OCTSA Office, Clerical & Technical Staff Assembly

December 10, 2024

This assembly is IN-PERSON at 3:30 PM in the AIME Building Rm 110.

Pickle tree ornaments?

Households in the United States and Canada have a Christmas tree tradition of decorating with pickles as ornaments. The origin of this tradition is disputed, but one story suggests that during the Civil War, Private John C. Lower, who was captured and taken prisoner, was given a pickle to eat on Christmas Eve, which saved his life. As a result, he started the tradition of hiding a pickle on the tree each year. Another theory is that this tradition originated in Germany, called Weihnachtsgurke, where the pickle was the last ornament hung on the tree, and the first child to find it received an extra gift. Some suspect that it was a marketing tactic by Woolworth & Company to sell more pickle ornaments.

Tactic or not, would you hang a pickle on your tree?!

OCTSA Guest Speaker

UAPD: Officer Patrick Hinkle

Run, Hide, Fight Active Threat Training

Should an active threat such as a shooter or a person with a weapon appear on campus, call the University Police at 911 or 205-348-5454 as soon as is safely possible. The University Police Department is trained to deal with this incident and will respond immediately upon notification.

Each situation is different, so no single procedure will work in all circumstances. You will have to make the best decision based on your particular situation. Always be aware of your surroundings as you determine how best to protect yourself.

To Do:

Gorgas House Museum:

Holiday Open House

On Friday, December 13th, the Gorgas House Museum will have our Holiday Open House from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm until 4:45 pm. Guests can tour the oldest building on campus decorated for the holidays and see our exhibit Stitching Together Our Legacy. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served while supplies last. Admission is free. Donations are welcome.

LSSA Toys for Tots Drive

There's still time to donate!

To December 6th, collection boxes will be located in each library. Please encourage your friends and family to donate new, unwrapped toys, books, or puzzles to support their efforts!

OCTSA Updates

Spread the news!

Please consider sharing this newsletter with your peers! If you know anyone who would be interested in joining, send them our way!!!

Looking for more involvement? There are four internal OCTSA committees that you can join to help support the efforts of OCTSA as a whole.

The DEI committee has been rebranded as the Opportunities, Connections and Success Committee.

The OCTSA also sends non-voting representatives to UA Standing Committees who bring valuable information back to our monthly assembly meetings.

Feel free to read about the internal OCTSA committees here.

BENEFIT OF THE MONTH

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We hope to see you at the next assembly meeting!

What information would you like discussed at future OCTSA meetings? Let us know! If you have any news, events, and/or information that would be helpful to share in the next newsletter, please contact us.