Staff expressed frustration over Chief of Staff Scott Mory’s comments at Tuesday’s Staff Council meeting, where he likened their proposal for a town hall with staff and administrators to a “firing line” for officials.

In response to a question posed by Staff Council Staff Development & Recognition Chair Allene David about whether officials would consider setting up a town hall for staff members to speak directly to administrators, Mory said he was “skeptical” about putting a firing line of officers in front of administrators, but he said he wanted to find a “right way” for staff and officials to engage in conversation. Staff members said in interviews after the meeting that they felt Mory’s comments are representative of how staff and the council’s concerns go unnoticed by officials.

Staff Council began publicly advocating for a town hall with administrators after officials announced last month they were implementing ​​a “position management review process” to the promotions and hiring process through at least fiscal year 2025 to preserve the University’s “limited” resources as officials brace for potential hits to GW’s budget as a result of recent executive actions.

The council suggested in a February statement that University leadership host a town hall to speak to staff about federal policies currently affecting the University and hear from staff directly about their concerns.

David said at the meeting that staff can’t actively communicate their concerns to the administration on “30-to-40-minute phone calls” with almost 200 people in attendance. She said the staff will continue feeling unheard and undervalued if officials do not give staff the opportunity to talk about their thoughts and fears.

“I am skeptical of the utility of putting a firing line of officers in the grand ballroom for just an open advocate of comments and questions,” Mory said. “I want that. I want to figure out the right way to do this productively for the staff and for the administration.”

Some members of the Staff Council have since expressed disappointment with Mory’s decision to immediately shoot down their idea for a town hall.

Department Administrator for Biology Emily Lewis, who also serves as the Staff Council’s parliamentarian, said in an interview after the meeting she felt Mory’s wording was “not great” and didn’t “speak well” to the relationship between administrators and staff, especially because officials often say they “want to hear from” staff but then refer to them as a “firing squad.”

“To me, and to a lot of staff, that really speaks about how the administration feels about their relation to the staff,” Lewis said. “Either we are their enemies, or we’re there to attack them, or we’re out of control.”

Lewis said the University created the Staff Council in response to officials’ concerns that staff as a whole would unionize, which she said angers her because “quite frankly,” staff would have been “better served by unionizing.” She said she has found it evident that it’s hard to force officials to listen to staff and their concerns unless they have legal standing.

“It’s very rough, like the administration clearly doesn’t value our voice,” Lewis said.

A staff member who requested anonymity because of retaliation concerns and job security said Mory’s comment “concerned” them and said his comments “really spoke” to how the University views staff, even if it was likely unintentional.

They said they have heard that there are additional unionization efforts on campus — in addition to The George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum and graduate student employees — which they said officials are “directly” motivating by not engaging with groups on campus and framing opportunities for collaboration negatively.

They said they had “so many” people come to them after the meeting and ask what staff can do about the fact that Mory is comparing staff to a firing squad while it seems like officials are “laying the groundwork” for mass layoffs.

They said given staff are heading into their annual review period in March, where they will be eligible for merit increases, staff have felt that officials could be gearing up to roll back or freeze their positions due to the new position management review process and President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions.

“I don’t see why the best option is not for staff to unionize,” the staff member said. “They’re pushing people towards that because they’re giving people no other option.”

Councilmembers at the meeting also asked Mory during the Q&A portion about what officials’ timeline is for implementing the recommendations suggested by an independent review team officials commissioned to investigate GW’s arming implementation.

Mory said officials are currently implementing some of the report’s suggestions and are in process of securing the armory, which will take place “over the next year” and are also gearing up to launch the search for the next GW Police Department chief.

He said officials are also arranging an opportunity for the team from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the law firm that conducted the independent review, to meet with the Campus Safety Advisory Committee, GWPD and members of the leadership of campus safety team, but that “larger policy discussions” will take a “bit more time.”

Following the council’s discussion with Mory, Safety and Operations Representative Mike Cook shared a presentation with the council on GWorld cards transitioning to a mobile format. Cook said the University is transitioning to a new program that allows community members to replace their physical GWorld cards with a mobile version that permits students to tap their Apple or Android phones at any GW-affiliated readers both on and off campus.

He said it is optional for faculty and staff to switch to the mobile card program, as if they do choose to do so they will no longer have to renew their cards every five years, and they will only be shut off if they leave the University.

Cook said the mobile card can be used anywhere a physical card can, including access readers, on-campus dining and parking garages. He said after the two-week transition period ends on April 1, community members will have to choose to use either a physical or mobile card.

Staff Council President Kim Fulmer culminated the meeting by summarizing the goals she presented to the Board of Trustees in their February meeting, with compensation being “their biggest priority.” She added that the new federal administration and D.C’s changing landscape is evolving but said she feels officials are listening to staff’s requests for increased participation and transparency surrounding the University’s decisions making.

“The higher education landscape is completely different,” Fulmer said. “Our leaders at GW are listening when we ask for more transparency and involvement in the decision making processes. But there’s still more we can achieve.”

Hannah Marr contributed reporting.