From your Membership Chair, Kandy Slack
APA Tailgate on Saturday September 9th
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MSU APA visits Frederik Meijer Gardens
Membership Chair on behalf of APA Membership Committee: Kandy Slack
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park https://www.meijergardens.org/
On Saturday, July 29th APA members and their families were able to enjoy the amazing weather at the beautiful Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. This event included entrance to the park and a guided tram tour of the 158 acres.
My personal favorites:
The American Horse by Nina Akamu, a work inspired in part by Leonardo da Vinci.
The entire Japanese Garden, Zen-Style Garden, Long Island Buddha, waterfalls, trees and flowers along with the bridges and ponds.
Hear what APA Members had to say about their own experiences:
” Thank you and APA for a wonderful event at Meijer Gardens. We really enjoyed it.”
“Thanks for arranging yesterday’s outing to Meijer Garden. Everything cannot be more perfect, even the weather. Me and my wife really enjoy it. Thanks for everything.”
“I wanted to say thank you to your team for putting this together! My family spent a wonderful day enjoying everything the gardens had to offer. It was truly lovely. Thank you again for an amazing day!”
“Everything went very smoothly, and we had a wonderful time yesterday. Thanks so much for organizing these activities and all the arrangements you have made. I look forward to joining more activities with you in the future.”
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APA Union Expo
Hello All,
The APA union expo was held on Wednesday, June 7th, at the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility. The expo was a great success. We had 86 people attend the expo. We also signed up four new members. It was a great organizing and recruiting event for members and prospective members to meet the committee members and area reps behind APA and ask questions about their union. Some members expressed how they now understand what APA is doing as a union and what MEA Financial Services do. We plan to continue with the expo each year, making it bigger and bigger with more member participation.
Thank you to all the volunteers. We could not have done this without you!
Pat Hampton and Kandy Slack
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MSU APA Upcoming Events
MSU-APA July Executive Board Meeting
Tuesday, July 11th
2:00-5:00 p.m. APA Office
Frederik Meijer Gardens (open until 5pm)
1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Saturday, July 29th
Check-in at 11am
For additional information, please contact Kandy Slack [email protected] – APA Membership Chair.
MSU-APA August Executive Board Meeting
Tuesday, August 8th
2:00-5:00 p.m. APA Office
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Calling All Advocates – Area Representatives Needed
Check all the qualities you believe you possess:
- You are good at your job & respected by your colleagues
- People ask for your advice
- You have a strong sense of justice & clear principles
- You are responsible
- You are honest
- You are compassionate
- You are a good listener
- You like solving problems as a team
- You put interests of the whole first, ahead of your individual concerns
- You respect group decisions
- You are knowledgeable about MSU and your contract
- You can stay cool under pressure
- You handle stress well
If you checked 5 or more of the above, your APA Administrative Professional Association wants you!
For more information on how to get started as an Area Representative (AR), Contact: Pat Hampton at [email protected]
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Area Representative (AR) Spotlight
Area Representative (AR) Spotlight – Erica Schmittdiel
By John Resotko, Communication Committee Member
What is your job title? Advocacy Coordinator
What area of campus (this refers to the area rep info on the APA website, like, East, South, North, etc.) building and department do you work in? I work for MSU Safe Place, the relationship violence and stalking program on campus, serving students, staff, faculty, and their partners. We serve the greater Lansing community as staffing and shelter space allow. We offer telephone consultations, advocacy, counseling, support group, a crisis chat, and shelter. People do not have to stay in shelter to receive services. We have a confidential location for safety purposes.
How long have you been at MSU? 22 years
How long have you been an Area Representative? I have been an AR in training since March. I’ll be eligible to be appointed an AR officially in September.
Why is being a member of the Union important to you and what value does it bring? There are many ways the Union looks out for members, such as providing webinars on gripes vs. grievances, how to ask for a raise, or preparing for performance evaluations. They offer one-on-one consultations to members who are struggling with workplace issues. Most importantly, the stellar health care we receive because of the Union’s negotiations saved me thousands of dollars in medical bills when I had a serious health concern a few years ago.
What words of advice do you have for the new hires at MSU? Pay your Union dues. It is worth it. If you have the time, volunteer for the Union as well. There are numerous ways to get involved.
What do you love about working at MSU? The support that MSU has provided to MSU Safe Place since we were founded in 1994. There is no other college or university campus in the nation that has a comprehensive program like ours.
What do you like to do when you are not at work? Now that it’s summer, I enjoy going to the farmer’s market, outdoor concerts, and grilling.
What kind of music do you listen to? I like many different types of music, including classic rock, pretty much anything from New Orleans, 80’s pop, 90’s rap and hip hop, and funk. I love listening online to WWOZ out of New Orleans and WXPN out of Philadelphia.
The AR’s are appointed by the Executive Board and their role is to assist with distributing APA materials and information and to serve as a resource for members. AR’s are assigned to a geographic area of campus, so if there is not an AR in your immediate building, you can find one nearby. For a list of AR’s go to http://lay.wyz.mybluehost.me/about/area-representatives
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Your Fellow APAs
Meet Fellow APA Member Lilyan Talia
By Gerlind Kiupel, Communications Committee Member
What is your job title? Administrative Business Professional
How long have you been at MSU?
Three years
Have you been a member of the APA the whole time?
No, my prior role was a Confidential position that did not offer union representation. As soon as I was in a union position, I decided to support my Union and fellow co-workers by becoming a member of the APA.
What department do you work in, and can you tell me a little bit about what you do?
Apple Developer Academy. I handle fiscal, HR, and operations at the Academy, which is in Detroit, MI.
What brought you to your job at MSU?
A passion to want to help the under-served get much deserved resources.
What do you like to do when you are not at work?
Hang out with my two Chihuahuas
I have two pets
I like industrial rock music
My favorite area restaurant is Altu’s Ethopian and my favorite dish is SPICY BEEF STEW!
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A Word from the APA President
APA members = Student Success
Imagine a freshman arriving at MSU with no advance support. Housing has not been arranged and confirmed, financial aid remains unresolved, a major is not declared, their next meal is unclear, and they literally have no idea where to take the next step. If they are lucky, they may resolve these early challenges only to run up against more when their buildings are not comfortable, the IT technology is offline, they are having a personal health or emotional issue, or they simply need guidance. Without the efforts of the MSU support staff, the university is a vast wilderness no one can navigate alone.
Over 3,100 dedicated Administrative Professional Association (APA) positions support the success of students at Michigan State University. The APA represents over 350 classifications that are employed in those positions. Page 101 of our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) starts a long list of titles that include words such as Administrator, Assistant, Advisor, Coordinator, Counselor, Therapist, Technologist, Trainer, Manager, Engineer, Analyst, Officer, Planner, and many more. Each has influence in the ability for our students to reach their goals.
The importance of support staff cannot be stressed enough. The APA could not be prouder of the personal character exemplified by our members as they provide critical services to our students. Especially what we have learned in the last 3-4 years. When the darkest days were upon us, our APA members helped so many others find their way. To that end, the APA is not an entity separate from our members, but the very essence of a collective being where the pieces create the whole. The working conditions for the APA support professionals are student learning conditions. When the members of the APA are able to succeed, they do not succeed alone. Thank you for all your efforts and especially how you make a difference in the lives of our students.
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