Facilities

Author: Facilities Communication

Mason Custodial Services

June 2022

The University has adopted a multi-contract approach for campus janitorial services, initiating new contracts with the Budd Group, Golden Gate Service and Evergreen Janitorial on June 1, 2022, and continuing contracts with Building Maintenance Service (BMS) and L&G Exclusive Janitorial, to service Fairfax and Arlington campuses. These organizations were selected in keeping with Mason’s commitment to fair treatment of its employees and those of its contractors in a manner that closely aligns with the University’s values. The SciTech campus will be maintained by Mason employees. 

Mason respects and values everyone’s work at the University and recognizes the important custodial role in keeping the campuses clean and safe. Further, the University expects fair treatment for everyone who works on our campuses, whether they are employed directly by Mason or through a contractor. In 2020, based on dialogue with campus custodial staff, the University commissioned an outside audit of its janitorial services contractor and put a campus janitorial services contract out to bid after 30 years with the same company.

Mason now requires that a contractor’s custodial staff be paid a wage of at least $15.25 per hour, that they be considered employees of the company and not independent contractors, and that all payroll records are electronically processed to ensure everyone is paid fully and on time. Each organization offers competitive hourly compensation and benefits and is responsible for their own compensation structures. 

Against the backdrop of today’s complex and shifting labor market, a mix of service providers and these requirements support the welfare of custodial workers and Mason’s Virginia campuses’ needs.

Commencement Kudos

 

Shout out to all of the teams in Mason Facilities who went above and beyond to prepare the campus and EagleBank Arena for the Spring 2022 Commencement ceremonies.

Your efforts over the last month have not gone unnoticed.  They are greatly appreciated.

“As always Mason events would not be successful without all of the work Facilities does to make the campus look beautiful, ensure the trash and recycling are managed, items are moved and setup on time, in addition to all of the last minute issues that come up that your team is always quick to address,” said Rachel Quinn, AVP of Mason Operations and University Events.  “Please share my gratitude with waste management, grounds, general service, and Zone 6.”

Thank you again for all the work you do!

Facilities Spring Campus Cleanup

Check out our Instagram Post!

Facilities Spring 2022 Campus Cleanup

On Tuesday, May 5, 2022, our Facilities Management (FM) team members took charge for a Campus Cleanup at the Fairfax, Arlington, and SciTech campuses.  Our Campus Clean up happens annually to pick up trash and debris that has been deposited around the campus grassy and wooded areas over the winter.  This year’s winter was typically windy and although keeping the campus clean throughout the year is routine practice, FM finds “hidden” debris that gets trapped in parking lot perimeter and wooded areas. 

At the Fairfax Campus, the property is divided into 7 distinct areas that are high traffic/high visibility areas that include the edges of campus along Braddock and Ox (Rt. 123) Roads and assigned.  Much of the debris along these areas come from the heavy traffic that passes our campus daily.  As a steward of our properties and the Earth, FM strives to keep these areas clean and separate all the materials retrieved into groups: Items to be recycled and those that can be disposed of as waste. 

The composition of materials collected at the Fairfax campus are as follows:

  • Trash – 316.7 LBS.
  • Recycle 180.5 LBS

 

 

May 2022 Facilities Employee of the Month – Angel Washington

 

Celebrating Angel Washington as the May  Employee of the Month

Angel goes beyond the call of duty to make sure things are right and understands each individual talent. Her compassion for people and her job are outstanding and very professional and so many others enjoy seeing her smiling face entering the Customer Service Center. She’s turned the Customer Service Center into a friendly, helpful place.

 

Interested in submitting a GMU Facilities Employee of the Month nomination?  Check out the new process here!

Sustainable Print Studio

Cartoon Art Credit: Sylvia Rossi
Check out the Instagram video!

 

The School of Art’s Print and Book Arts studio is repositioning its practices and curriculum towards an environmentally friendly and sustainable future!

Christopher Kardambikis, assistant professor and director of printmaking and book arts, was determined to pivot and focus his operations and curriculum on printmaking processes that are non-toxic, energy efficient, and supportive of the repurposing of paper scraps into new, usable sheets.

In Fall 2022, Kardambikis was awarded $20,000 of support from the Office of Sustainability’s Patriot Green Fund – a grant from Mason Facilities that allows the campus community to contribute to solutions that reduce Mason’s environmental impact – for the purchase of a new Risograph printer to help fulfill his sustainable vision. This machine uses a stencil based and single-color printing process, which prepares students for commercial printing applications. It is ENERGY STAR certified and uses 95% less energy than photocopiers. It also does not produce greenhouse gases or any air pollutants.

"The Sustainable Print Studio has been working to bring student publications to the center of our work and our curriculum,” said Kardambikis.   “It's exciting to provide the Risograph machine as a tool for our students to print and distribute their own comics, zines, books, and prints. It's even better to know that they are using a process that is environmentally clean and responsible!”

In addition, the Patriot Green Fund also purchased new moulds and deckles for the studio, which are used for papermaking. This allows students to learn about the processes of creating new sheets of paper from a blended pulp of leftover paper scraps in a hands-on environment. The Print Studio holds weekly papermaking sessions to recycle old prints and previously used paper into fresh, new sheets to be used during class.

“Our studio is building a full life cycle of materials - with students participating in every step of production to transform refuse materials into finely crafted books and comics,” explained Kardambikis.

This performs several functions:

  1. The studio can recycle all paper used in the class to keep a constant supply of new, hand-formed paper available for fine art printing.
  2. The class-made paper reduces the cost of printmaking for our students, normally a large expense in screen printing and wood block printing.
  3. The program allows students to be directly involved in the production of materials that can be used by the entire class, building a shared sense of community.

These tools have been promptly used during a new spring 2022 course, “Dynamic Publishing: Comics Production” (AVT 496). This class provides unique opportunities for students to learn from a local D.C. based cartoonist, Adam Griffiths. The Risograph will support the production of his new graphic novel and will be printed, designed, and distributed by the students in the course. In addition to this, students have the chance to gain feedback and mentorship from Griffiths as they produce their own comics during the class.

This project created a curriculum-wide effort to develop a circular flow of materials, while reducing Mason’s energy usage, to support a “Healthy Planet!”

Arboretum Tree Planting

 

In Spring 2022, a small team of students used the Patriot Green Fund to enhance the diversity of The Honeybee Pollinator Garden. This garden sits outside of Roberts House on the Mason Fairfax Campus and is collaboratively supported by the Office of Sustainability’s Greenhouse & Gardens Program and Facilities Management’s Grounds Department. This space serves as a biodiverse pollinator haven, including the bees currently residing in the Honeybee Initiative’s apiary.  
   
To further compliment this initiative, student volunteers interested in learning about Mason’s trees and gardens, assisted in planting three native American Persimmon trees on April 8, 2022. The trees will be included as new additions to the Mason Arboretum - a nationally accredited collection of trees and woody plants, which can be spotted on Mason’s campuses with labeled signs that include scannable barcodes to its online catalogue. Once the trees reach maturity they will have vibrant blossoms in the spring, and with the help of the pollinators, produce sweet and edible fruit in the fall.   
   
The trees, supplies, and coordination for this planting event were donated by Facilities Management  in support of the Arboretum’s mission: “To cultivate curiosity, education, and wellbeing through stewardship of its trees, gardens, and other natural spaces.”    

“Student and community planting events such as this are crucial to our programming here at Mason, as they ensure our responsibility to provide continued education, awareness, and stewardship of our natural environment,” said Erich Miller, Certified Arborist and Mason Facilities Management Grounds Program Manager.  “We hope that the skills and information passed on to the students will resonate, not only here on our campus grounds, but wherever their paths may lead.”

You can support future tree planting events at Mason by donating or giving your time to help. Reach out to learn more at [email protected]. 

Keith “Wally” Wallace: 2022 Goldie and Diane Hattery Award Winner

 

Keith “Wally” Wallace has received the Goldie and Diane Hattery Award for Excellence.

In his nomination, Wally is described as an employee who goes above and beyond to help his team in university events and all other offices on campus. A true member of the Mason community, Wally is the first one on campus and the last to leave during graduations, nominators noted.

Please join us in congratulating Wally on his much deserved win!

April 2022 Facilities Employee of the Month – Ronnie Wells

 

Celebrating Ronnie Wells on being Facilities’ April Employee of the month. He was nominated by Kristal Miller, Anastasia Triplett, and Susie Mueller.

Ronnie is always quick to respond to any concerns or maintenance reports that are sent to him regardless of the time of day. He has responded to multiple pipe leaks and floods and stayed to help clean up all of the water. Some examples include:

  • Him and his team worked diligently throughout the weekend to fix the hot water heater that broke at the residence hall.
  • He replaced all of the exterior door sweeps due to multiple snakes entering the building underneath the doors. He’s highly motivated, creative, and eager to fix things.
  • When a student dropped a necklace behind the toilet in her dorm room and it somehow fell in between the toilet and the wall. The young lady was very upset because her aunt gave her the necklace and unfortunately the aunt died. Ronnie went above and beyond when one of his coworkers failed in getting to the necklace. When Ronnie heard that it wasn’t recovered he stepped in and removed the whole toilet and he found the student’s necklace. We thought it would be a lovely idea if Ronnie give her the necklace. Tearfully she thanked him and told him it meant the world to her to get it back and how grateful she is to him to go to through all the trouble.
  • When Ronnie was leaving after his shift, he noticed a student in the parking lot was having car trouble. There was no hesitation whatever in Ronnie helping the student and he was able to get the car started.

No matter how bad of a day he had or how tired, Ronnie’s focus on quality customer-service is unprecedented. He always has a smile on his face and a willingness to help. Whenever there are projects requested by the Executive Director, Ronnie is specifically requested because of his workmanship and attention to detail. In addition, on numerous occasions Ronnie has come in after-hours to help address emergency situations. He has been an excellent resource for SMSC and it is reassuring to know that everyone can count on him to help address the facility needs.
Ronnie’s work ethic is off the charts. He gives 100+% to any and all jobs. Ronnie possesses a “can do and then some” attitude. He is always upbeat and ready to help in any way he can. The level of which he cares about his job is inspiring. At the drop of a hat he is there for us at the Front Royal campus.
Many, many times people have had to call in the evening and weekends for him to come and fix something and his answer is always, “I’ll be there shortly.” For many, if Ronnie works on any work order, they do not need to wonder if it has been done right. He is extremely communicative. He lets everyone know that he received the work order and when he plans on coming out to address it. Also, he will follow up with what plan of action he had to take to complete the task.
Ronnie is cordial and warm to everyone he comes in contact with: just the other day he mentioned again that “It’s all about the students.” During the pandemic when everyone was safe at home, facilities personnel had to work to make sure the campus buildings were operating. To many they are the unsung heroes of the university. It is the norm for faculty to be recognized but without the hard work of facilities to keep the wheels in motion, the university would not function.

Construction kick-off on Arlington Campus the ‘start of something big’

Concept rendering by Mason Innovation Partners / EYP

Story by Damian Cristodero

The first steps of the construction project that will reshape and reimagine George Mason’s Arlington Campus are scheduled to begin this week, weather permitting.

“This is the start of something big for Mason,” Carol Kissal, Mason’s senior vice president for administration and finance. “And when it’s done, it will have fundamentally changed our campus, as well as the broader Arlington community.”

The action won’t be dramatic at first, said Cathy Pinskey, program director at Mason Facilities, but will ramp up over time, given that the scope

of the $235 million renovation includes construction of an approximately 400,000-square-foot building on the site of the old Kann’s department store that will support Mason’s School of Computing and other innovative ecosystems.

Construction fencing will be reconfigured, primarily by the driveway of the FDIC building. There will also be some excavation for sheeting and shoring, and preparation of the site for the new building with relocation of an existing underground storm pipe.

A water line and electric line will be relocated, and drilling for “soldier beams” to support the sheeting and shoring will begin, perhaps later in the month, Pinskey said.

“There may be some noise. You may feel some vibrations,” Pinskey said. “But it’s all safe and done in compliance with rules and requirements. The reality is, the end result will be worth it.”