On Thursday, April 14, there was a Staff Council meeting. The meeting started with a word from a guest speaker, Dr. Talia Carroll, VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Carroll thanked the staff for letting her join the meeting and apologized for her busy schedule which at times doesn’t permit her to fully immerse herself with staff.
Talia Carroll spoke about an initiative she is developing for staff called Professional Development Day. The event has been scheduled to be on Wednesday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at OCU’S Meinders School of Business. Both breakfast and lunch will be included, and she encourages all staff to participate in this event. There will be a keynote speaker, and a few breakout sessions.
Carroll said depending on the interest from this event, she will be planning another larger event in the fall semester. She also urged staff to spend some time thinking about any topics they would like her to facilitate through workshops, and any general issues they face at their workplaces which they could converse about formally or informally. She said she wants to make sure to give attention and time to staff. Dr. Carroll said these questions or topics of concern should be emailed to her directly.
The meeting proceeded with a review of topics discussed during the previous meeting such as Easter egg hunt held April 15, Staff and Faculty Service Recognition and Appreciation Ceremony on April 21 and Food Truck event in May.
The Staff and Faculty service recognition ceremony is intendent to be shorter this year. Lunch starts at 11 a.m., and faculty and staff are encouraged to attend this event. RSVP for this ceremony is closed.
The council said the food truck event is organized to show appreciation for staff. The planning and organization for this day is still on going. Ideas and assistance from staff will be appreciated.
The meeting continued with the topics scheduled for that day, starting with elections for the staff council. This included a list of outgoing staff council members and incoming staff council members. Staff members who are on their second-year term cannot participate in this election. The constitution of the Staff Council states that members can serve for two consecutive years but are able to participate again after taking a year off. Staff will make a list of eligible participants for the elections and send it out for nominations. The nominations are scheduled for April, and the elections in May.
Shannon Rowland shared reports on the Assessment Council. Jessica Trench shared updates from the Benefits Committee. Angela Do shared information from the Budget Committee. Charlie Monnot said the Staff Development account has $25 and the funds account had $2,975.69. Alyson Dent spoke for the Wellness Task Force.
Followed by this were reports on Assessment Council from Shannon Rowland, Benefits Committee, from Jessica Trench, Budget Committee, from Angela Do, Treasurer, and by Charlie Monnot, who gave balances of $25 in the Staff Development account, and $2,975.69. Mindy Windholz spoke on Diversity and Inclusion. Chris Kiefer represented Staff Development.
Mackenzie McIntyre, Leadership Annual Giving Officer in the University’s Advancement office informed staff about the OCU Campus Campaign launched on Monday, April 11. She said that this campaign particularly targets OCU staff and faculty.
“[The] Campus Campaign is OCU’s annual employee fundraising appeal. This year’s campaign concludes on April 29 and the goal is 70 percent participation among OCU employees.” States the university’s website. Ways to contribute to this event can be seen on the school’s website.
Angela Do gave room for staff members to ask any questions, after which, she made the motion to adjourn the meeting.
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