Facilities

Author: Facilities Communication

GMU SWaM Conference

 

George Mason University
GMU SWaM Conference
Offices of Contracts & Finance and Purchasing
September 21, 2022

 

Come join us on September 21, 2022, 10:00 – 1:00 located in the Johnson Center Dewberry Hall on the Fairfax Campus of Mason for a vendor expo, bringing together key contractors, vendors, suppliers and buyers to support better procurement decisions throughout the fiscal year. Faculty and Staff are welcome to attend as well as other localities and state agencies.

Staff from Mason’s Contracts and Purchasing Departments will be available to discuss the needs of Mason. This is an opportunity for both buyers and vendors to strengthen existing relationships as well as to form new relationships/contacts for a varied group of goods and services.

Interested Vendors:

Interested in a table? Registration available through Mason’s Facilities website or follow the link below, until September 15, 2022. There is a $50, non-refundable, registration fee per table. Space with electrical outlet access is limited, please be sure to reserve early.

If you have any questions, email [email protected] for more information.

Note: There may be photographs taken at this event and used in education, news and promotional materials, whether in print, electronic or other media sources. By participating in this event, you grant Mason the right to use your name and photograph for such purposes. All postings become the property of Mason and may be displayed, distributed or used by Mason for said purpose.

Register Here!

FAQs

August 2022 Facilities Employee of the Month – Daniel Chappell

 

 

Celebrating Daniel Chappell as the August 2022 Employee of the Month

Daniel, a Zone 3 team member, is a valued employee who solely conducts and maintains all of George Mason’s ice machines on a monthly basis, along with his regular preventive maintenance HVAC duties. He is always the first to volunteer for holiday and winter break duty, providing Facilities Management with reliable service and maintenance. In addition, Daniel works the night shift and is tasked with addressing the concerns of the entire Fairfax campus HVAC maintenance concerns during the evening.

“A number of staff members have contacted me praising his performance in maintaining and assisting with their maintenance concerns. He is highly recommended for this award for his dedication and commitment to HVAC Maintenance,” said Dwain Wise-Spain, Zone 5 Supervisor for Facilities Management.

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

Stream Restoration on Fairfax Campus Will Create Scenic Pathway

 

Work has begun on the “Necklace Phase One and Stream Restoration” project on George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, Mason Facilities announced.

The project includes the restoration of the main stream channel, as well as adjacent tributaries, beginning at the southwestern corner of the Patriot Circle/Aquia Creek Lane intersection and finishing at the northern end of Mason Pond.

It represents the next phase in Mason’s Master Plan, which is the framework that guides decisions concerning the university’s physical environment.

Illuminated, paved and mulched pedestrian trails will be constructed in addition to the restoration. Once this project is completed in late 2022, the Mason community will be able to enjoy a curated, scenic pathway from the intersection of Patriot Circle/Aquia Creek Lane to Mason Pond Drive.

The restoration process will ensure that Mason continues to be in compliance with state stormwater regulations, which support the revitalization of the Chesapeake Bay, while showcasing Mason’s forward trajectory within the Master Plan. In addition to following these laws, Mason’s goal is to achieve an environmentally sound and aesthetically vitalizing stream restoration for long-term stability and enjoyment.

Natural features and techniques were utilized to develop a design that will mimic the characteristics of a stable, natural environment. Those features will also help stabilize the degraded stream. After removal of invasive foliage, a diverse mix of native vegetation and trees will be planted to reforest and help minimize erosion and improve water quality.

These new features will be a welcome addition to Mason’s nationally accredited Arboretum, which includes labeled outdoor signs on Mason’s campuses with scannable barcodes to its online catalog.

Follow Mason Facilities for more stories like this!

July 2022 Facilities Employee of the Month – Keith “Wally” Wallace

 

Celebrating Keith “Wally” Wallace as the July 2022 Employee of the Month

Wally puts in a tremendous amount of work to both prepare and execute everything we need to ensure the degree celebrations and Commencement ceremony are a success and that the University looks good.  Wally’s exceptional work ethic and positive attitude make him a pleasure to work with.  He anticipates needs and problems and always makes things happen quickly.  He worked around the clock throughout the week and weekend to be available for our team. 

“I feel like a broken record because after every major University I feel the need to send this note and recognize Keith Wallace for going above and beyond to ensure these events go off flawlessly,” said Rachel Quinn, Assistant Vice President of Operations and University Events, for the Office of University Branding.  “I am so thankful to have his support and don’t know what we would do without him.  He is critical to the success of all of the events.”

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

June 2022 Facilities Employee of the Month – Joe Wilmer

 

Celebrating Joe Wilmer as the June 2022 Employee of the Month

Joe has come a long way from starting as an apprentice and upgrading to journeyman level work without supervision. Joe also completes every task without question and stepped up to the plate.  He helps Zone 3 when they were down a plumber.

“I couldn’t ask for a better apprentice and co-worker,” said Jose Lopez.

Joe has consistently demonstrated enthusiastic and knowledgeable participation in all areas of his responsibilities with a positive and professional attitude. Joe has a great working relationship with his colleagues and partnering Zones and is always willing to help out other tradesmen when and where needed, without hesitation or complaints.

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

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!”