What is Staff Council?
Purpose
To serve as a representative advisory council.
To provide a vehicle for communication of interests, concerns, and issues that affect staff.
To present recommendations to University leadership.
To provide nominations to Greater University Governance.
More information can be found on the of the council can be found on the Staff Council wiki.
Accomplishments
A public list of highlights can be found on the Accomplishments page of the Staff Council website. A more detailed list can be found on the Staff Council wiki accomplishments page.
UTSC accomplishments for the year are shared with the President of the University via written reports at the end of the Staff Council term, as well as at the UTSC May meeting, which the university President typically attends.
Benefits of being a representative
Special access to programs, initiatives, and opportunities across campus, such as information on professional development grants, free campus showers, etc.
Opportunities to represent the interests and concerns of members of your department, and neighboring departments, to campus leadership.
Opportunity to build relationships across the campus community.
Opportunities for strengthening your skills in: professional written communication, negotiation, strategy, project management, delegating, public speaking, building partnerships, launching and implementing projects, and managing without formal authority.
Chance to meet University senior leadership, such as UT’s President and others that report directly to the UT President.
Opportunity to identify a need on campus and devise solutions and build programs to answer that need. Practice taking a leadership role in solving problems and responding to needs.
Responsibilities
Represent your district. This includes, but is not limited to:
Attend Staff Council monthly meetings, where information that is relevant to both Staff Council members and their constituents is disseminated.
Note: If you cannot attend the monthly meetings, work with the Secretary to either record your attendance by watching the streamed video of each meeting or ensure that you receive information on what was discussed in each meeting.
Pass along information that may be relevant to your constituents in a clear, concise way.
Gather the interests and concerns of your constituents and escalate those interests and concerns to Staff Council as appropriate.
Contribute to committee work. This includes, but is not limited to:
Respond to committee emails in a timely manner.
Attend committee meetings, which typically occur monthly.
Work collaboratively with your committee to ensure goals are being met and tasks are getting completed in an equitable manner.
Committee work is estimated to take one to two hours per month. This includes time spent on committee meetings.
Report Clery Act violations you are made aware of.
Staff Council representatives are considered Campus Security Authorities, and are therefore required by law to always properly report violations.
Become familiar with the Clery Act.
If asked, help committee chairs keep accurate records for historical value. Records that might impact or benefit future Staff Council members should be added to the Staff Council wiki.
Contribute 4 hours of work time each month to Staff Council, as approved by University leadership in Staff Council’s By-laws.
Review and abide by Staff Council’s By-laws.
Communication
Expectations
COMING SOON:
Expected frequency of communications
Expected centralized communication(s)
Expected content of communications
Best Practices
COMING SOON
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is made up of all committee chairs and elected officers. Current Executive Committee members can be found on the Staff Council website:
Hover your mouse over the “About” menu
Mouse over to the “Organization” sub-menu
Click on the item “Officers and Executive Committee”
Elections and Appointments
Officer elections
Staff Council’s Officers are elected with the assistance of the Nominations and Elections Chair and Committee. Officers shall be elected by secret ballot at the first meeting of the new term. A simple majority of the UTSC is required for the election of each Officer position as described in Section VI.B of the By-laws.
Committee Chair Appointments for Committees
Staff Council’s Committee Chairs are usually elected by committee members once the committee is formed. Alternatively, Annual Committee Chairs may be appointed by the Chair or Vice Chair of Staff Council. This applies to both Standing and Annual Committees.
More information on Executive Committee
COMING SOON: Link to expectations and best practices for Executive Committee members
Org Chart (last updated 4.12.2017)
Appendix
Staff Council By-laws (last updated April 2014) can be found on the Organization page of the Staff Council website.
