The Staff Senate election results are in, and the newly elected Staff Senators are:
East Campus (3-year term)
Kate Cohn
Kelli Delany
Shirley Skeel
North Campus (3-year term)
Leah Coakley
Laura Edgar
Cori Hammock
South Campus (3-year term)
John Horne
At-large (one-year term)
Katharine Appleyard
Lisa Beritich
Andrea Kueter
Steven Olveda
Pam Taylor
It is time to elect your 2012-2013 Staff Senate representatives.
Ballots will be distributed to all staff via campus email on Monday, April 2. Paper copies will be available for staff who may not have regular email access.
To cast your vote, print and complete the ballot, and return it via campus mail to CMB 1036.
To ensure that your vote is counted, please return your completed ballot to CMB 1036 no later than MONDAY, APRIL 9.
For more information about the Staff Senate, please visit: http://www.pugetsound.edu/staff-senate.
It is time once again to consider yourself and/or fellow staff members for service on the Staff Senate.
The purpose of the Staff Senate is to conduct activities on behalf of Puget Sound staff, to enhance our campus environment, and to recognize the integral role of staff in our community. To fulfill its purpose, the Staff Senate serves as a means of communication and liaison between staff, faculty, students, and administration. Staff Senate provides information and makes recommendations to decision-making bodies at Puget Sound. Recent examples of the Senate’s work include the recommendation of the floating holiday in support of diversity, providing book scholarships for staff members or their dependents who are enrolled in classes, and coordinating the annual Staff Recognition Luncheon.
Please submit your nominations via e-mail to staffsenate@pugetsound.edu or click and print out this form (link requires authentication from off-campus locations) and return it via campus mail to CMB #1036 by Monday, March 5.
The next meeting of the Staff Senate will be Wednesday, March 14, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Murray Boardroom (Wheelock 108). All staff members are invited to attend.
The Benefits Task Force was charged with reviewing and recommending budget-neutral updates to the university’s benefits program. Recommending a meaningful education benefit is an important part of that charge and has been the focus of the task force following the June 10, 2011, announcement that the Northwest Independent Colleges (NIC) Tuition Exchange Program will sunset effective with students entering college in fall 2016. You are invited to review BenTF’s current best thinking about this important topic and to provide feedback via this feedback form by Feb. 24 to BenTF@pugetsound.edu. Additionally for those who wish to discuss the recommendation in person, we will be holding open forums in Murray Boardroom at the following times:
After considering campus input, a final recommendation will be submitted to the president’s cabinet on March 1, and cabinet will make a final recommendation to the board of trustees for action at its May meeting.
Since the Staff Senate had both a regular meeting on January 11 and a special meeting on January 23 to hear a presentation by the Budget Task Force, Chair Rusty Horton has elected to cancel the group’s regular meeting originally scheduled for February 8.
The next Staff Senate meeting will be March 14, when Sherry Mondou, vice president for finance and administration, will speak about protocol for staff layoffs and will answer questions about previous layoffs. Staff Senate meetings are open to all staff members.
The 2012 Staff Recognition Luncheon will be held Friday, May 25. The Staff Recognition Committee has shifted the luncheon date from the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January in order to hold the event in Memorial Fieldhouse. This location allows the staff to be seated together in a spacious venue with improved visibility and sound for the presentation portion of the event.
Other aspects of the luncheon will remain the same: we will celebrate the anniversaries of long-service staff, have a delicious meal catered by our Dining and Conference Services colleagues, enjoy a presentation from President Thomas, receive door prizes from our community donors, participate in a food drive, and recognize Excellence in Action. Following the event, staff will be released to enjoy an early start to the Memorial Day holiday.
In the meantime, please submit your Excellence in Action award nominations before the March 30 deadline.
The next meeting of the Staff Senate will be Wednesday, January 11, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Murray Boardroom (Wheelock 108). All staff members are invited to attend. See the agenda (requires Puget Sound login).
For more information, please contact Staff Senate Chair Rusty Horton at 253.879.3219 or rshorton@pugetsound.edu.
The Staff Senate Book and Bake Sale held on December 2, 2011, in the Wheelock Student Center earned $248.15. All proceeds went to the newly-renamed Rosa Beth Gibson Staff Senate Book Scholarship Fund.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the Book and Bake Sale!