Sentinel 2020-0521 (complete)

MaPSAC, the Management and Professional Staff Advisory Committee at Purdue University

The Sentinel • May 21, 2020

Chair’s Corner

Welcome to May! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! We are quickly approaching the end of another term and I can’t believe I’m writing my last Chair’s Corner for this term of MaPSAC (note the name change). This has been one tumultuous year with everything from job family system changes to pay band implementation and now the COVID-19 crisis. We are all experiencing higher levels of stress in our lives, and I want you to know that MaPSAC is still here to help answer questions. You can reach out to your MaPSAC member or myself (dmvukobr@purdue.edu).

Today, communicating with those around us is more important than ever. We have been quarantined for the past couple of months and the importance of communication with those in our social circles is paramount to our mental wellness. We have been informed to practice social distancing, but I want to be more specific in that we should really be practicing physical distancing. We have all sorts of ways of staying in contact with those around us today: phone calls, texting, email, FaceTime, Zoom, etc. I could go on about this. I watched a Ted Talk titled “The Language of Being Human” by Poet Ali. One of the things that I learned in this Ted Talk is that we all speak multiple languages — and most of all, we are all fluent in the language of “experience.”

I would like to encourage you to pick up that phone … and call someone that you care about. I would like to encourage you to take that walk in the woods (while practicing good physical distancing). I’d like to encourage you to have “dinner” with those you miss seeing by doing a FaceTime or other virtual call during the meal. These are the ways that we can have technology work for us while we are experiencing challenging moments in our lives. This is where we can all speak the same language of living an experience together while still staying safe with physical distancing.

As the warm weather rolls in, we all need to recharge our batteries. We can do this by getting away from your desk or table at lunch, taking a walk, reading a book, listening to music, doing some exercise or any number of things that may help you refill your cup. Find what best fits you and take care of yourself.

As always, I would like to encourage you to learn who the MaPSAC member is for your area. You can see our current membership here MaPSAC members are available to hear the staff’s needs on campus. I encourage all staff to reach out to any MaPSAC member with questions and concerns that they may have as well as compliments and ideas for improvement. MaPSAC wants to hear from you.

Danny Vukobratovich
Chair, Management and Professional Staff Advisory Committee

▣ MaPSAC news

The Management and Professional Staff Advisory Committee (MaPSAC) welcomes new members whose terms will begin on June 1, 2020. Our newcomers are listed with the ending year of their terms and their areas of membership:

Banter, Colleen (2023), Office of the President, Areas Reporting Directly to the Provost, Board of Trustees, Executive Vice President for Strategic Communications
Chapman, Kelsey (2023), At-Large
Emmons, Amanda (2022), Sr. Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Human Resources
Mull, Tony (2023), College of Agriculture & College of Veterinary Medicine
Musser, Christal (2022), Office of the President, Areas Reporting Directly to the Provost, Board of Trustees, Executive Vice President for Strategic Communications
Palm, Jaclyn (2023), College of Pharmacy and College of Health and Human Sciences
Schlueter, David (2023), College of Agriculture & College of Veterinary Medicine
Shoop, Wesley (2023), Intercollegiate Athletics
Sigo, Angie (2023), Office of the President, Areas Reporting Directly to the Provost, Board of Trustees, Executive Vice President for Strategic Communications
Springer, Mike (2023), Sr. Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Human Resources
Subramaniam, Anna (2023), At-Large
Ticen, Kerry (2023), College of Engineering & Purdue Polytechnic

Stacey Baisden will become MaPSAC’s chairperson for 2020-21. The committee elected Cameron Ward to serve as vice chair; under MaPSAC’s operating procedures, Ward will become chair for 2021-22.

MaPSAC is grateful to Malissa Ayala, Jason FitzSimmons, Alex Gulik, John O’Malley, Danielle Latta and Danny Vukobratovich, who will complete their terms at the end of May.

▣ Coronavirus-related news for Purdue staff

▣ Benefits

The Administrative & Professional Staff Advisory Committee became the Management and Professional Staff Advisory Committee in April 2020.

The Sentinel is the official newsletter of the Management and Professional Staff Advisory Committee at Purdue University.

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