NUSAC News – Fall 2023

Emailed to Northwestern staff on September 26, 2023

Letter from the Chair

Dear Northwestern Staff:

I hope that you all had a nice summer and that your fall is off to a great start. My name is Brian Drabik and I have the honor of serving as the NUSAC chair for fiscal year 2024. I am currently the Director of Financial Aid Operations and have been a proud member of NUSAC since 2019. I look forward to connecting with many of you in the coming year.

In many ways it feels like we are entering a new era at the University with all the changes in leadership over the past months. It provides us with a unique opportunity to reassess and reaffirm Northwestern's guiding principles in light of the work that NUSAC will perform in the coming year. NUSAC is a resource for you. Our mission is to engage and amplify staff voices through community and workplace engagement.

You'll see in this issue of our newsletter that there are a lot of activities and events this fall. Our offerings are wide ranging from social events to professional development opportunities. We hope that you will be able to take advantage of some of these offerings and that we will get a chance to meet at some of them.

We are very excited to announce that we are welcoming seven new members to the Council this year. We will be featuring them on our website in the coming months, so please be sure to engage with our website to learn more about your colleagues. We have also created a NUSAC Listserv, which allows us to share announcements and events more frequently. If you are interested in hearing from us more often, be sure to sign up!

NUSAC can only fulfill its mission if we are aware of the staff community's perspective, so please share your insights and feedback with us.

Thank you for all that you do to make Northwestern a great organization.

With Gratitude,

Brian Drabik, NUSAC Chair

Upcoming Events

Growing Your Career Workshop: Monday, October 2nd from 9:00am – 1:00pm.

NUSAC is looking forward to hosting the Growing Your Career Workshop in partnership with the Office of Human Resources. The event will be offered in-person at Norris on the Evanston campus Monday, October 2^nd from 9:00am – 1:00pm. Concurrent sessions will include:

Opportunities with Northwestern Staff Affinity Groups
Navigating the Job Search Process
Mock Interviews
Creating and Proactively Navigating a Roadmap for Career Development

Fireside Chat with President Schill: October 10, 2-3pm

NUSAC will host the Annual Fireside Chat with President Michael Schill on Tuesday, October 10, from 2-3 p.m. in the Norris Center's Louis Room.

Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer Lorraine Goffe will lead a conversation with President Schill that addresses University news, insights on Northwestern' priorities and guiding principles, and other topics on the minds of staff.

The event will be streamed live with a special viewing on the Chicago campus in the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center Building – Hughes Auditorium. Details for the live stream will be shared at a later date.

A reception will follow the event in both locations.

If you wish to attend in person, please complete the online reservation. Questions can be submitted online in advance or via email to nusac@northwestern.edu. Questions and in-person reservations should be submitted by Friday, September 29.

Ombuds Day Open House: Thursday, October 12

The Office of the Ombudsperson invites the Northwestern University community to celebrate Annual Ombuds Day on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 555 Clark Street, Suite 209 on the Evanston Campus from 9:30-11:30am.

Highlights of this event will:

Educate the public about the role of ombuds
Explain the wide variety of services that ombuds provide
Encourage greater use of ombuds programs and services

Learn more about the services of the Office of the Ombudsperson here and reach out to ombuds@northwestern.edu with any questions.

More Information

Open Enrollment: Monday October 23 – Friday November 10

The choices you make during Open Enrollment shape the benefits that will be working for you and your family throughout the coming year. Open Enrollment for January 1, 2024 plan changes and FSA/HSA enrollment will open at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, October 23 and close at 5 p.m. on Friday, November 10.

Human Resources will also be hosting a Virtual Benefits & Well-being Fair, which will be available before and during the week of Monday, October 16. The fair will also host drop in hours. Be sure to visit the Virtual Benefits & Well-being Fair page for more information!

Learn More

Upcoming Athletic Events

Football Homecoming Game: Northwestern vs. Howard – Saturday, October 7 – 2pm.

NUSAC has partnered with Northwestern Athletics to offer discounted tickets to staff. (Endzone – $25, Endzone Corner – $30, Sideline – $45)

Please follow the below steps to secure your discounted ticket.

Step 1: Go to nusports.com
Step 2: Input the promo code: NUSACFB23
Step 3: Purchase your tickets!

Fall Education Appreciation Games

The below contests are Northwestern Athletics education appreciation games. These sports are not ticketed, and admission is free. At every Educator Appreciation game, Northwestern Faculty, Staff, and local educators will be recognized.

Northwestern Women's Soccer vs. Illinois – Thursday, September 28^th – 7:00 p.m.
Featuring our Welcome Back ‘Cats tailgate for Northwestern faculty, staff and students. Pre-game tailgate begins at 6pm and includes food provided by Marco Roma Pizzeria for the first 500 in attendance, yard games, raffles, and t-shirt giveaways while supplies last.

Northwestern Women's Field Hockey vs. Michigan – Sunday, October 1^st – 11:00 a.m.
The first 25 faculty and staff to present their Wildcard will receive a free gift!

Northwestern Men's Soccer vs. Indiana – Tuesday, October 24^th – 7:00 p.m.
The first 50 faculty and staff to present their Wildcard will receive a free gift!

Reminders

NUSAC Updates

As we start the new fiscal year, we say goodbye to some of our council members, three of whom completed their two 3-year terms as council members: Nate Daigle, Amy Hauenstein, and Yael Mayer. Nate served NUSAC as both Chair and Secretary for two years. Amy and Yael both served as Vice Chair. Their hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated.

We are fortunate to also welcome seven new council members this year: Analiz Castillo (Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences), Lindsay Dugue (Kellogg), Kristin Jacobson (Feinberg ARD), Erin Johnson (Center for Talent Development), Rebekah Sigman (Athletics), Jack Thomas Taylor (Media Majlis in Qatar), and Chris Yohe (Department of Safety and Security). Read more about our council members on our website!

Visit NUSAC's Website

Winter Recess

This year’s Winter Recess will be December 26, 27 and 28. Winter Recess refers to the closing of the University’s academic and administrative offices between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. This is done in recognition of the season and dedication of Northwestern’s faculty and staff. Winter Recess days are not holidays, but are provided in addition to the already scheduled University holidays of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Visit the HR Benefits website

Flu Shots

Human Resources has once again partnered with Empower Health Services (EHS) to host on-campus flu shot clinics in October.

-The quadrivalent influenza vaccine will be offered.
-Flu shots are free for benefits-eligible faculty & staff.
-Non benefits-eligible employees can receive their shot for $38.00.

More information

Employee Assistance Program

Did you know that the Office of Human Resources offers a number of well-being events throughout the year? Examples include:

Light Therapy: Human Resources has partnered with the Women’s Center to provide light therapy on both the Evanston and Chicago Campuses.

Stretch Breaks: Well-being breaks are intended to help support day-to-day well-being by providing opportunities to engage in brief, facilitated well-being activities throughout the workday. Breaks are provided in 15-minute virtual sessions in partnership with Human Resources and Northwestern Recreation.

Learn more

Call to Action

2023-24 One Book Selection

One Book One Northwestern announced that the One Book selection for 2023-24 is "Crying in H-Mart" by Michelle Zauner. Best known as the singer and guitarist who creates dreamy, shoegaze-inspired indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast, Zauner became a bestselling author in 2021 when her book about the loss of her mother, their shared love for Korean food and being biracial as an Asian American rocketed to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers list. History and Asian American Studies Professor Ji-Yeon Yuh will be the One Book faculty Chair. Zauner will be on both the Chicago and Evanston campuses October 18, 2023. Visit the One Book One Northwestern website.

Open House Celebration: Indigenous Artists Facing the Camera

Spend a festive day at the Block Museum with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in celebration of Rosalie Favell: Indigenous Artists Facing the Camera. Enjoy open galleries, food, music and storytelling by portrait sitter Mark M. Jourdan (Ho-Chunk and Oneida nations), and a gallery talk with portrait sitter Kim Vigue (Menominee/Oneida), Executive Director of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, on the history and future of the Mitchell Museum. Co-presented with the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.

Saturday, October 21, 2023. 12pm-5pm. The Block Museum of Art.

Programs are open to all, on a first-come first-served basis. RSVPs are not required, but appreciated, as they help museum staff anticipate attendance numbers.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The project is also generously supported by the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Arts Foundation, the Alumnae of Northwestern University, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

For those unable to attend the Open House event, the exhibition will be available through December 3.

Special Thank You to Facilities

At this year’s NU Facilities summer picnic, team members gathered for fun, food, and philanthropy. Department leaders, including VP Alex Darragh, volunteered to sit in the dunk tank to raise money for NU Cares. Staff members bought as many throws as they desired to try to sink their colleagues.

Facilities was able to raise $1,100 for NU Cares, the University’s fund that allows faculty and staff an opportunity to help a colleague experiencing financial hardship due to a medical or catastrophic event.

Faculty and staff may contribute to the NU Cares fund by payroll deduction or check, and all contributions are used to assist fellow employees.

Thank you Facilities for your generous support of this important program. This is truly inspiring!

Past Events

NUSAC Town Hall

NUSAC hosted its inaugural Town Hall on Thursday, July 27th at the Norris Center on the Evanston Campus. The event offered the opportunity for staff to learn more about NUSAC and to provide feedback and ideas.

The event was well attended and the Council was able to solicit productive feedback from staff regarding their experience at Northwestern and suggestions for initiatives and improvements moving forward.

To learn more about NUSAC, we encourage you to visit our website.

Ice Cream Social

Thank you to all staff who were able to attend our Ice Cream Social events on August 10 on the Evanston Campus and August 17 on the Chicago campus.

NUSAC partnered with the Well-Being Office in Human Resources to provide staff the opportunity to cool off with some ice cream novelties and mingle with other staff. The weather was absolutely perfect on both days!

Special thanks to Student Affairs and Feinberg Staff Engagement for their contributions toward co-sponsoring the event with NUSAC and to Evelyn Cordero in the Office of Human Resources for her assistance in organizing the event!

Tuition Benefit Webinar

On September 12, 2023, NUSAC and the Office of Human Resources co-hosted a webinar that provided an overview of Northwestern’s tuition benefit. The presentation provided information about benefits for staff members and their children, and detailed the considerations to keep in mind, such as taxation, when the benefits are utilized. Over 100 Northwestern staff attended the event. The PowerPoint presentation and FAQs from the webinar can be found on the NUSAC website here.