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After a brief hiatus, we’re relaunching our monthly leadership updates. In the coming months, we’ll feature updates from both UVM President Suresh Garimella and Staff Council Vice President Caleb Gilbert.
Dear Colleagues,
It’s hard to believe we’re already into the 2020 spring semester. Time truly does fly!
This semester will close out my two-year term as Staff Council President. I can honestly say that the most prevalent aspect of my tenure as Staff Council President has been change. In the past 20 months, we’ve welcomed a new UVM President, a new Provost, we’re seeing new Deans in several colleges, and coming up, we’ll see a new Chairperson for the Board of Trustees. We also welcomed a new (and awesome) Staff Council Office team. Throughout, I have been so impressed with the high level of professionalism I’ve witnessed UVM staff bring to their work, and I want to thank you all for your ongoing efforts to help make these changes happen as smoothly as possible.
In recent news, we’ve just closed our third application period for the Staff Council Professional Development Fund. Each quarter we are able to award $2500, and we are looking forward to announcing awardees later this month. Also - two Mamava Pods for nursing parents have now been installed on campus. The ribbon cutting is tomorrow (Tuesday February 4th) and I hope I’ll see you there!
(Check out the article below for details.)
And it’s that time of year - Staff Council Representative elections are coming up! If you haven’t served on Staff Council, please consider it. It’s a great opportunity to be informed about campus activities and to have a more direct voice on issues important to you and your colleagues. This year we’ll also be voting on a new President and Vice President. Exciting things are happening at the University of Vermont, and the next Staff Council President will be well situated to help steer the University successfully into the future. If you’d like to know more about the role and responsibilities of Staff Council Representatives or Officers (President & Vice-President), please feel free to contact me (email link).
Looking back over the past 20 months of my Staff Council work, one of the things I’ve been most proud of is that Staff Council has established a more collaborative relationship with the other Governance groups on campus. We now meet regularly with representatives from the Faculty Senate, Graduate Student Senate, Alumni Association and Student Government Association. Several graduate students now serve on Staff Council standing committees, and we’re looking to join with the Faculty Senate to work on an upcoming project. I believe that the more the UVM community works together, the more meaningful our collective voice becomes – and the more we can help to maintain and grow our fantastic institution.
Thanks!
- Steve Lunna
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Q: What are Mamava Pods?
A: Clean, comfortable, secure kiosks for nursing parents.
One Mamava pod has been installed outside of the southeast entrance to the Patrick Gym, and will be available for use during UVM athletic events. The other pod is in Discovery Hall, where a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held.
When: Tuesday, February 4th at 10:00 AM
Where: Discovery Hall, 4th floor, by classroom 408
These installations come thanks to the work of the University of Vermont Staff Council.
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Staff Council elections are coming up in April for both officers and representatives! In the January edition of Staffline we highlighted what it takes to become a Staff Council President or Vice President. Now we'll take a quick look at becoming a representative!
Staff Council Representatives represent staff from all corners of the University of Vermont. Representative term years run from July 1st to June 30th, so those elected in Spring 2020 will commence serving on July 1, 2020.
Staff Council Representatives are required to attend our monthly Staff Council Meeting and participate on one of four Staff Council Standing Committees. Each representative serves a 3 year term, however, if changes occur in your personal or professional life that make it difficult to maintain this commitment, you can step down from your position at any time and a new election in the unit will be held. Most representatives spend two to four hours a month total on Council activities, including the Staff Council meeting, their committee meeting, reviewing materials, and working on any Staff Council projects.
The University's Time Release Policy contains a provision for reasonable release time to attend Staff Council meetings and to do Council work, so you do not have to use personal or vacation time for Council work. Your time on Staff Council is considered service to the University.
If you want to know more, reach out to the Staff Council office (email link).
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The Staff Council Professional Development's third quarter application period has just closed. The Committee will be meeting later this month and the Staff Council Office will notify applicants of their decisions shortly thereafter.
Applications will open again from March 1 - April 30 for the fourth quarter. The application form itself will be revised, so please wait to apply until the new form is posted on March 1st. It will be on our website and announced in the March edition of Staffline.
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The Staff Council Community Service Award (CSA) allows UVM nonrepresented staff who donate their time to a local nonprofit to apply for a $25 donation payable to that same nonprofit. Staff may apply anytime throughout the year, but funds are first-come, first-served. Applications are approved by the Staff Council Community Engagement Committee.
Online CSA application
Contact us (email link) with any questions.
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The Staff Council Social Committee is spearheading two upcoming events, so save the dates and look out for future announcements!
First, the annual Staff Council Skate Night is set for Friday March 6th from 6:00-8:00 PM on the Gutterson Ice Rink! This event is free to all but it's a bring-your-own-skates event. DJ Dakota Burr will be entertaining and Staff Council will be serving hot cider and cookies. Students, faculty, staff, friends and family members are all welcome!
Next, the Staff Council Office will be selling reduced-price tickets to see
Matilda - the Musical at the Lyric Theatre for a matinee performance on Sunday April 5th at 1:00 PM. Tickets to the general public sell for $34 but UVM staff will be able to purchase them from Staff Council for just $27. Look out for the link in the March Staffline!
As ever, feel free to contact us (email link) with any questions.
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Over the holidays, many offices, departments, and colleges collected items and money for local charitable causes. We would like to acknowledge such activities and help encourage others to do the same.
If your work group did such an activity, please share it with us (email link) so we can share it with others! And remember, the holidays are not the only time folks are in need of assistance, so give what you can throughout the year.
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The Blackboard Jungle Symposium (BBJ) is designed for UVM faculty, staff, and all others wanting to participate in critical conversations, construct new and promising inclusive practices, and foster conversational spaces where diversity, equity, and the free exchange of ideas are welcomed, appreciated, and valued. BBJ is a collaborative opportunity to engage in an open, civil exchange of ideas, perspectives, and beliefs that will cultivate greater inclusivity of diverse populations and increase cultural understanding within communities.
Keynote speakers at Blackboard Jungle 13 (taking place on March 26 & 27) will include:
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Nikole Hannah-Jones, who covers racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine, has spent years chronicling the way official policy has created, and maintains, racial segregation in housing and schools. She is currently writing a book on school segregation called The Problem We All Live With, to be published on the One World imprint of Penguin/Random House.
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Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr., a scholar and award winning author who speaks to the black and blue in America. His most well-known books, Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, and In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, take a wide look at black communities and reveal complexities, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for hope.
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Judy Shepard, who spearheaded The Matthew Shepard Act, which expanded the federal hate-crime law to include crimes based on gender and sexual orientation. Her best-seller, The Meaning of Matthew, offers an intimate look at how her life and the entire fight for equal rights changed when her son was killed.
More information about the keynote speakers and the symposium is available here.
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The Northeast Queer and Trans People of Color (NEQTPOC) Conference will be held at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT from March 20th - 21st, 2020 in the Dudley H. Davis Center. NEQTPOCC's mission is to foster an environment of unity, empowerment, visibility, and validation for Queer and Trans People of Color in the Northeast region of the United States. Our goal is to provide multiple spaces and means to have conversations that are complicated, nuanced, contradictory, and messy in the most intentional authentic ways possible through centering the voices and knowledge of those most marginalized in our communities.
Register online here. Please note that pre-registration closes on Sunday, March 1st at 11:59pm EST. The last date to register for the conference will be Sunday, March 15th at 11:59pm EST.
Our theme for this year's conference is: Alive in Ancestry: We Existed, Are Existing, and Will Continue to Exist.
The conference will include a number of workshops, presentation sessions, and keynotes that speak to that theme as well as intentional opportunities for social community building and networking for attendees. If you are interested in submitting a workshop/presentation for #NEQTPOC2020, please use this form to submit your proposal.
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There are a lot of great events happening on campus around the topic of sustainability - here is a list put together by the Office of Sustainability for the month of February:
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The Clean Energy Fund was established to advance renewable energy infrastructure on campus, and foster clean energy research and academics. A self-imposed student fee of $10 per student per semester replenishes the fund with about $250,000 annually.
Do you have an idea for UVM to reduce fossil fuel use? Staff are encouraged to submit an idea (.DOCX) by Feb 26.
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EDU@UVM is a learning event that brings colleagues together from across campus to share knowledge and cultivate skills that will positively impact our work life.
Open to UVM employees only, EDU@UVM is held on campus every year during Spring Break. Sessions take place at various classrooms on campus.
This year, EDU@UVM will take place on March 11th. Details will be posted online soon - check uvm.edu/edu later in February for the 2020 registration link and more.
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The Annual UVM Publications and Creative Works Reception will take place from 5:30 to 7:00pm on February 27. At this reception, we celebrate the accomplishments of our colleagues who have published a book or produced a substantial creative project in the past calendar year.
We invite submissions from all faculty and staff who have published a book (excluding those that are self-published) or accomplished a similarly significant achievement in the fine and performing arts in calendar year 2019. Examples of accomplishments recognized at this reception include those that receive a high level of recognition, those held at distinguished venues, those selected by national jury, or professional productions.
Please complete this survey by February 10. More information is available here, and you may contact Lori Desotell (email link) in the Office of the Provost at 656-1417 with any questions.
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During the month of February, the UVM Bookstore will hold one flash sale each week. They'll announce sale dates and times exclusively on their Instagram account the day before the sale, so start following @uvmbookstore on Instagram and save!
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February will bring UVM Theatre’s production of Shakespeare in Love. Adapted from the Academy award winning film, Shakespeare in Love is a delightful, rowdy and romantic theatrical experience.
When: February 26 – March 8 Where: Royall Tyler Theatre Tickets: Adults: $28 and $24. UVM faculty/Staff, seniors (55+) and non-UVM students: $25 and $21.
Purchase online or at the Royall Tyler Theatre box office beginning January 14.
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