Staff Connections

Staff Connections will be hosting a finance update and Q&A session with Vice President of Finance Mary Alma Noonan and President Mark Burstein this Friday, October 23, 8:30-9:30 a.m. (Zoom information below) The meeting will be recorded and posted in the LU Insider for those who cannot attend.

Thank you for your feedback and question submissions – we will do our best to incorporate as many as possible in the given time as well as to provide some form of follow-up for those left unaddressed. Staff also will be able to submit questions during the meeting via the chat feature.

As always, please feel free to reach out to staff_connection@lawrence.edu with concerns or suggestions.

Zoom Information:

When: Oct 23, 2020 08:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Staff Connections, Finance Update and Q&A with Mary Alma Noonan and Mark Burstein

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://lawrence.zoom.us/j/95554430491?pwd=UlNaU1dSRVBuYlg5NlEyV2JpZThuQT09
Passcode: 973020

Or iPhone one-tap :
    US: +16465588656,,95554430491#  or +13017158592,,95554430491#
Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 646 558 8656  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 669 900 6833  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799  or 877 369 0926 (Toll Free) or 855 880 1246 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 955 5443 0491
    International numbers available: https://lawrence.zoom.us/u/aP7NM91D5

Our first All Staff Meeting of the year will be held this upcoming Tuesday, October 27 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. via Zoom (Zoom information below). The meeting agenda is based on staff preferences via survey responses. We invite you to submit questions and concerns for senior leadership via this anonymous form by October 26 at noon: https://forms.gle/uARBrfrNBf354yZx8. Staff will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the meeting via chat.

The meeting will be recorded and posted to the LU Insider for those unable to attend.

Agenda:

• Staff Connections introductions/updates and transitions (6 minutes)
  • Blia Vang and Ashton Vicente
• Annual Open Enrollment information (5 minutes)
  • Blia
• Diversity and Anti-Racism Plan and Resources (12 minutes)
  • Kimberly Barrett
• LPPT Updates (17 minutes)
  • Christyn Abaray
    • Plans for Winter Term
    • Update on the presidential search
• Q&A with Mark Burstein (20 minutes)

Zoom Details:

When: Oct 27, 2020 09:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: All Staff Meeting

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://lawrence.zoom.us/j/94749687277?pwd=ekMrUFIxb2VmbHNrZDBRSGFXMHdxZz09
Passcode: 236336

Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 646 558 8656  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 669 900 6833  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799  or 877 369 0926 (Toll Free) or 855 880 1246 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 947 4968 7277
    International numbers available: https://lawrence.zoom.us/u/abIKZOtIwH

Thank you for participating in the Staff Connection survey on the All Staff Meeting topics. We heard you, and there is an overwhelming request for more information regarding Lawrence’s budget and financial plan.

To more sufficiently address staff concerns, Staff Connections will be hosting a finance update and Q&A session with Vice President of Finance Mary Alma Noonan and President Mark Burstein on Friday, October 23, 8:30-9:30 a.m. (Zoom information below). Questions and concerns from the prior survey have already been submitted to senior leadership for review. For those unable to attend, this meeting will be recorded and posted to the Staff Connections webpage.

We received feedback that webinar-style meetings feel impersonal and that staff prefer face-to-face discussions with senior leadership. Due to the size and nature of this meeting—including critical and sensitive topics—we will need to host this financial update as a webinar for best Zoom connection and organization. However, Staff Connections is planning to host open discussions via meeting format in the future to ensure your voices are heard; please watch for more information soon.

We encourage you to submit additional questions by Thursday, October 22 at noon via this anonymous form: https://forms.gle/uARBrfrNBf354yZx8. We will cover as many questions as possible during the allotted time, and staff will also be able to submit questions during the meeting via the chat feature.

If you have general concerns or suggestions for the Staff Connections Committee, please feel free to reach out to staff_connection@lawrence.edu. We appreciate and encourage all feedback, as it only serves to strengthen our community.

Zoom Information:

When: Oct 23, 2020 08:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Staff Connections, Finance Update and Q&A with Mary Alma Noonan and Mark Burstein

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://lawrence.zoom.us/j/95554430491?pwd=UlNaU1dSRVBuYlg5NlEyV2JpZThuQT09
Passcode: 973020

Or iPhone one-tap :
    US: +16465588656,,95554430491#  or +13017158592,,95554430491#
Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 646 558 8656  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 669 900 6833  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799  or 877 369 0926 (Toll Free) or 855 880 1246 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 955 5443 0491
    International numbers available: https://lawrence.zoom.us/u/aP7NM91D5

Our first All Staff Meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, October 27 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. via Zoom (Zoom information below). The meeting agenda is based on staff preferences via survey responses. You may continue to submit questions and concerns for senior leadership via this form: https://forms.gle/uARBrfrNBf354yZx8

For those unable to attend, this meeting will be recorded and posted in the LU Insider.

Agenda:

• Staff Connections introductions/updates and transitions (6 minute)
  • Blia Vang and Ashton Vicente
    
• Annual Open Enrollment information (5 min)
  • Blia
    
• Diversity and Anti-Racism Plan and Resources (12 minutes)
  • Kimberly Barrett
    
• LPPT Updates (17 minutes)
  • Christyn Abaray
    • Plans for Winter Term
    • Update on presidential search
      
• Q&A with Mark Burstein (20 minutes)

Due to the overwhelming request for more information on the university’s budget and financial plan, this topic has been moved to a separate meeting on Friday, October 23, 2020. Please see the Staff Connections webpage for more information on the staff finance meeting.

Zoom Details:

When: Oct 27, 2020 09:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: All Staff Meeting

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://lawrence.zoom.us/j/94749687277?pwd=ekMrUFIxb2VmbHNrZDBRSGFXMHdxZz09
Passcode: 236336

Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 646 558 8656  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 669 900 6833  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799  or 877 369 0926 (Toll Free) or 855 880 1246 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 947 4968 7277
    International numbers available: https://lawrence.zoom.us/u/abIKZOtIwH

The Staff Connections Committee‘s mission is to increase and enhance communication campus-wide, encouraging a sense of community and common purpose for staff. This year, we especially want to focus on utilizing strategic communication methods to empower staff even while socially-distanced.

To this end, we will be sending out surveys prior to each All Staff meeting to better understand with which issues staff are most concerned; survey responses will determine the meeting agenda. We welcome all feedback, and questions directed toward senior leadership will be posed anonymously.

The first All Staff meeting of the year will be held Tuesday, October 27, 9:00-10:00 a.m. via Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided along with the meeting agenda; please watch your email and future LU Insider posts for an update.

Staff Survey Link: https://forms.gle/YXwJjfvKsBBQuomA6

The survey will close the morning of Thursday, October 8.

Thank you in advance for your feedback! Your responses will help us ensure meetings are purposeful and productive. If you have additional questions or feedback, please email us at staff_connection@lawrence.edu.

The Staff Connections Committee believes in creating a stronger Lawrence community where staff is an integral part of the learning process. We believe staff should have the opportunity to create and develop personal and professional connections across faculty and staff, to voice opinions about their community, and to work with administration in order to foster understanding of the needs of staff. The Committee serves as a liaison to President Burstein and the additional senior leadership of the university. 

It is our pleasure to introduce the Staff Connections Committee co-chairs for the 2020-21 academic year: Blia Vang and Ashton Vicente.

Blia Vang joined the Human Resources team in 2018. Over the years, she has supported her department in many areas, such as internal processing of benefit programs, managing the Human Resources webpage, and assisting with projects and events. In her new role as Human Resources Manager, she looks forward to supporting other departments and being a resource to all. 

“I am excited to serve as one of the co-chairs for this committee. My goal for this year is to create new ways of staying connected as a community as we move through this interesting time together. I look forward to working and hearing from all committee members as we continue to create a stronger Lawrence community for all.”  
Contact: 920-832-6543, blia.vang@lawrence.edu

Ashton Vicente is going into her third year at Lawrence as the program and marketing assistant of the Community Music School. She assists each of the Community Music School’s programs in various administrative tasks and manages the Community Music School website and social media pages. She also oversees print jobs and marketing projects, sends all Community Music School email messages, and serves as the manager of the Allegretto Girl Choir. 

“My goal for this year is to work toward an even more tightly-knit Lawrence community that celebrates the diversity, strengths, and accomplishments (both big and small) of each individual staff member. I want to foster an environment in which all staff feel a strong sense of belonging as well as empowered and heard. I look forward to working with my other Staff Connections Committee members as well as all staff this upcoming year and welcome you to reach out to me as a resource at any time.”
Contact: 920-832-6632, ashton.vicente@lawrence.edu.”

If you are interested in joining the Staff Connections committee, you can volunteer on the Staff Connections webpage: https://www.lawrence.edu/info/staff
Please note that this committee is a two-year commitment.

Please feel free to reach out to Blia or Ashton with any questions or suggestions. Future information on staff events and resources will be posted on the Staff Connections page, the LU Insider, and the staff Facebook page.

We look forward to working together this year!

The spring All Staff meeting has been moved from April 23 to Thursday, May 28. Questions for President Burstein can be submitted to the Staff Connections email address to be asked anonymously at the end of the meeting: staff_connection@lawrence.edu.

All Staff Meeting
Thursday, May 28
9:00-10:00 a.m.
Warch Campus Center, Somerset Room

The Staff Connections Committee is holding two collections at the upcoming All Staff Meeting on Thursday, February 27.

Food pantry donations will benefit Lawrence’s own student food pantry. Items can either be brought to the All Staff Meeting or to Sabin House. Here are the items most needed at this time:

• instant coffee packets
• tea
• instant oatmeal
• full size shampoo and conditioner
• chapstick
• lotion
• ramen (esp. chicken and veggie)
• cleaning items

The plastic collection is being done in partnership with Trex – if Lawrence collects at least 500 lbs or 40,500 pieces of plastic film/bags within 6 months, Trex will create a recycled plastic bench to be donated to a local organization of our choice (to be finalized soon). Click here for a guide of qualifying plastic items. There will be a collection bin at the All Staff Meeting, and there is also a bin located in Brokaw Hall.

Thank you for your support! Together, we can make an impactful difference in our community.