February 2023
Black History Month
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. The Black History Month 2023 theme, “Black Resistance,” explores how "African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms and police killings," since the nation's earliest days.
Championship Belt Award
Each month at the Kyle Field Ford Hall of Champions, a member of the Senior Athletics Staff hosts the Texas A&M Athletics All-Staff Meeting. Senior Associate Athletic Director - Capital Projects, Craig Valka, hosted the Athletics All Staff Meeting for January. During January’s meeting, Valka was given the opportunity to present and award two members of the SSC Maintenance Team for Athletics. SSC provides top-quality facilities maintenance for the TAMU Athletic Department and supports 27 different facilities for TAMU Athletics alone. The two recipients of the Championship Belt Award were Maintenance Supervisor, Clayton Gummo, and Project Analyst, Thomas Spann. The Championship Belt is awarded once a month to identify a person, team, or group within the Texas A&M Athletic Department that exhibited championship attitude, selfless service, and championship behaviors. After speaking with Craig Valka, he said that he kept in mind the “numerous pregame, postgame, during game, preventative maintenance, small projects, and daily tasks that were all performed to make Texas A&M Athletics facilities shine and provide a great front door to the 12th Man “when deciding who would receive the Championship Belt.
Regional Director of Operations for SSC Maintenance, Paul Tisch, was asked to speak at the meeting after receiving the news that Gummo and Spann would be receiving the Championship Belt award. Paul shared, “in the past 12 months alone, over 20,000 work orders have been generated representing both corrective and preventative maintenance work orders. The total investment of those work orders was about 2.4 million dollars in labor and materials by SSC. In addition, there were about 95 projects assigned to SSC by the Athletics Department. Those managed projects alone represent another 2.4M dollars. So, between all the work orders and assigned projects a total of 4.8M dollars was spent in the last 12 months on preventative maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to those 27 Athletic facilities.”
After speaking with Gummo, he expressed, “My crew and I are very honored to be recognized by the Texas A&M Athletic Department. Teamwork not only applies to the athletes on the field but within this group and we have an incredible team that allows us to keep these facilities running at 100%. There are many hours that go into keeping all these facilities going and I could not ask for a better team or better support from Paul and his peers. We are extremely proud to help keep Texas A&M Athletic Facilities some of the best in the nation.”
HR Corner
2022 W-2s will be available by January 31st
W-2s for the prior 3 years are now available to both Associates (active and termed) and their Managers. All Associates are able to access their own W-2 through CAP or OMS, and Managers are able to print W-2s for Associates that they manage.
How Associates Can Access W-2s
· Salaried Associates: Access via OMS. Select the “W-2s” tab on the homepage of OMS to view.
· Frontline Associates: Access via CAP. Select the “W-2s” tab on the homepage of CAP to view. Please refer to pages 2-3 for instructions on accessing W-2s in the Hourly Associate Guide.
How a Manager Can Access & Print W-2s for their Associates
· Log into OMS, go to PeopleHub, select the HR and Payroll Reports tile, then select “W-2s” under the Payroll Reports section.
For W2-related issues, email w2reprints@compass-usa.com
YourVoice Engagement Survey:
February 22 through March 17, all associates hired before January 22nd will have the option to take a 100% anonymous survey to give their feedback that will influence SSC’s areas of focus over the next two years.
1. Your Employee Number in your clock-in number without the last digit
2. No one in SSC will ever see individual responses
3. Be thoughtful and constructive as this is what leads to meaningful change.
Women in History
Do you know that March is Women’s in History Month? We honor women like Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Anne Frank, and many others that have played a role in American history.
March 8th is International Womens Day – take time to honor the women on your team, and others that play a part in your life….
The Fine Horticulture Crew, 10 full-time and three student workers, have the distinct honor for caring of some of Texas A&M University’s most visited and iconic sites, which total about 65 acres of gardens and turf. Some might even go as far as to say that these places are at the heart of each Aggie.
Texas A&M University has a plethora of traditions dating as far back as the 1890s. The saying is “once an Aggie, always an Aggie.” Honoring these traditions range from naming your dog “Reveille” or “Maggie” after the school mascot to students being ready to step in as the “12th Man”. These traditions encourage current students and alumni (Aggies) to cultivate the “Aggie Spirit”, a sense of loyalty and respect for the school, and they dictate many aspects of student life including how to greet others, how to act at an A&M sporting event, and what words a student may use in conversation.
Grounds News
One of the areas for which we care is the Military Walk/Spirit Plaza. This walkway through part of campus stretches 1500 feet. This walk is lined many Live Oaks. A favorite spot along the walk is the Century Tree, special because many Aggie couples have become engaged underneath its canopy. Also along the walk, monuments have been placed that explain its rich history. Spirit Plaza, known as the heart of the campus, contains statues explaining the meanings behind two solemn Aggie traditions of “Silver Taps” and “Muster”.
Bonfire, once a major part of life at TAMU, ceased after a tragic accident in 1999 in which 12 Aggies were killed and 27 others injured. As a result, this tradition has ceased. A memorial is now located on a green lawn with granite memorials based off Stonehenge. Plant beds are on either side of the entrance, when you round a corner, it is just is a single, hallowed crushed granite walkway to the stonework. Trees overlook this sacred area from a berm rising to the north where this “unrecognized” tradition was once located. Instead of a huge stack of wood, students gather in and around the memorial with lit candles memorializing those that lost their lives while rallying for their team.
Texas A&M University also is the proud location of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library. This building contains artifacts from President Bush’s years of public service culminating in his presidency from 1989 to 1993. Behind the Library, a beautiful courtyard with a pond is on display. On the backside of the pond, you are able to walk down a natural path to the gravesites of President and Mrs. Bush and their daughter Robin. Currently, there are plans to install a large pavilion-type building that will be the home of the train, which delivered President Bush back to the library for burial. Marine One will also be in this area.
Another popular area is the Leach Teaching Gardens, named after Regent Tim Leach who helped fund the project. The Gardens have continued to blossom into beautiful species of plants, which receive visitors throughout the year. Many smaller gardens inside show and teach patrons that what they thought could not be grown here, actually can be successful. Horticulture students, city groups and SSC employees are there at various times and are more than willing to answer questions about the different plants.
The newly opened Aggie Park is also under our care. Private donations and the Association of Former Students established this 20-acre park on the northeast side of campus across from Kyle Field. The park contains a green space for celebrations, relaxation and inspiration. The stage area was the site of the first concert, headlined by Robert Earl Keen on September 2, 2022, the night before the first A&M home game. Aggie Tailgating, held in a special area inside the park, ensued the following day before the game against Sam Houston State University. Also located inside the park is a “Creamery” where snacks may be purchased. In addition, there is a pond stocked with bass for a catch and release activity.
Installed throughout the park we will be using a relativity new watering system called Fertigation. What this enables us to do is to apply fertilizer through the irrigation system thus saving time and money and water. We can quickly address any issues. Our crew is excited to undertake such an endeavor.
Our entire SSC crew also feels all of this tradition and pride at A&M. We feel honored to be caregivers of this beautiful campus.
Military Walk
Bonfire Memorial
George Bush Library
Leach Teaching Garden
Aggie Park