Student Affairs Staff Connection  
 

March, 2016

Mullins Center

Dear Colleagues,

While we eagerly anticipate spring, there's still a lot to look forward to right now. Celebrate International Women's Day, visit Question Bridge: Black Males, an exhibit at the University Museum of Contemporary Art, and don't miss the free "Mullins Live!" concert. Read on for events, activities, and information.

Best wishes,
The Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Life
319 Whitmore
Phone: 413-545-2300 Email: sacl@umass.edu
Student Affairs and Campus Life Website


Announcements

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To help us streamline the newsletter process, use our digital submission form. Thank you for your contribution!

SACL Communications Project Request Form
We now have a digital project request form! To request print, web, digital signage and photography, please use the form instead of sending a request to personal mailboxes.

Spring Break Closing and Opening
Non-break residence halls will close for spring break on Fri. March 11 at 6 p.m. Halls will reopen on Sun. March 20 at 10 a.m.

Introducing ComPsych Guidance Resources
In addition to the benefits offered through the campus Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP), UMass Amherst now offers additional and complementary employee assistance services through ComPsych.

SATS Pop-up Alert Messages
Student Affairs Technology Services (SATS) is implementing a pop-up alert system to share information about email or other service interruptions that may impact SACL staff. If a KACE Desktop Alert message (a small blue box containing a message, Dell logo, and the word "KACE") pops up at the bottom of your screen, it is from the SATS group and is not malware or a virus.

KACE is a workstation management tool used across campus. It is currently configured for 75% of SATS-supported computers with full implementation expected soon. In addition to service notifications, KACE provides the ability to "push" software updates and other fixes to computers. For some updates, you may receive a pop-up message about the update being applied.

UMass Summer Programs
UMass Summer Programs invites motivated high school students interested in hands-on learning experiences to apply to Summer Pre-College. Benefitted UMass faculty and staff are eligible for tuition remission.

Join the MASSRides Challenge
UMass Amherst will compete against UMass Boston and UMass Lowell from March 21 through April 22 to prove which campus is greenest. Register on the MassRides website to track green trips and to boost our standing. Thank you for your contribution!

Register for the Rudd-REFCA Adoption Conference
Registration is open for the Rudd-REFCA Adoption Conference at UMass Amherst on May 13.

Nominations for LGBTQIA+ and Ally Of The Year Awards
Nominate someone for recognition at Rainbow Graduation, Thurs. April 28 at 7 p.m. Campus Center, Amherst Room.


Education and personal development

Spring Workplace Learning and Development Schedule
Still time to sign up for Workplace Learning and Development classes!

Labor/Management Workplace Education Program
Enhance your skills and life with free classes offered by Labor/Management Workplace Education.


Events

International Film Screenings
The 23rd Annual Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival presents the best of new fiction, documentary, and experimental filmmaking.

Spring Athletics Action
Take a break in March to watch the UMass men's and women's lacrosse teams and our baseball team compete at home.

January 28 - May 1: "Question Bridge: Black Males" Art Exhibit
University Museum of Contemporary Art
Question Bridge: Black Males is a video installation at the University Museum of Contemporary Art that aims to represent and redefine black male identity in America.

Wed. March 2: Family Movie Night
5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Off Campus Student Center
All ages are welcome. Movies have a rating of G or PG

Fri.-Sat. March 4-5: 7th Annual Five College Queer Gender and Sexuality Conference
Hampshire College
The Queer Conference is student-led and will explore topics such as race, genders, sexualities, ability, class, kink, and survival strategies. Volunteers are needed!

Sat. March 5: "Mullins Live!" with Migos, Capital Cities, and Jason Derulo
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mullins Center
Free concert open only to UMass students, faculty, and staff with valid ID. Tickets available at the Mullins Center Box Office.

Sat. March 5: 3rd Annual Women of Color Trailblazers Leadership Conference Keynote Event
2:30 p.m. Chapin Auditorium, Mt. Holyoke College
The Trailblazers Leadership Conference features keynote speaker Janet Mock.

Mon. March 7: Advocate for UMass at the State House
On Public Higher Education Advocacy Day, students, faculty, and staff from UMass will travel to the State House to advocate for increased funding. Transportation will be provided to and from Boston.

Tues. March 8: Distinguished Faculty Lecture - Banu Subramaniam, Department of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies
4 p.m. Bernie Dallas Room, Goodell Building
Professor Subramaniam's lecture is entitled "Interdisciplinary Hauntings: The Ghostly Worlds of Naturecultures."

Tues. March 8: International Women's Day Celebration
4 to 6 p.m. 203 New Africa House
Celebrate International Women's Day with performances, international hors d'oeuvres, henna designs, and more.

Tues. March 8 and Fri. March 25: International Coffee Hour
4 to 5 p.m. Blue Wall, Campus Center
Mingle and talk with international students, faculty, and staff and enjoy free coffee, tea, and snacks.

Wed. March 9: Off Campus Housing Fair
11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Campus Center Concourse
Off campus information from representatives of real estate agencies, property management companies, and apartment communities in Amherst and Sunderland.

Wed. March 9: Call in or Call Out: Dialogue with Loretta Ross and Asam Amhad
7 to 8:30 p.m. Commonwealth Honors College Events Hall
Activists and scholars Loretta Ross and Asam Amhad discuss Call-Out Culture.

Fri. March 25: Feminist Poetics: Legacies of June Jordan
9:30 a.m. Student Union Ballroom
Symposium celebrating the work of feminist poet, scholar, and activist June Jordan.

Fri.-Sat. March 25-26: DEAFinitions: A Deaf Studies Conference
Hampshire College
Register here for conference exploring the multifaceted experience of Deaf lives.

Sat. March 26: Taiwanese & Chinese Students' Association Cultural Night Market
4 p.m. Campus Center Auditorium
TCSA recreates an Asian night market with Asian food, music, and performances.

Tues. March 29: Five College Consortium Staff and Faculty of Color Reception
4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Red Barn, Hampshire College


Staff news

On February 12, Tyrone A. Parham was formally sworn in as the tenth chief of the UMass Police Department by Chancellor Subbaswamy.

Advocacy, Inclusion and Support Programs has hired Matthew Bachmann, M.Ed. as Interim Director of the Student Veterans Resource Center. Matthew began his appointment on February 16 and will assist with programming, managing the day-to-day operations, and supervision of student staff.

Kudos for the UMass Amherst Recreation Center
College Rank named the UMass Amherst Recreation Center one of the 10 "Most Luxurious Student Recreation Centers" in the country.

Congratulations to the Center for Early Education and Care for renewing their accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals.

NASPA Presentation: Innovative Prevention Strategies and Coalition Building in an Activist-Oriented Community
This January, Gisella Zuniga, Jessica Dautruche, and Jill Grimaldi from Center for Women & Community discussed strategies for designing a prevention plan that balances the needs of many students from first years, to students who have not expressed interest in violence prevention, to vocal campus activists. Staff shared lessons learned in the course of providing prevention education and rape crisis services to Hampshire County, an area which includes five unique institutions that all host vibrant and vocal activist communities.

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