The Executive Committee of Staff Senate has decided to cancel the January meeting. Our next meeting will be February 2nd, 2012 at 11 a.m., and a separate email confirming the date, time, and location will be sent.
The next meeting of Staff Senate will be Thursday, August 4th at 11 a.m. in Plaster Student Union room 313. Our agenda for the meeting is now on the Staff Senate web site, as are the draft minutes from the last meeting. I hope to see you there!
Beginning this month, we’ll be posting draft minutes within a week of the Staff Senate meeting. This isn’t something that has happened for a long time, but it is a change that many have asked for and that we think is important. In addition, we’ll begin posting the upcoming agenda this month a couple of weeks in advance of the July meeting, and we’ll resume our monthly email to the campus to let staff know what all is going on.
The recent Staff Senate meeting covered a lot, so be sure to check out the draft minutes and consider joining us for the July meeting on Thursday, July 7th in PSU 313 at 11 a.m.!
A resolution will go to the Board of Governors at the June 16th meeting to propose the following:
Baseball tickets for staff/faculty appreciation night are still on sale for $6. Contact Dixie Williams for more information.
Cathy McFall announced that the new Chartwells Dining Services contract includes a Faculty/Staff Meal Plan. Chartwells has matched Sodexo’s previous plan of a block of 10 meals for $35.00. The plan is designated for use in Dining Centers (Blair-Shannon, Garst, and Kentwood only).
Read the full draft of the minutes on the Staff Senate web site!
I emailed the Springfield campus staff this morning about elections for Staff Senate, and after getting a few calls it occurred to me that I ought to write about this as well.
My name is Matthew Stublefield and I am the secretary for Staff Senate. I’ve been a staff member at Missouri State for about four and a half years now, and this was my first year on Staff Senate. My knowledge of the history of Staff Senate is very limited, but in regards to selecting senators, my understanding is that it has been less formalized in the past. Until a couple of years ago, people applied for Staff Senate in the spring, and if their position at the University matched up with an available spot in Staff Senate, their name was entered into a drawing. The lucky person drawn from the hat became the new representative for their area.
Last year, the application was expanded and a group (made up of the chair, chair-elect, and secretary, and maybe some people from the membership committee–note that this is still before my time) selected representatives from the pool of candidates. There was still desire to change this, though, and further involve the staff at Missouri State. We wanted people on campus to fully engage Staff Senate; we want people to speak up, and we want them to know that we’re listening. To that end, the bylaws were revised this year to allow for nominations and campus-wide voting for representatives.
Positions on Staff Senate are divided into two representative groups. The first is “occupational category,” which means job family. Each job family has 1 representative, and for every 100 people more in that job family they get another representative. So with 100 people in a job family, there are 2 representatives; if there are 300 people in a job family, there are 4 representatives.
The second group are “divisional members,” and the divisions are:
Each of these areas gets 1 representative.
Of course, campus-wide voting was an entirely new thing for us. I contacted Management Information Systems (MIS) and asked if they could assist, and they copied and modified the Student Government Association (SGA) voting application for our purposes. The goal was for people to log in and only see the individuals for whom they could vote: people in job family 1 can only vote for job family 1 representatives; job family 2 for job family 2; etc.
Unfortunately, we didn’t receive many nominations, and about half of the nominees respectfully declined. Subsequently, while we have two openings in job families 1 and 4, we only have one candidate for each area. We didn’t receive any nominations for the four divisional areas that need new representatives. Despite this, I suggested we move forward with the election. I want people to know that we’re interested in their nominations, and we want to hear more from them. We want staff to be more involved with the Staff Senate, and this seems like a good first step. Hopefully throughout the upcoming year we’ll hear more from everyone, and next year we’ll receive more nominations and wider election results.
Because we have numerous positions to fill even after this round of nominations and voting, I’m going to submit a resolution at our next Staff Senate meeting (Thursday, June 2nd at 11 a.m. in PSU 313–the meeting is open to all who would like to attend) to amend the bylaws and allow for provisional nominations and elections in which a nomination would be made to Staff Senate and the Senate would vote on the nomination in lieu of a campus-wide election. If you have other suggestions or requests, though, please comment below or email me and let Staff Senate know. To meet our bylaws’ membership requirements we still need one representative in each of the following areas:
If you or someone you know might be interested in serving on Staff Senate, we’d definitely be interested in hearing about it.
I hope this answers most of the questions people might have. Feel free to comment below or email me directly and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.
Staff Senate is now accepting nominations for the term beginning July 2011. Those elected will have the chance to serve Missouri State University for a three year term by advocating for continuous personal and professional development improvements by initiating or assisting in programs and changes that benefit staff.
Our responsibility to Missouri State University includes, but is not limited to, reviewing policies/procedures and offering recommendations regarding the interests of staff and non-faculty employees; assisting in the communication of issues and activities affecting staff members; serving as a liaison between the President and staff; promoting participation in the University community; and encouraging a sense of community among all University employees. The University encourages employees to attend Senate meetings and participate in Senate activities.
Staff Senate is actively engaged in the University’s Public Affairs mission by our involvement in Lee National Denim Day for breast cancer awareness and campus community activities such as Student Move In day.
Would you like you to get involved by lending your service and expertise to Staff Senate?
If you are interested in filling a vacant senator seat and…
fill out the online form by April 25, 2011.
For more information about Staff Senate, please visit our web site or contact us at StaffSenate@MissouriState.edu.
The February 3rd Staff Senate meeting was canceled due to inclement weather, a light agenda, and a likely lack of quorum. Our next meeting will be Thursday, March 3rd at 11 a.m. in PSU 313.
The agenda for the March 3rd meeting is available on our web site. If you would like to address the Senate or have anything to add to the agenda, please contact us.
Hello everyone! My name is Matthew Stublefield, and as of sometime in December I was selected as the new Secretary for Staff Senate. Ever since, I’ve been somewhat behind in learning how everything works and getting caught up, but as of this morning I think we’re finally getting to where we need to be.
The minutes and agendas are all posted from the last couple of months, there have been a couple of updates to the roster, and I’ll be posting here to the blog more often to make sure everyone stays in the know. In addition to the minutes of future meetings, I hope to share more in an informal manner via this blog about committee presentations and other speakers.
Is there something you’d like to see more in regards to communication from Staff Senate? Please comment below and I’ll be happy to see what we can do 
Cheers.
In This Issue:
The Offices of Public Affairs Support and Citizenship and Service Learning are excited to announce the implementation of the “Public Affairs Spotlight”. The purpose of the Public Affairs Spotlight is to put a face on the university’s public affairs mission. The Public Affairs Spotlight recognizes students, faculty, and staff who are living the Public Affairs Mission in their day to day lives. It is intended to recognize those individuals who embody one or more of the three pillars of the mission: ethical leadership, community engagement, and cultural competency. Spotlight recipients are selected by a committee of students, faculty and staff who review nominations received from our campus community. The October 2010 Public Affairs Spotlight recipients can be found on the Public Affairs homepage. Nominations for future Public Affairs Spotlight recipients can be made by clicking on link “nomination form” on this webpage. All faculty, staff and students are encouraged to submit nominations for Spotlight recognition. For more information, visit the website or e-mail Mary Ann Wood, Director of Public Affairs Support.
I am a single mother of a beautiful five-year-old little girl and named Aidan, who can also be found working in the office from time
to time (shredding paper is her specialty). I love to run at the Nature Center, enjoy helping my daughter in all her activities, read whatever I can get my hands on, and am obsessed with the Investigation Discovery Channel.
I have worked for Missouri State University for seven years, beginning in the Counseling and Testing Center, and now as an Administrative Assistant II in the Office of Student Conduct. I love working at the University mostly because of the community-within-the-community feel. I love that I can come to work, run to fill a prescription, get my morning latte, mail something at the post office, and say hello to friends on my way. It’s a very relaxed and beautiful work environment, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else now.
The most rewarding part of my job so far has been being a part of the Staff Senate committee that helped implement the Tobacco Free policy. I’m so proud of the work we did in helping to make the University a healthier place to be.
In This Issue:
The Staff Excellence in University Service Awards (SEUSA) recognize excellence in service to the University among staff employees. Nominations are now being accepted for the Staff Excellence in University Service Awards.
The University wishes to recognize those staff employees who strive to do their jobs well on a daily basis, those who go above and beyond the call of duty in a special situation, and those who have contributed in a significant way to the success of the University.
Do you know a coworker who has proven superior service to the University?
Currently enrolled students, employed staff, faculty, administrators or groups are encouraged to nominate full-time staff employees for the Excellence in University Service Awards.
Better hurry! Nomination deadline is November 15.
Need more information? Nomination forms and information may be found at www.missouristate.edu/seusa.
Do you wonder what’s happening on campus? Check the faculty/staff homepage – click the Faculty/Staff link from the university homepage. You’ll find information about upcoming events for faculty and staff, recent pictures taken around campus, news just for faculty and staff, and profiles of some of your colleagues. New content is available every Monday. Don’t forget to check!
Date: Saturday, October 30th
Time: 9:00a.m. – 10:00a.m.
Location:Meet in the Glo Cleaners parking lot
Street: Cherry Street (between National and Glenstone)
If you would like to participate, please send an email to StaffSenate@MissouriState.edu.
Teresa is currently a Budget Officer with the College of Education, a position she has held since January, 2008. She moved to Springfield with her husband and son in 1993 from Shawnee, Kansas, and loves the Ozarks. She has been with Missouri State University in different capacities since 2004. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems in 2003 and a Master’s Business Administration in 2007, both f rom Missouri State University. She has one son, Joey, who is serving in the Army and is currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, Washington. He recently completed a tour in Afghanistan, and came back safely. Her husband, Ken, is the Property Control Specialist in Missouri State’s Property Control Office. She enjoys reading, working crossword and other puzzles, playing with her 3 cats and one dog (which she also considers her children), and going to movies. She is active in Staff Senate, serving on several committees, and also serves on several committees in her college.
In This Issue:
Do you make a chocolate cake that is to die for? Is your great-grandmother’s apple pie recipe the talk of the town?
Missouri State Staff Senate is publishing a dessert cookbook compiled by the Missouri State Community to raise money for the Staff Senate Scholarship Fund!
Be a part of this one-of-a-kind cookbook and submit your recipes today!
On your recipe submission please include:
Recipes need to be submitted by September 25th
Email your recipe (or copy and send through campus mail) to konyaknackstedt@missouristate.edu, terryplank@missouristate.edu or dixiewilliams@missouristate.edu.
When you submit your recipes, please let us know if you would like to purchase a Staff Senate Cookbook and how many. The selling price for these one-of-a-kind cookbooks will be $10 and all proceeds go to the Staff Senate Scholarship Fund. These make great Christmas gifts!
If you have any questions, please contact Konya Knackstedt at 6-4699 or konyaknackstedt@missouristate.edu.
Denim Day 5K Run/Walk
September 25, 2010 @ 8:00am
Nathaniel Greene Park
(see Denim Day website for registration form)
Denim Day Luncheon
September 29, 2010 @ 11:00-1:00
Plaster Student Union Ballroom
Cost: $6.00 with half of the proceeds going to breast cancer awareness)
Thursday, October 21
Tuesday, October 26
Tuesday, November 2
Call 888-8888 to schedule your mammogram!
Women with a history of concerns on previous mammograms or women with dense breast tissue should have their mammograms done at the St. John’s Breast Center rather than on the bus.
Visit http://health.missouristate.edu/74187.htm for more details call Jerilyn for questions 6-4045.
The Public Affairs Week Committee at Missouri State is hosting a clothing drive for Rainbow Network, a non profit organization that assists those struggling with poverty in rural Nicaragua. We are asking individuals to fill a Bearline with winter clothes for children and young adults! The fill the Bearline event will be outside Blair Shannon at 2 PM Wednesday, September 15th. At this event there will also be popcorn and more information on the Rainbow Network. We will then deliver the Bearline to the Rainbow Network and drop off the donated items. If you can’t make it to the event please email Elise Sommer at Elise006@live.missouristate.edu and drop off items with her, or drop off your items to the PSU front desk. Thank you so much and look forward to seeing you there!
The Office of Public Affairs Support is now accepting applications for the Public Affairs Grant Program. Applications are being requested for programs that will occur during the Spring 2011 semester. Deadline for applications is Friday, October 22, 2010. The Public Affairs Grant Program provides financial support to faculty, staff, and student organizations and groups to sponsor events for the campus community that are consistent with Missouri State University’s public affairs mission. These are events that provide opportunities for dialogue that encourage faculty, staff, and students to explore topics of public concern. Interdisciplinary and collaborative proposals are especially encouraged. The primary audience for these events is the campus community, but community participation with faculty, staff and students is welcome.
Application and proposal guidelines can be found at http://publicaffairs.missouristate.edu/grant/. For questions, contact Mary Ann Wood, Director of Public Affairs Support.
September 14-16
11:00am – 6:00pm
PSU Ballroom
Every participant receives a free t-shirt, a Skinny Improv coupon, and free pizza from Domino’s.
