacy as I was getting ready for class. He made us feel super comfortable, was really professional and deserves a raise/ appreciation!!”
Michael Mason for unclogging a toilet at Lafayette Hall: “It was more than great, thanks.”
Kevin Jackson for unclogging a bathroom sink in Shenkman Hall: “The technician was very nice and it was fixed quickly.”
Michael Akyea for replacing faulty lighting fixture and lamps at JBKO: “I love the new lighting fixture.”
Carl Bryant for performing a bulk trash pickup of of old desk chairs at Support Building: “Moon is the best! He is fast and efficient and gets the job done before you even know it!”
Jose Chevez, Kevin Thomas and Jose Ventura for containing and repairing damage caused by a leak in a South Hall Bathroom: “Very friendly and the work was complete quickly! “
Andre Freeman for adjusting the temperature in a Funger classroom: “The classroom was the perfect temperature today — thank you! “
Jose Chevez for unclogging a sink and shower drain at Building JJ: “Very nice and did a great, fast job”