I hope that your new year is off to a great start. As campus begins to buzz with activity, there is a tangible excitement and energy surrounding this fresh start. I have no doubt that 2024 holds exciting and powerful opportunities for our Staff Senate as well.
Before we move onto the Staff Senate’s next steps, I would like to revisit all the work that has been done in 2023. January 13, 2023, was the first meeting of our fully formed Staff Senate. Elected staff members came together, were appointed to committees and we elected our executive committee leaders to guide us through our first year of work.
Over the next few months, we met as committee members and as a full senate. We clarified by-laws and created processes for senate work. Chancellor Ronnie Green and the Academic Planning Committee (APC) gave the Staff Senate our first seat at the table to discuss staff impacts with the spring budget reductions. Staff Senate now maintains two seats within APC for all budget related conversations and work with the Chancellor’s office.
The end of the semester brought changes to the senate’s makeup and leadership. Following Terri Haverkost’s departure from UNL, I assumed the presidency. Jordan Gonzalez was elected over the summer to the then vacant Vice President of Internal Affairs position. We also lost a few senators that were then succeeded by dedicated staff within their district.
The fall semester brought more activity and opportunities to advocate and collaborate on staff’s behalf. By the end of 2023, Staff Senate has representation in the following areas: APC, Faculty Senate, Chancellor’s Office, Council on Inclusive Excellence and Diversity, search committees (including Chief Information Office, Library Dean, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs), the All-Staff Conference, University of Nebraska System Staff Advisory Board, and the Big 10 Collaboration on Staff Advocacy. We have also forged relationships with grassroot efforts related to training, staff ombudsman programs, and marketing. These relationships and meetings are in addition to the work that is being done within individual districts to create newsletters, town halls and meetings with Vice Chancellors and other administrative leaders.
In addition to the outreach work, the Staff Senate has been working internally on our strategic planning and how best to serve all staff. Committee chair members met with the Vice President of External Affairs to create a roadmap for how Staff Senate would build a strong and worthy foundation for future senates to build on. The first aims were about awareness, empowerment, and communication. This newsletter is a product of vision and the dedicated work of the Communication Committee members.
Committees have built processes to take in information, research the challenges, identify campus partners that can support changes or clarification and then link resources for resolutions. Examples of this include recognizing patterns or themes of concerns and identifying which campus partner(s) Staff Senate needs representation in to help relay those challenges and effect change. An application of this framework was enacted when the Personnel Affairs committee was tasked with a large endeavor related to the holiday shutdown and how it negatively impacts our new staff that haven’t accrued time to cover the shutdown. The committee enlisted expert help from an affiliate member who extensively researched and clarified the concern. After partnering with UNL Human Resource’s division, language was published to all SAP users about alternatives to traditional shutdown plans for newer staff. We are hopeful that this ‘small’ set of information protected newer staff members from having to begin their careers with negative paid time off balances.
As 2024 progresses, we will continue to keep you informed of the changes, challenges, and celebrations within Staff Senate. Please continue to engage with your district representatives and bring forward your concerns or celebrations. Your senators are working harder than I can put into words to diligently represent you.
Please continue to visit our website at staffsenate.unl.edu to view a wealth of information. Questions and concerns can be directed to our email at staffsenate@unl.edu. Also, continue to share and encourage other staff members to sign up for this newsletter. Click here to sign up for the Staff Senate Newsletter.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our amazing first year with you. I look forward to all that we accomplish as a united staff voice in 2024.