Staff Assembly Discusses Fundraising, Proposed Changes to Onboarding New Employees

UC Merced Staff Assembly held its most recent general meeting Nov. 21 Here are the highlights of discussed topics:

• Jessica Johnston, a generalist in ACT, joined the Staff Assembly’s executive board as its new co-chair for fundraising. She is already busily working on the campus’s United Way campaign with her fundraising counterpart Jeff Porto. The United Way campaign kicks off Jan. 10 and continues through February.
   
• Staff Assembly now has representation on nearly all current campus committees. Committee representatives provide updates about the important work happening across the campus. Additional opportunities to serve on a committee will be announced in the near future as planning for 2017 Staff Appreciation Week begins.
   
• Staff Assembly is partnering with the offices of Human Resources and Campus Climate on a new Build Your Network program, which is connected to a soon-to-be revamped New Employee Orientation program. Build Your Network is a six-month program that will meet monthly to cover topics of interest for new employees. The program is still in development and organizers are looking for staff members interested in participating on an ad hoc committee. If you are a highly-engaged staff member with great ideas about potential onboarding topics, please contact Rachael Martin.
   
• Staff Assembly successfully hosted two recent events that also contained public service components: the Poppies Galore Community Art Project and Fall Staff Social and Canned Food Drive earlier this month. The Poppies Galore events — held on campus, The Promenade, Mondo Building and Castle — provided a quick but creative break from work for 89 staff members who glazed poppies for a permanent art display at Bob Hart Square in downtown Merced. During the the Fall Staff Social and Canned Food Drive held Nov. 17, staff members donated more than 300 non-perishable food items, with the items going to the UC Merced Food Pantry. Kudos to Programs, Events and Outreach co-chairs Becky Etheridge and Priya Lakireddy for organizing the events, which provided staff members a chance to connect with colleagues while supporting the university’s public service mission.

Staff Assembly will hold its next monthly meeting from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 19 in the Chancellor’s Conference Room (KL 232) on campus. Those who are unable to attend the meeting in person may participate remotely using Zoom, UC’s new conferencing system. To participate:

1. Access the meeting online.
2. Once the application downloads and installs on your device, enter the Zoom Meeting ID: 209 228 2253.