The Controller's Office went on a teambuilding outing in May to an Escape Room at a former mill in Hudson. For those that haven't tried an Escape Room before, we were "locked" in a room with a series of puzzles to solve as a team to "escape." It was a new and different way for the team to get to know each other and strengthen our ability to work collaboratively to solve problems. It was…
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The Innovation Team wanted to welcome two new members who have joined the team recently, Andrew Buroni and Nancy Chac. Get to know them better and be sure to say hi when you see them in the office! , Andrew Buroni, Andrew Buroni was born and raised in Marlboro MA, and recently graduated with a Marketing Degree from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Andrew has worked for the President’s Office since November 2021 as an intern with UPST. During this time, he has worked on the Supplier Relationship management team and has helped onboard over 2,500 suppliers into the system. Fun Facts! …, Nancy Chac, Nancy Chac, from Brockton MA, is one of the new Business Analyst Fellows in the Innovation Team. In May, she graduated from UMass Lowell with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Marketing and Analytics. Fun fact! Nancy holds a record for taking the most honors courses in the UMass Lowell Honors College. In her free time, she likes being active and listening to…
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The Non-Binary Flag (above) consists of four stripes: yellow stands for people whose gender doesn’t exist within the binary; white represents people with all genders or many genders; purple stands for people with genders that may be a mix of female and male; and black represents people that identify as not having any gender at all., About International Non-Binary People's Day, International Non-Binary People's Day is celebrated on July 14 each year. Katje van Loon started International Non-Binary People's Day in 2012. The date of International Non-Binary People's Day was chosen as it is midway between International Women’s Day (March 8) and International Men’s Day (November 19). Non-binary is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity does not fit neatly into…, Resources for Celebrating International Non-Binary People's Day, Workplace Pride, hosts an annual event for International Non-Binary People's Day. The event includes speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities., The Human Rights Campaign, also has a number of resources for celebrating International Non-Binary People's Day., The Trevor Project, is a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth. They have a number of resources on their website about non-binary identity, including a glossary of terms and a list of support groups., GLAAD, is a media advocacy organization that works to promote accurate and inclusive representation of LGBTQ people in the media. They have a number of resources on their website about non-binary identity, including a list of films and TV shows with non-binary characters., Ways to include Non-Binary People Everyday, Learn more about non-binary people, . There are a number of books, articles, and websites that can help you learn more about non-binary people, including Book Riot's Memoirs by Non-Binary authors ., Introduce yourself with your pronouns when you meet someone new., This gives others the opportunity to share their pronouns. In addition, make sure to check for pronouns in someone's email signature or on their user profile (for example: LinkedIn, Zoom, and Slack). , Support non-binary organizations, . There are a number of organizations that work to support non-binary people. You can donate to these organizations or volunteer your time., Speak out against discrimination, . If you see a person& being discriminated against, speak up. Complete Right to Be's Online Bystander Training to learn how you can intervene effectively as a bystander. By taking these steps, we can create a more inclusive and accepting world for non-binary people. Communication developed by Vanita Chawla.
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The National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), a premier professional organization in the field of higher education law, recently met at its annual conference in Chicago to discuss important and current legal topics and developments impacting institutes of higher education. Attorneys Maria Sheehy and Alyssa Cherubino represented the Office of the General Counsel at the…
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Arts, culture, and humanities are vital to inspiring the next generation of musicians and uniting us as a community. On Saturday, July 22nd, President Marty Meehan and the UMass Lowell Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp performed at the iconic Boston Symphony Music Hall, celebrating the camp's 25th anniversary. As part of the band's performance, President Meehan once again joined the ensemble,…
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The Disability Pride Flag (above) was designed by Ann Magill. The charcoal gray background commemorates and mourns disabled people who have died due to ableism, violence, negligence, suicide, rebellion, illness and eugenics. The stripes represent different disabilities: green is for sensory disabilities, including the blind, deaf, and deaf-blind communities; blue represents psychiatric…, About Disability Independence Day, Following a few weeks after Independence Day, July 26 is recognized annually as National Disability Independence Day, commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, prohibiting discrimination against those with disabilities. Although we’ve come a long way since this law was passed, there is still a lot…, Everyone has a part to play. How can we do our part?, As referenced in a recent Forbes article on June 28, 2023, Celebrating Disability Pride Month – What's Your Role? by Keely Cat-Wells, below are some things you can do to make this world a more inclusive place:, Companies, Inclusive Hiring Practices:, Disabled people should be hired for all roles, not just those specifically related to disability. This expands the scope of opportunities and allows disabled individuals to bring their diverse perspectives to various aspects of the organization., Appoint Access Coordinators:, For every project, an Access Coordinator should be assigned to ensure that accessibility requirements are met. This role will involve planning, implementing, and monitoring accessibility measures, enabling the project to be inclusive from the outset., Discard Assumptions:, It's crucial not to assume what someone can or cannot do or what they may or may not need. Disabilities can be non-apparent, and people’s access requirements can vary greatly. Encourage open conversations and avoid making assumptions about what someone can or cannot do based on their appearance., Prioritize Disability in your Diversity Agenda:, While diversity agendas often focus on aspects like race, gender, and sexual orientation, it's crucial that disability is included too. This ensures that the unique challenges faced by disabled individuals are recognized and addressed., Allys, Self-Education:, Begin by educating yourself about the realities faced by the disabled community. A good starting point can be as simple as following hashtags on social media such as #DisabilityRights, #SpoonieCommunity, #A11y, #Accessibility, #RightsOnFlights, #IStayStrong, #DisabledAndCute. These hashtags offer a window into the experiences, concerns, and triumphs of disabled individuals, and they'll allow you…, Amplify Disabled Voices:, Practice 'passing the mic' by giving disabled people a platform to share their experiences, knowledge, and perspectives, and pay them for their time and expertise. This could mean inviting disabled speakers to events, featuring disabled writers in publications, or sharing content created by disabled people on your social media. Amplifying disabled voices fosters representation and allows these…, Prioritize Accessibility:, Ensure that all spaces, physical or virtual, are accessible. This includes everything from: installing ramps and lifts in buildings, providing sign language interpretation, closed captioning and transcripts for all content, ensuring that websites are navigable with screen readers, avoiding plug-ins or overlays and going beyond the basic compliance. Promote and participate in the design of…, Understanding Disability Culture and the Disability Rights Movement, Here is a brief timeline of some historical milestones. Note that it does not provide a comprehensive history of the disability rights movement in America as there have been so many historical moments (both good and bad) that have shaped disability culture and identity within the United States., Note:, This communication uses both identity-first (disabled person) and person-first language (person with a disability) to align with the APA Style Guide on Disability . The content provided from Keely Cat-Wells's article is all in identity-first as that is how Keely wrote the content. Communication developed by Chanda Wolf.
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Diversity Calendar, The DEIA Communications team keeps a calendar of upcoming diversity awareness months and days recognized either nationally or internationally due to their cultural, historical, or religious significance. , Date-Specific Events:, Friday, August 4: Coast Guard Birthday Wednesday, August 9: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People Sunday, August 13 – Tuesday, August 15: Obon (Buddhism) Saturday, August 26: Women’s Equality Day, Additional Awareness Events this Month , The DEIA Communications team will send out individual communications around the following awareness events this month: Wednesday, August 30: Rakhi, Celebrate Women’s Equality , Women’s Equality Day (August 26) is a day of recognition and appreciation. On this day, we are reminded of the roadblocks women faced to achieve equality that included discrimination, violence, and even death. These courageous heroes marched forward in the pursuit of a fair and just system in all areas of life and society. To learn about women’s history in the suffrage movement, visit the…, 5 Quick Ways to Celebrate Women's Equality Day in the Office, Introduce a Mentoring Program. Despite all the efforts women make, more men hold top-level positions. Be an active listener of women. Ensure that women receive equitable clarity (of expectations), feedback, and support for their development, ascension, and overall success. Recommend a book by a woman author. Give a shout out to a woman you know that’s doing a good job!
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Every year UMass is audited by an independent third party. There are a few reasons why an audit is vital to our continued operation as a university, including: Access to federal funding - an organization that spends more than $750,000 of federal money in a single year is required to undergo an audit. In FY22, the university spent over $1 billion on federal awards! Required by law - an independent…
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TASC FSA (Flexible Spending Account) Update, The transition from Benefit Strategies/VOYA to TASC has been completed for the FY23 grace period and runout benefit plans for Healthcare FSA and Dependent Care. The participant accounts for these plans are active and balances are available for use. If you were enrolled in the FSA in FY23 and have funds remaining and you enrolled in FY24, you will see an additional account, or accounts, added to…
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Teamwork makes the dream work!, In May 2023, the Treasurer’s Office completed the University-wide PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance audit, under the new PCI 4.0 regulations. This process included collecting the self-assessment questionnaires (SAQ) for 312 active merchants and combining these individual reports into one SAQ D. The document was reviewed by our QSA (Qualified Security Assessor) and sent to our processor. …
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