The Working Group on Support Staff Issues is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a series of events including seminars on financial planning, a question-and-answer session with Provost Robert Brown and Vice President for Human Resources Laura Avakian, ice cream socials and Artists Behind the Desk performances.
On April 19, support staffer Kelley Donovan will perform in "Poetry & Motion" (MIT Tech Talk April 12, 2000), part of the Artists Behind the Desk series, which highlights the creative side of support staff members.
On Wednesday, April 26 at noon in Killian Hall, there will be a presentation by the Ombudspersons Office entitled "Dear Ombudsperson" from noon-1pm in Rm 66-110. In May, Barbara Peacock-Coady and Wendy Williams of Human Resources will offer "An Overview of Career Planning: It's Never Too Late to be What You Might Have Been." All seminars are geared to support staff and include a question-and-answer session. In June, there will be a barbecue on Briggs Field, with the exact date and location to be announced. The activities celebrate not only the group's 25th anniversary but also the contributions made by support staff every day at MIT.
The Working Group, created in 1975 to improve the working environment and perception of support staff at MIT, identifies and studies issues that concern support staff, makes recommendations, and sponsors events by and for support staff.
Martha Bezzat of the Department of Economics is the group's senior co-convener; the new junior co-convener will be named at the monthly meeting on April 12. More information is available on the web.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on April 12, 2000.
