Experiencing the Community at UMass Boston

What is the difference between working at UMass Boston and being a permanent member of the UMass Boston community? Either way you get a paycheck, but with the latter you feel that your 40 hours a week are invested into something important, something more than the day to day activities of your department. Being a member of the university community means contributing to the overall success of Boston's only public university and having a say in the processes that help it to improve.

Identifying this distinction between going to work and belonging to a community is the task of the ARD group called Experiencing the Community (EC). Their goal is to find out how to bring employees together for something other than work - - maybe even a little fun! The EC began by sending out a survey to find out if there was campus-wide interest in social activities, what kinds of activities people might attend, where and when. Over 300 people responded, many of whom offered suggestions for events, like having a charity race/walk in harbor point, a campus yard sale, a cruise around the harbor, a tour of the JFK library, and many others.

The survey also asked if people would participate in a cross-departmental "buddy" program for new university employees. In addition to introducing new employees to the ins and outs of university life outside of any one department, a buddy could help the new employee become a permanent member of the community by bringing him or her along to some of these social activities. "If everyone brings a buddy," says EC group member Sandy Blanchette, "the event is sure to be a success!"

Armed with positive responses for both social events and the buddy program, the EC has set out to make things happen. And what better way to bring people together than to offer them ice cream - - Ben & Jerry's no less! The first event will be an ARD ice cream social on Feb. 11, from 2:30-3:30, in Upper Level Hallway adjacent to the Quinn Administration Building. Ben & Jerry's Regional Sales Manager, Bob Carlson (UMass Boston, '87) has generously donated more than enough ice cream to go around. So, write down the date, call a buddy in another department, and take a mid-afternoon break to join the Experiencing the Community group for a little Cherry Garcia.

- - By Ellen Evans