June 2017

CLEMSONSTAFF SENATE NEWSLETTER

Library Bridge Pond View

News you can Use!

The President’s ReportThe highlight of the month for me was to see the twenty-four participants in the 2017 Staff Development Program graduate on Monday, June 5th. We are very pleased to have the support of President Clements and his attendance at the graduation. He is truly a champion for Clemson University. I also love that he closes all of his speeches with God bless you and Go Tigers!

I really enjoyed reading through the submitted notebooks. Several activities of participants jumped out of the notebooks and got my attention. A resounding theme in the personal plans of the participants was to put away the electronic devices and reconnect with nature.

Kevin Hendricks grew heirloom tomatoes for his reconnect with nature. Janet Lollis rebuilt a T176 4-speed transmission for her personal development. She spent over three months learning and rebuilding the transmission.

The service development is always heartwarming and gives Clemson University a great name in the community. Several people donated their time to non-profit organizations in the Upstate. From taking care of babies during church services by Greg Telley to reading to children at a community center by Harry Thomas, all of our participants donated at least 40 hours towards service activities. Bonnie Duncan, Talitha Ellington, and Dave VanDeventer worked in food pantries and soup kitchens feeding the less fortunate. Elise Schnabel volunteered at Clemson Elementary with STEAM from Clemson University. STEAM is introducing the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math to students by doing fun activities like making paper rockets. Matt Fischer participated in Watch D.O.G.S. at Wren Elementary School. The group fondly referred to as watch dogs are ‘dads of great students.’

Barbara Smith worked with Engineers without Borders in the shop building parts to provide clean water in Gambia. Cheryl Hayes volunteered at the Easley Dream Center making a difference in the lives of children and their parents. Keith Jones created the design that was used for the Anderson County Humane Society’s angel tree at Petsmart.

I am so very proud of the Staff Development Program here at Clemson University. Since my involvement with the program since July of 2013, I have seen program participants make a diiference not only in his/her job and life, but also, the participants have made a difference in the community by the service they have provided.

No July Staff Senate Meeting

Next Staff Senate MeetingAugust 8th at 10:30amMadren Conference Center

Staff Senate Office, 801 University Union, Clemson, SC 29634864-656-9000 | StaffSenate-L@clemson.edu | www.clemson.edu/staffsenate

Upcoming Professional and Personal Development Opportunities!

New Exhibit in Gunnin Architecture Library

A new exhibit, “GRITTY CITIES : Urban Landscapes, Urban Lives” is available in the Gunnin Architecture Library in Lee Hall.

Featured in the exhibit are 130+ DVDs of films that convey The City–in all its forms, layers, environments, and intensities–as both setting and engine in the shaping of human experience. These films portray the city as a character in the narrative, whether foil, protagonist, or antagonist.

Feel free to suggest titles we should have included, or leave comments. All DVDs in the case are available for 5-day checkout this summer. Request assistance at the Gunnin Library circulation desk.

Credits: A Kathy Edwards / Maggie Mason Smith co-production, with significant advice from Steven Fore and Bobby Hollandsworth. Additional credit to Clarissa Mendez and other film lovers who suggested titles.

Special Recognition: Big thanks to Paula Smith for handling Reserves/collection control and for display suggestions.

Upcoming Adobe BootcampsSet aside a day and get up to speed with a few of the Adobe Programs by attending a Summer Bootcamp.

9 InDesign: Laying out documents with text and images 9 Photoshop: Editing, improving and combining images 9 Illustrator: Create vector drawings and diagrams 9 Spark Tools: Quick tools to create images, videos and

online presentations

These classes are scheduled back-to-back and last 1.5 hours each. No prior experience is needed for the Intro classes; the Advanced classes require prior workshops or equivalent experience.

Each Bootcamp has an hour break (on your own) for lunch.

InDesign Boot Camp (9-4, 7/13/17):

9 InDesign: Essentials (intro) 9 InDesign: Formatting with styles (advanced) 9 InDesign: Transparency Effects (advanced) 9 InDesign: Intro to Long Documents (advanced)

Upcoming (Dates TBD)

9 Illustrator 9 Photoshop (repeat) 9 Spark Tools 9 InDesign (repeat)

CCIT - Free Software Training: For Custom Classes contact us at ithelp@clemson.edu and put “Training Request” in the subject line!

Staff Senate Office, 801 University Union, Clemson, SC 29634864-656-9000 | StaffSenate-L@clemson.edu | www.clemson.edu/staffsenate

Clemson Employee Food Events!

Clemson University Housing & Dining invites all interested Faculty and Staff (individually, or as a Departmental Group) to assist the new students arriving for the 2017-18 Academic Year by becoming 2017 Move In Volunteers!

All volunteers will receive a newly designed Clemson Move In tee shirt!

Volunteers are needed on Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19, from 7:30am-5pm to assist students and families with unloading cars and carrying belongings to the students’ assigned rooms.

There are six volunteer shifts available each day: 9 7:30am-9:30am 9 9:00am-11:00am 9 10:30am-12:30pm 9 12:00pm-2:00pm 9 1:30pm-3:30pm 9 3:00pm-5:00pm

Below are the move in dates for each area.

Freshman Areas:

9 Bryan Mall (Friday & Saturday) 9 Core Campus A (Saturday) 9 Core Campus C & D (Friday) 9 Holmes/McCabe (Friday) 9 Johnstone (Saturday) 9 Shoeboxes (Friday for CUBS in Benet & Saturday

for other buildings.

Transfer Area:

9 Calhoun Courts (Saturday)

2017 Move In Volunteer Registration Process 9 Click on this SignUp.com link to register as a volunteer

Clemson Home is available for any questions that you may have during this process and will follow up with reminders and emails as we get closer to Move In Day.

Move In Weekend

FIVEDOLLARDINING!

9 May 17-June 4 9 June 5-June 11 9 June 12-July 2 9 July 3-July 9 9 Future Dates TBD

Save Some

Money this

Summer!

Hey Clemson!• Do you know a Staff Member who is Excellent?

• An employee who is absolutely committed to Clemson University?

• A person who consistently shows a high level of service?

Then you should consider nominating them for the Clemson Board of Trustees Staff Awards!

Visit the Board of Trustee’s website and find out who is eligible and how you can add your special person’s name to the list!

Nominations and applications for awards opened Wednesday, May 17, and will be accepted through June 30. A committee appointed by the board will review all applications and nominations, and winners will be notified in September. Awards will be presented at an event with the Board of Trustees in October.

Staff Senate Office, 801 University Union, Clemson, SC 29634864-656-9000 | StaffSenate-L@clemson.edu | www.clemson.edu/staffsenate

Food for Thought: Tom Ward: CU Ombudsman

Creating and Maintaining a Workplace of ChoiceClemson University is experiencing a fair bit of growth and attention these days. The attention and exposure Clemson receives from its academic reputation and achievements, let alone the 2016 football season, can be felt across campus. Admissions applications and profiles are at record levels and interest in prospective employment is strong. So, now that Clemson is experiencing strong attention and interest, how are we doing at creating and maintaining a workplace of choice? A place where top people want to work, and a workplace where employees don’t just come to work, but actually flourish.

This is not simply a challenge to the president or the board of trustees (though they play vital roles), it’s a challenge to every member of the Clemson community. Attracting, developing, and retaining a world class workforce is foundational to Clemson’s strategic interests as articulated in ClemsonForward. Yet, the success an organization experiences in attracting top talent is dependent on that organization’s ability to develop and retain that talent. Easy to say, not so easy to do.

Great organizations pay close attention to how decisions are made and implemented. Leaders of great organizations understand that the health and potential of their organization greatly depends on the quality and commitment of their people. The tone set by institutional leaders in their decision-making significantly influences the development and retention of top people, yet every member of the Clemson community play a part.

The “Esprit de Corps” (a feeling of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by the members of a particular group) of an organization is the sweet spot where excellence and synergy reside. The primary factors that influence the “Esprit de Corps”

in the workplace are not rocket science, yet they tend to be pretty challenging: mutual trust and respect. These two terms warrant a closer look.

Trust is defined as “belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc”. It is about choosing to believe the best in a person. Sometime despite negative experiences we may have had with that person. Think of how a challenging work relationship could be transformed if both parties chose to believe the best in the other person instead of perceiving and judging the other based on one negative historical incident or the office gossip about that person.

Respect is defined as “acknowledging and listening to another person, giving serious consideration, worth and value to their thoughts, feelings, needs, ideas, wishes, and preferences and accepting their individuality and idiosyncrasies”. The Golden Rule – treat others the way you want to be treated. Imagine how a challenging work relationship might be different if both parties made the effort to acknowledge and truly listen to one another? What if they seriously considered each other’s thoughts, feelings, needs, ideas and preferences? What if each party accepted the other’s individuality and idiosyncrasies? Food for thought.

The Staff Ombudsman is a designated neutral and confidential resource available to all Clemson University staff. Staff can access this resource to privately discuss concerns they encounter in the workplace in order to insure clarity and explore options available for addressing concerns. For contact and further information: www.clemson.edu/ombudsman.

Name: Rebecca Ulmer

Position/Department: Administrative Assistant-Regional Business Center-1 Edisto REC

What is your role in the department: I handle the financial transactions for Bamberg and Barnwell Counties as well as the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, SC.

How long have you been with Clemson University: 6 years

Why did you choose to be a Staff Senator: I wanted to be more involved at Clemson and try to bring

an off-campus perspective to issues and to learn about issues from an on-campus perspective as well. I also looked forward to meeting and working with the other Staff Senators.

How do you spend your time when you’re not working: I am a mother of four, ages 7, 11, 13, and 15. Most of my time is spent with my family attending numerous sporting events and other activities. We also enjoy watching movies and playing sports in the yard.

What might someone be surprised to know about you: I played soccer at Presbyterian College and to this day still love to play sports any chance I get.

What is your favorite off-campus place for lunch: Since my office is located off campus and in a rural area, I do not have too many dining options. Subway is usually the go to place but on occasion, I love to go to the Mexican Restaurant in Barnwell, SC.

New Senator Spotlight

Staff Senate Office, 801 University Union, Clemson, SC 29634864-656-9000 | StaffSenate-L@clemson.edu | www.clemson.edu/staffsenate