Strengthening connections between staff and the campus

By Judy Lin

When Sabrina Lux arrived in Westwood as a transfer student from Santa Barbara City College, she didn’t know anyone at the “big place” that was UCLA. But as a psychology major with an avid interest in child development, she soon found a home as a hands-on volunteer in that department’s Infant Development Program.

Photo by Reed Hutchinson

"You go into a new place and create your community," Lux recalled. "I found a little family there."

A dozen years later, Lux is creating another kind of community as the president of Staff Assembly, an organization dedicated to promoting the interests and welfare of staff employees campuswide.

"We all need connection," said Lux, who initially deepened her involvement with the organization as vice president of outreach.

Since receiving her B.A., she has worked in several positions in the psychology department, including main office manager, academic personnel coordinator and, currently, operations manager. She also worked with Psychology Professor Tyrone Cannon, helping establish a clinic for those at risk for schizophrenia.

Lux has played a role in enhancing Staff Assembly programming such as the Learn-at-Lunch series of presentations on subjects ranging from retirement planning to an upcoming Dec. 2 session on teamwork offered by UCLA women's basketball coach Kathy Olivier. Other popular events include the annual staff picnic and Casino Night.

"We have this wonderful, rich, diverse campus community," she said, "but sometimes you get really involved in your own small world. You need people reaching out to remind you that you’re part of a bigger family — our Bruin family."

Interest in the organization's activities is on the rise, Lux said. The group's e-mail list has grown from 800 subscribers two years ago to nearly 1,200 currently, with a high pass-along rate to additional staff.

Lux, who participated in the Staff Enrichment Program and, later, the Professional Development Program offered by Campus Human Resources, views opportunities for career advancement as a high priority. So does Staff Assembly, which raises funds to provide scholarships for staff taking additional training or coursework.

Access to campus leadership — such as the annual Town Hall meeting with the chancellor — is also important for staff, she said.

"Staff need to have a voice in what occurs here on campus, because we make an impact in every aspect of the university," she said.

The organization at UCLA and other UC campuses comprise a systemwide Council of UC Staff Assemblies. The council is part of an advisory committee providing recommendations to the regents' Presidential Search Committee on the selection of a new UC president. President Robert C. Dynes recently announced he was stepping down in June 2008.

Lux's deep-rooted connection to UCLA came full circle last year when she married fellow alumnus Travis Wright, a film and television screenwriter with an M.F.A. from the School of Theater, Film and Television. Her bridesmaids were a group of teenage girls she has known literally for a lifetime — ever since they were babies in diapers at the Infant Development Center.

For more information, see Staff Assembly.