Staff Community Affinity Network (SCAN)

As part of RU-N Staff Council’s mission to unify and give a voice to RU-N staff, we believe that offering affinity groups to staff will be beneficial to their individual and collective experiences and will create camaraderie outside of our departments. In 2025, Staff Council received an IDEA Grant to help kickstart this initiative.

An affinity group is a group of people linked by a common interest or a purpose. There are so many great possibilities! We want this project to originate from you, so we are asking for your involvement in these communities and the formation of future groups. Affinity groups at other universities have been formed to cultivate networks of support organized around disability and chronic illness, race/ethnicity, and staff who are also pursuing degrees.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Staff Community Affinity Network is an initiative by the Rutgers University–Newark (RU-N) Staff Council designed to build connections and support among staff members outside of their departments. It creates staff affinity groups—communities of people linked by shared interests, backgrounds, or common goals.

SCAN was launched to give RU-N space to discuss shared interests, goals, and concerns while building bridges between different units on campus. SCAN was kickstarted with the generous support of a Chancellor’s Office IDEA Grant awarded to the Staff Council, which provides ongoing support for the initiative. The network helps build a more inclusive, connected, and supportive campus climate specifically for our staff

Affinity groups meet monthly during the academic year for 45-60 minutes. We ask that individuals commit to attending 80% of the meetings for the year, plus a launch event in September. Meeting format is at the discretion of the group. Meetings may be held in person, but may also be held online. Participants may attend during their working hours.

With the network’s Fall 2026 launch, six affinity groups have formed that are organized around the following areas of interest:

Asian American & Pacific Islander
Early-Career Professionals
LGBTQIA+
Mid-Career Professionals
Military, Veteran, and Allies Staff Community (MVASC)
Wellness

Staff Council is committed to adding more groups as communities are identified and potential facilitators are identified and trained. To suggest additional communities, use this form.

Staff affinity groups have been established at a diverse set of universities and, in part, inspired the formation of SCAN. Examples include:

Beyond Barriers, a group for those with disabilities (both visible and invisible) and chronic illness, as well as family members (U of Richmond)
Yale Veterans Network (Yale U)
Working Parents Affinity Group (Rider U)
Pitt Queer Professionals (U of Pittsburgh)
Asian/American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Coalition (Kansas State U)
Mid-Career Professionals, for staff with seven to 15 years’ experience (Vanderbilt U)
Creative Writing Affinity Group (U of Michigan)

All are welcome. Even if you do not share the identity or interest of the group, you are welcome to participate; however, groups are capped at ten participants and two designated co-facilitators.

To get involved, fill out the interest survey sent from runsc_scan@newark.rutgers.edu by September 15, 2026. You are responsible for notifying your supervisor of your intention to participate in SCAN. Human Resources is a collaborative partner with the RU-N SC and will provide any needed support or guidance.

Yes, Staff Council (https://staffcouncil.newark.rutgers.edu/) offers a range of programming addressing staff needs. The website includes a suggestion box (https://staffcouncil.newark.rutgers.edu/forms/) to reach out with specific inquiries or requests. The P3 Collaboratory (https://p3.rutgers.edu/) has professional development programming for faculty and staff.