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Happy December, Triton Staff! 

Can you believe how fast this year flew by? 2025 truly came and went in the blink of an eye! We are so grateful to everyone who joined us for our December Triton Treats last week, it was such a joy celebrating together. We hope you’re loving the fun swag as much as we loved picking it out just for you!

A huge shout-out and thank you to Special Events and Protocol for helping make Triton Treats possible. We couldn’t do it without them! 

As we head into winter quarter, we’d love your input! Let us know what topics you’d like to see featured in our upcoming Triton Virtual Connects, or if you’re a campus resource or department interested in presenting. Be sure to fill out the form included in this newsletter, we can’t wait to hear from you!

We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter, packed with campus updates, events, and exciting things happening across our community. Wishing you all a joyful and restful holiday season filled with time for loved ones, laughter, and well-deserved relaxation.

The Staff Association looks forward to connecting with you in the New Year, cheers to what’s ahead!

Warmest Wishes, 
Maddie
Chair, UC San Diego Staff Association

Lizzie Thayer is a Case Coordinator at the Academic Integrity Office. Tricia Bertram Gallant the Director at the Academic Integrity Office writes: 

"Lizzie consistently goes above and beyond to improve student experiences with the academic integrity process. She actively looks for ways to enhance clarity, reduce stress, and make our processes more supportive and effective. A major highlight of her work this year was her leadership of the Compassionate Letters Project. This project was rooted in an understanding that formal letters can feel impersonal and unnecessarily heighten stress and came to life because Lizzie championed its importance, prioritized it, and ensured it received the attention it needed. 

Although this effort extended beyond her day-to-day responsibilities, she took on the challenge with exceptional thoughtfulness and care. Lizzie worked closely with student and staff stakeholders and patiently revised draft after draft to update more than 20 of our highest-impact letters with the goal of expressing compassion and resiliency, while not diminishing either the seriousness or accountability of the situation. Her dedication ensured that the language we use not only upholds the Academic Integrity process but also helps students feel respected, understood, and supported. Lizzie consistently strives to excel in everything she does and pushes herself to take on projects that improve the experience of our students. Her contributions improve the student experience and elevate the work of the entire office. She is an incredible asset to the Academic Integrity Office and, by extension, to the UC San Diego community!"

Thank you to everyone who joined us for both the daytime and evening Triton Treats celebrations! We loved seeing so many staff come together to enjoy crafts, the photobooth, and a well-deserved moment of appreciation during this busy season.

A special thank you to our incredible affiliate groups and departments who tabled at the event —JSAFTA, PASA, CLSA, Employee Wellness, Recreation, and University Credit Union. And, of course, heartfelt appreciation to our dedicated staff volunteers who make these gatherings possible. Your support truly brings these moments of community to life.

UC San Diego staff deserve the world (and then some) for everything you do day in and day out, we hope that Triton Treats offered a space to pause, connect, and feel celebrated — especially during these uncertain times. 

We welcome your feedback as we continue refining these events. The experience of being a staff member at UC San Diego is continually evolving, and your input helps us shape events that reflect your needs. Thank you for showing up for one another, treating each other with grace, and helping us build a supportive and caring staff community.

Happy Holidays,
Your UC San Diego Staff Association

P.S. Thanks to everyone who shared photos! If you’d like, please take a moment to check out the slideshow!

Celebrate the holidays with Pacific Islander & Asian American Staff Association at their Winter Celebration. There will be good food, great prizes, and even better company!

PASA will also be hosting a Holiday Drive to support the Triton Food Pantry, Basic Needs Center, and OASIS. Bring an item to get an extra raffle ticket!

The CLSA Mentorship Program is open to all UC San Diego staff and faculty. If you’d like to join the 2025–2026 cohort, please complete the application form to share a bit about yourself and your availability. It is recommend planning for one hour of mentoring each month, plus biweekly check-ins via text or email.

Want to learn more? Join an information session:

The application will remain open on a rolling basis. The Winter 2026 soft deadline is Week 3: Friday, January 23, 2026.

Have a topic you’d love to hear more about? We’re inviting UC San Diego community to submit ideas for upcoming Triton Virtual Connect (TVC) sessions. TVC are designed to explore current topics, connect with colleagues, and learn about available resources to career staff.

Past connects have featured timely conversations about employee wellness, open enrollment, and retirement planning. This is also an opportunity for departments to partner with Staff Association and share their programs, services, and resources with the broader staff community. 

Submit your topic ideas via the form below and for more information, please email staffassociation@ucsd.edu.

San Diego Symphony's holiday tradition, Noel Noel, returns outdoors to The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Featuring favorite songs, Christmas classics, sing-alongs and holiday cheer, the concert will be led by celebrated guest conductor Christopher Dragon and director Jonathan Gilmer, along with the return of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Master Chorale and the San Diego Children’s Choir. Use promo code MFCU25 for 10% off. 

Get into the holiday spirit with Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at The Old Globe. This beloved, whimsical musical returns to the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in Balboa Park, bringing the charm of Whoville to life with classic songs like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome, Christmas (Fah Who Doraze).” Running now through December 31, 2025, this family-favorite tradition is back for its 28th year!

Light up your holiday season at the 55th Annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights! Join the community along the waterfront as more than 80 festively decorated boats dazzle the bay under this year’s theme, “An Out of This World Christmas.”  This free, family-friendly tradition is one of San Diego’s most beloved seasonal events, with several viewpoints across the bay. View the parade route here. 

Meditation Ocean: Aquarius Reef Base  is an immersive, multi-sensory art and science installation that reimagines the historic Aquarius Reef Base — the world’s only undersea research habitat — as a meditation space inspired by life beneath the ocean. 

Step through a portal into the underwater research station and experience life as the aquanauts did.

All UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health staff and faculty are eligible to receive $10 off a Coastal Explorer, Coastal Ambassador, or Ocean Protector level membership. To sign up for this membership promotion, please visit our Guest Services office with your current UC San Diego ID.

Hosted by UC San Diego's Center for Compassionate Communication, the Compassionate Communication Virtual Workshop Series is a free, skills-based program, specially designed for health care professionals, medical educators, and researchers. Through on-demand webinars on YouTube, participants learn how to communicate with greater compassion—and, in turn, greater effectiveness—with patients, health care teams, medical trainees, and beyond.

Virtual workshop topics include: mastering the art of communicating research, understanding the value of mediation, and how to prepare for media interviews, among other relevant topics.

University Centers offers a hoteling-style study and work space where UC San Diego students, staff, and faculty can reserve individual workstations or a private office. Open Desk is a convenient place for the UC San Diego community to work and study.

Amenities include access to high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, sit/stand desk options, ergonomic office furniture and a docking station and monitor in the private office. Make reservations online or walk in with your Staff ID to see what's available (first come - first served).

If you have content you'd like to share with the campus community, we’d love to hear from you! 

Monthly Submission Deadline: The deadline to submit content for each month is the 3rd. Each newsletter goes out around the 10th of each month. 

Please note: Submitting a request does not guarantee placement. We review all submissions and select a limited number of features each month that align with the Staff Association’s mission and goals.