Month: April 2024

DSF Trainings: Procurement 101 Training and GW’s Privacy of Personal Information Policy

Published by stephanie.stinfort on April 29, 2024

Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.

Wednesday 5/15

Procurement 101 Training
This training is open to all team members involved in purchasing activities who can create or approve requisitions in EAS/Oracle or use the Gatekeeper contract management system. The training is designed to benefit new and experienced personnel.

In these Procurement 101 sessions, you will:

Gain a deeper understanding of the procurement process, compliance guidelines, and effective routing process
Understand the importance of strategic sourcing and vendor management
Explore our procurement tools and resources for efficiency

Time: 10am-11pm
Location: Virtual

Thursday 5/16

GW’s Privacy of Personal Information Policy What does it mean and who should comply with it
GW’s Privacy of Personal Information Policy is applicable to all members of the university community who collect, access, store and manage the personal information of individuals, on behalf of the university.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.

Time: 11am-12pm
Location: Virtual

Five Star FixIt for 4/29/2024

Published by stephanie.stinfort on April 29, 2024

Hip Hip Hooray! Three cheers for this weeks Kudos Recipients!!!

Terrence Bell and Jose Avila for resetting the key code and programming for a lock at 2147 F St: “It was a true pleasure to meet Terence. He has helped me on the phone in the past and with this. And it was a pleasure to meet Jose. They took care of our locks with quick ease and caught the need for a battery on one. Terrence took time to explain being sure that I the updated information. Many thanks to both.”
Jose Ventura for repairing a window at 609 21st St: “thank you!!!!!!!”
Tony Standard for fixing a clogged toilet at Gelman Library: “I am always very pleased with the services that are provided by the outstanding fix it team.”
Jeffrey Kinard for responding to a mildew ticket at West Hall: “I really appreciate how even though I didn’t request it, they noticed how old and dirty the shower head was and they replaced it.”
Jose Ventura for repairing a wall at Building JJ: “Repair guy did a great job”
Touraj Jabbari for repairing a wall and performing a paint job at Shenkman Hall: ” To the Fixit person who fixed our walls, You are a literal angel. Not only did you fix the spots that I had noticed, but you also pulled all the furniture away from the walls and fixed all the spots you thought needed fixing. Furthermore, I had forgotten to take a frame down from the wall (in fear of it getting painted on), but you very carefully fixed the spot next to the frame without getting any paint on it. That frame was really important to me, so it meant a lot to see that you took care to avoid it. Anyways, you are a wonderful person and you probably saved me from having to pay a bunch of money for paint peeling that I didn’t cause, so thank you. Hugs and kisses, Shenkman 504.

DSF Training: Privacy 101 – What every GW employee should know about Privacy

Published by stephanie.stinfort on April 24, 2024

Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.

Thursday 4/25

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
The importance of reporting any actual or suspectedincident involving personal information of individuals.

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.

Time: 11am-12pm
Location: Virtual

Five Star FixIt Reviews 4/22/2024

Published by stephanie.stinfort on April 22, 2024

What better way to start the week than with a round of Kudos!

Thomas Queen for fixing a clogged shower drain: “He fixed my issue”
Chauncey Ervin for unclogging a a Shenkman Hall Sink: “The men that came to help were so helpful and super kind!”
Chauncey Ervin for unclogging a Madison Hall Shower drain: “He was the BEST!!!! Super funny and lighthearted about the situation, prompt and amazing”
William Vigil for repairing a bed frame at West Hall: “The service was very quick!”
Chauncey Ervin for fixing a malfunctioning toilet at Dakota Hall: “He was awesome. I was in-class sent me a text message showing me the fixed problem and even left me a sweet message.”
Nestor Fuentes for unclogging a bathtub drain at International House: “Dude was so awesome, fast, kind, and overall amazing”
Yared Yirgu for bringing heat back to a cold Ross classroom: “Yared is incredible quick to respond, friendly, and professional”
Miguel Alvarez for providing A/C to a warm Rome Hall Classroom: “I like that fact that even though we go through the same issues the technicians are always helpful to us. Thank you.”

DSF Trainings: FERPA workshop for GW staff and faculty and Privacy 101

Published by stephanie.stinfort on April 16, 2024

Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.

Thursday 4/18

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 discuss 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.

Time: 11am-12pm
Location: Virtual

Thursday 4/25

Defining Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or personal data
Applicable privacy laws and individuals’ privacy rights
The universtity’s Personal Information and Privacy Policy
The importance of reporting any actual or suspectedincident involving personal information of individuals.

Time: 11am-12pm
Location: Virtual

Want Proof Zones Work? We’ve Got the Numbers.

Published by Costanzo on April 11, 2024

It was just a little over two years ago that FPCM switched from shops to zones and we’re frequently asked how that’s going. Well we don’t want to lie. It’s not going well.

It’s going great.

Since making the change, the average number of days needed to complete a ticket has shrunk dramatically. We’ve gone from 10.6 days to a mere 3. The number of work orders in the backlog? That’s also dramatically dropped, going from nearly 1000 down to 276. Both are 72% improvements. Those in the weekly FBG Operations Meeting will also be familiar with how far we’ve come when it comes to the number of incomplete tickets over 30 days old.

All around, these numbers tell a dramatic story. If this isn’t proof of “exemplary delivery of facilities services,” we don’t know what is.

The AiM/FixIt Reboot is Go. Get Involved!

Published by Costanzo on April 10, 2024

If you use AiM or FixIt regularly for your job, hopefully you’ve heard about (and are excited for!) the reboot initiative. DSF staff has already spent over 1500 hours on the process behind the scenes, but you can still get involved in helping to create a new and improved work management system.

Today GW, AssetWorks, and Brailsford & Dunlavey hosted a variety of group discussions to get DSF up to speed on the project and solicit feedback. Between four AiM focus groups and a FixIt Kickoff Meeting, staff got to see some of the possibilities of the reboot and elaborate on pain points they’ve identified in the current version of the system.

And we’re not done collecting your input! Not only are additional project adoption surveys (and rewards) coming to make sure we’re on track, but you can also drop a note to project leadership using the suggestion form at go.gwu.edu/aimfeedback at any time. Missed the FixIt Kickoff Meeting? Make sure to check out the slides below.

Submit Feedback

Nancy Balph: A Pest to Pests

Published by Costanzo on April 10, 2024

It’s no secret that DC has its fair share of unwanted guests. And no, we aren’t referring to the members of Congress who don’t share your party affiliation. Unfortunately, we’re talking about rats, and GW is no exception.

That said, we’ve made tremendous progress in getting this scourge under control since their explosive growth during the pandemic, and no one has done more to take these furry menaces on than Nancy Balph. The Christian Science Monitor recently caught up with her to chronical her adventures in pest control.

Nancy enlisted the help of experts to come up with advanced strategies that have helped cut down on the rodent population, including Kevlar door seals, rat-proof geomesh, and Bigbelly trash cans. As she points out, this isn’t a simple problem with a straight-forward, one-size-fits-all approach. “It’s not Joe Schmoe with his spray gun and traps,” she says.

Nancy isn’t going to win this battle on her own, but progress is a victory in and of itself. “Did we eradicate rats from the GW campus?” she asks rhetorically. “No… We are managing them very well though.”

We appreciate you, Nancy. Congress is next.

Inbox Highlights: Vacation Time Changes and Staff Council Meeting Invite

Published by Costanzo on April 10, 2024

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 Focus on Yourself Friday, GWell, and The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter.

The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter

A newsletter highlighting Staff Council initiatives and events

Staff Council Meetings
You can find meeting minutes from past meetings on the Staff Council website, along with information on upcoming meetings. Registration is required so please be sure to register for any upcoming meetings you’d like to attend.

The GW Staff Council meets on the third Friday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST. GW Staff Council meetings occur via Zoom and are open to the GW community. The next meeting is Friday, April 19.

Focus on Yourself Fridays

HR’s newsletter focused on self improvement and professional development.

Leaders at All Levels: Event Planning
Friday, April 12, 2024
10:00am-11:00am
Register for the WebEx

This month’s Leaders at All Levels session will focus on the essentials of Event Planning, with a focus on in-person events. You will learn the basics of event planning, and you will learn about resources to plan events at GW.

GWell

A newsletter from the folks at HRMD highlighting benefits available to GW employees.

Financial Literacy
With April being National Financial Literacy month, there’s no better time to learn about engaging in smart money management habits. This month will feature the introduction and foundations to financial well-being.

What is Financial Wellness & Why is it Important?
April 17, 2024 at 12pm
Register Here

Financial Well-being Overview
April 29, 2024 at 1pm
Register Here

Vacation Time Changes
GW is introducing a new vacation time policy, effective July 1, 2024. Visit go.gwu.edu/2024vacationtime, watch the Vacation Time Information Session Recording, or check out slides from the information session for more details. Remember, DSF also has sessions specially tailored for our staff coming up!

DSF Vacation Policy Info Sessions

Published by stephanie.stinfort on April 10, 2024

By now you’ve likely heard that GW’s vacation time policy is changing in July, but are you familiar with how it’s changing? The Benefits Team will be in the Support Building to walk all DSF employees through the details and to take your questions. Just show up at one of the sessions shown below! Can’t make the session? You can always read up on the policy on HR’s website.

Support 211

Thursday, 4/11 at 4pm
Monday 4/15 at 3pm
Wednesday, 4/17 at 10am