Interim Vice President of Safety & Facilities Baxter Goodly sent a note to the division after three team members passed away over the span of a week. Please see the email in your inbox if you need access to Employee Wellbeing Resources. The Staff Council has also established an In Memoriam page on its website.
Dear Teammates,
Over the last week, our hearts have been saddened by the loss of three extraordinary colleagues who graced our lives with their presence for decades – Jeff Dean, Donald Gibson, and Calvin Williams. Jeff, Donald, and Calvin were true friends who loved the university and cherished the many GW friendships they cultivated during their years of service. Their values of dedication, humility, and kindness will continue to inspire us all to be better versions of ourselves, as they inspire me. As we mourn their deaths, let’s also celebrate the countless ways in which they touched our lives, and strive each day to honor them by embracing the values they held dear.
Experiencing this much sorrow in such a short span can be difficult to navigate alone. This is a time to come together to lean on and support each other. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need support.
Terry Branch for making keys for a new mechanical lock at SEH: “Mr. Terry Branch is a model of both kindness and efficiency … plus, he knows his locks and keys!”
Aaron Ferebee for repairing a drain stopper in a Mitchell Hall sink: “The guy that came was really nice and worked quickly, and showed me what he did. Very cool.”
Raymond Wallace, Souk Vongs and Tim Lindsey for assisting in an event set up and breakdown at Enterprise Hall: “The room looked very nice and just as requested.”
Jose Guzman for replacing stained ceiling tiles in Ross Hall: “Everything was great.”
DSF had the opportunity to meet colleagues from across GW at two All Hands Meetings held by EVP, CFO & Treasure Bruno Fernandes and attended by President Granberg on February 28. DSF ultimately reports up to Bruno through Interim DSF Vice President Baxter Goodly.
Staff members were encouraged to mingle and eat delicious catered food from Chartwells before and after comments from Bruno. Prizes-a-plenty were also given away to lucky GW employees, including several from DSF.
Take a look at pictures or download the slideshow from the event to see if you were mentioned in the long list of kudos.
We spend a lot of time talking about GW’s Service Priorities in DSF, so we’re always excited to share moments that exemplify our progress. FPCM got a big efficiency boost recently when Adam Poplin‘s Zone 2 team managed to cut the cost of a Lerner Health and Wellness project by more than 75%. An original contractor quote of $39k dropped all the way to a final total of just $9k when the work was done in house by the excellent Zone 2 staff.
Collette Coleman asked for FPCM’s assistance refreshing the Rec Sports Suite and the team delivered a high quality solution. When all was said and done, the suite got a fresh coat of paint, brand new ceiling tiles, and updated lighting. DSF Interim VP Baxter Goodly had this to say: “The successful completion of this project is a testament to the tremendous talent and dedication of our Facilities team. Not only did they refurbish and brighten this office suite, they saved GW over $30,000. Well Done!”
Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.
Tuesday 2/27 – Thursday 2/29
APPA Virtual – Level II: Interpersonal Effectiveness Effective managers use interpersonal and team skills to motivate, communicate, and inspire those around them. This Level focuses on understanding the dynamics of working together and successful ways to sustain trust which can be used to support successful relationships and team efforts. Level II will help you hone the skills needed to ensure that you are not only an effective leader, but also an effective manager.
Introducing the new myGW The new myGW is designed to provide centralized access to the GW resources that are important to you through a customizable interface. Join us for an introduction to the new tool. We’ll cover the essential features and how you can personalize your experience. This training will be offered twice in February.
Digital Roundtable – Webform Spam Prevention This month’s roundtable discussion will be focused on GW Drupal webforms and how you can prevent spam submissions. Join to learn about form validation and spam prevention configurations.
These roundtable sessions are open to anyone, whether you’re looking for answers to specific questions or just want to listen in and learn from the expertise of others.
Debebe Demeke for repairing a washing machine at 1959 E Street: “I wasn’t home when someone came to fix our laundry machine, but I just wanted to extend a sincere thank you for getting it back up and running again. Your assistance was greatly appreciated!”
Steven Wilson for replacing a window bind in a Shenkman Hall room: “They were great!”
Leule Ambaye for unclogging a bathroom sink at Mitchell Hall: “Very efficient and helpful.”
Kevin Thomas for assisting in an FSK wall repair: “GWU supervisor named Kevin visited twice to check things were going well.”
Julio Martinez for creating and installing a few cubicle hanger signs at Support Building: “Julio is a master at signage. No matter how complicated the request, he is always perfectly accurate!”
Each week we’ll be sharing the upcoming training and professional development opportunities available here at GW.
Tuesday 2/20
GW Drupal – Menus Overview This will be an overview of how menus are managed in GW Drupal. The training will cover adding pages to menus, breadcrumbs, and managing primary navigation, secondary navigation, and left navigation.
Privacy – Sharing university data with third party service providers In this webinar, addressed to GW staff and faculty, we will review privacy considerations and implications associated with transferring university data to third party providers.
APPA Virtual -Level II: Interpersonal Effectiveness Effective managers use interpersonal and team skills to motivate, communicate, and inspire those around them. This Level focuses on understanding the dynamics of working together and successful ways to sustain trust which can be used to support successful relationships and team efforts. Level II will help you hone the skills needed to ensure that you are not only an effective leader, but also an effective manager.
Welcome Back! Let’s take a moment to congratulate this weeks Kudos recipients!
Kevin Thomas for repairing holes in an FSK corridor: “Looks great”
Wallace Vauss and Cornell Prailow for fixing and cleaning up clogged toilet at Phillips Hall: “Thanks for fixing the toilets!”
Stephan Morant for replacing lights and lamps in a South Hall room: “FixIt request was responded to immediately. The repair was made a couple of hours after the request was made.”
Michael Akyea for assisting a student regarding a small fire or spark caused by a hot plate at SEH: “Michael was very helpful. He was able to explain what may have caused the fire in the hot plate and demonstrate that the electrical outlet was working properly and was not involved in the fire. I learned a lot of valuable information from his visit.”
Edward Oliver for unclogging a toilet in Somers Hall: “They were so prompt and nice!!!”
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, Digital Download, and The GW Staff Council Pillars Newsletter.
Quick tips from GW Communications & Marketing Digital Support
Announcing the new myGW
The myGW website and mobile app have been completely redesigned to streamline access to information, resources and online services at GW. The new myGW mobile app is now available for download in mobile app stores, replacing the existing GW Mobile app. The current GW Mobile app no longer functions.
A newsletter highlighting Staff Council initiatives and events
Staff Commute Survey
The Staff Council has created a brief survey to gain insight into staff commutes. All feedback will be kept anonymous but will be used to guide initiatives within the council.
Shop, mingle, and celebrate the grand re-opening of the GW Campus Store at its new location (2125 Eye Street NW, Washington DC). Employees who present their GWorld card at the in-store check-out counter can receive a discount of 10 percent off* on gifts, clothing and supplies.
*Exclusions Apply: The discount is not valid on electronics (headphones, speakers, computers, etc.), textbooks, or with any other coupons or store promotions.
New Vacation Time Policy
GW is introducing a new vacation time policy, effective July 1, 2024. Visit go.gwu.edu/2024vacationtime for more details. You can also watch a recording of the latest webinar and view the materials presented via the links below. Please contact the Benefits office at timeoff@gwu.edu with questions regarding the new vacation time policy.
Black History Month is a time to celebrate African American achievements and culture, both past and present. 50 years after Carter G. Woodson established a week dedicated to black history, Harrison Ford officially signed it into law, establishing February as Black History Month. Join us as we celebrate with events on and off campus!
Thursday 2/15
What Have We Here? with Billy Dee Williams: Author Talk in Recognition of Black History Month As part of DC Public Library’s Black History Month celebration of “African Americans in the Arts,” the iconic Billy Dee Williams will discuss his life and new memoir “What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Hear Billy Dee Williams reflect on key milestones from early stereotype-busting roles to pop culture phenom status with with Jummy Olabanji, anchor of NBC 4 TODAY. Signed copies of the actor’s new memoir “What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life” will be available for purchase after the talk.
Celebrating our Voice in Academia Join GW’s Association of Black Journalists Chapter for a discussion about the Black voice and experience in academia. The panel will include a discussion with GW Black Professors and students on how Black people have found ways to overcome the obstacles structured against them and be a role model for future generations despite the lack of appropriate representation in these settings. Reception and networking to follow at 8 p.m.
Black History Month Keynote Speaker: The Honorable G.K. Butterfield Join the Student Bar Association and the Black Law Students Association as they present this year’s Black History Month Keynote Speaker The Honorable G.K. Butterfield. G.K. Butterfield is a is a Black civil rights activist, U.S. Army veteran, lawyer, judge, and former U.S. representative from Wilson, N.C. For most of his congressional career, Congressman Butterfield served on the Committee on Energy & Commerce.Under his leadership, Butterfield help recruit qualified African Americans for nomination to the federal bench. He also helped lead the effort to pass legislation to update the formula contained in Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Black Intifada: The Roots of Black and Palestinian Solidarity Movement This talk will create a nuanced interdisciplinary context for the history of Black and Palestinian solidarity from the 1960s until the present day. It will examine some of the most powerful political, historical and cultural forces that propelled the genesis of the movement during the decade such as nationalism, Third World Marxism, Black Arts Movement and Palestinian Poetry and Culture of Resistance. The talk will demonstrate how and why Palestine became a Black feminist issue in the 1980s through the work and activism of Angela Davis and June Jordan, sustaining and nurturing Black and Palestinian Solidarity Movement. Finally, the talk will highlight the contemporary manifestations of the movement, posing urgent questions about the joined Black and Palestinian struggle for justice and dignity.
