Staff Happens December 2019

Happenings in a nutshell

Staff Senate President Whitney Maine appreciation for staff participation and coordination of President Candidate Interviews.

Apply for available senator spots! Since we are not in an election cycle, this is currently only a 4 month commitment.

October Ushine winner is JOANNE BARSTAD!

Thank you to all who donate to Denim Spirit Days each Friday! Staff Senate received the Grand Giver Award from Valley Senior living.

"Like" our Facebook Page - it's the cool thing to do. Go to it often and scroll down to catch up.

December 11, 2019 through January 8, 2020 - Tubs of Love - Staff Senate Community Relations Committee is collecting donations for Northlands Rescue Mission.

December 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Chamber Brown Bag Seminar at the Chamber Board Room.

December 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. GGFYP Lunch & Learn - Serving Those Who Deliver Service.

December 19 from 4:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Business After Hours hosted by Northland Community & Technical College (2022 Central Ave NE, East Grand Forks, MN 56721).

January 8 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Staff Senate Meeting in Nursing, room 210.

UND Staff Senate President Update Whitney Maine

I would like to thank all of the staff that attended the Presidential Candidate Open Forums and participated online. Your presence and feedback was very helpful for the Search Committee. I would also like to thank the staff who spent many hours coordinating the interview visits. Our new president Dr. Andrew Armacost commented on the engagement of our staff in our campus community, which shows how deeply we care for UND.

Senator Spots Available APPLY NOW! Senator spots are currently available! Full-time UND staff can apply to be on UND Staff Senate!

A full listing of all 2019-2020 Senators and the Staff Senate Executive Committee are posted on our website.

October 2019 UShine Award Winner UND Staff Senate is pleased to announce that the October 2019 UShine Award recipient is JOANNE BARSTAD, Payroll Coordinator for UND. She was nominated by Jennifer Lunde, whose nomination stated:

"Joanne is very deserving of the U-Shine Award. She is always professional, kind, patient, and quick to respond. Every time I call Joanne, (which is almost daily) she works thru whatever situation I need to figure out even if she has to contact someone else to get the answer. She always gets back to me. If I call her and she is on the phone, she calls me back. I KNOW I CAN COUNT ON JOANNE ANYTIME AND ALL THE TIME! Majority of staff positions on campus have assumed more duties due to budget cuts and departments not filling vacated positions. As employees, we can choose to be negative about this or we can choose to engage in a positive work environment despite low morale. Joanne is setting a great example for other staff! She most definitely needs to be recognized for SHINNING!"

We agree! USHINE!

Each UShine award winner receives a certificate during a surprise presentation with fellow co-workers recognizing their effort and a one-time $50 bonus added to their next paycheck!

Notice and nominate one of your outstanding coworkers for the UShine Award at any time! We are in need of nominations again!

Grand Giver Award On Wednesday December 3, 2019 Staff Senate received the Grand Giver Award from Valley Senior Living for their monetary donation of $1000.00. The money donated to Valley Senior Living were funds collected during Denim Spirit Days in 2018-2019. Thank you to all that donate to Denim Spirit Days!

Staff Senate Facebook Page Please encourage your coworkers to like and follow the UND Staff Senate Facebook page. The goal for our Facebook page is to be a useful communication tool and to provide a fun environment for all UND employees. The more we interact with the page, the more fun we can have!

Did you know Tuesdays! Do you know about all of the cool things you can have access to?? Check out the attachment to this email for some

awesome links to reference!!

December

TUBS OF LOVE December 11, 2019 through January 8, 2020 - Staff Senate Community Relations Committee is collecting donations of personal care items, winter gear, non-perishable food, and clothing for Northlands Rescue Mission. Tubs are spread out around campus and will be collected on January 8, 2020.

SEEDS FOR STAFF SUCCESS APPLICATION DEADLINE

December 15, 2019 - Seeds for Staff Success application deadline. To receive a grant for this deadline, your allocation must be used between January 1 and May 12 (spring semester)

THE CHAMBER BROWN BAG SEMINAR - Nonprofit Fundraising Tips, Tricks and Technology

December 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Chamber Board Room (202 N. 3rd St.). Since all UND employees are Chamber members, this event is $20 per person ($30 for non-members) and

includes lunch. Click here for more information and to register.

GGFYP LUNCH & LEARN - SERVING THOSE WHO DELIVER SERVICE

December 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Minnkota Power Cooperative (5301 32nd Ave. S). Check out the group's website or Facebook page for updates with topic and location. Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals Lunch & Learn is organized by its Professional Development Committee and hosted monthly at locations around Grand Forks. This event is free to members but

requires a small fee to non-members.

THE CHAMBER BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

December 19 from 4:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. hosted by Northland Community & Technical College (2022 Central Ave NE, East Grand Forks, MN 56721). Since all UND employees are Chamber members, the Business After Hours event is FREE, fun, and great for networking! "Business After Hours takes place monthly at various member businesses. It is one of the largest Chamber

networking events, with an average attendance of 250 Chamber members."

January

STAFF SENATE MEETING

January 8 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Nursing 210. These meetings are open for anyone to attend. Meetings and agendas are found here.

Community Relations June Novacek & Kari Holter, Co-Chairs

Staff Senate Community Relations Committee is collecting donations of personal care items, winter gear, non-perishable food, and clothing for Northlands Rescue Mission. Tubs are spread out around campus and will be collected on January 8, 2020.

Engagement Laura Vatnsdal & Melissa Casanova, Co-Chairs

A huge thank you goes out to everyone that attended out BINGO event! There were 55+ people that attended! UND Housing won the office pizza party sponsored by Popolino's! They had 11 staff from their office that attended!

Out next event will be in February. Here are a few hints: straight, century club, pocket, hook. Stay tuned!

Legislative Tyler O'Hara, Chair

After receiving excellent feedback from all of our colleagues across campus, the Legislative Affairs Committee now has many topics to begin our initial research phase, including among others; sick leave for dependent family members, flexible holiday vacation, tuition discounts for all NDUS schools, and increased paternity/maternity leave. We continue to want to know what you want us to work on! What issues should we address as a group and with University

Administration? Let us know anonymously through the Staff Senate suggestion box, via paper suggestions in Staff Senate meetings, or via email to UND.staffsenate@UND.edu.

Public Relations Christina Mead, Chair

Help get us to 1000!! "Like" and "Follow" our UND Staff Senate Facebook page and sign up for Staff Chat emails! Our Staff Senate website is packed with resources and everyone is also welcome to be at the Staff Senate meetings.

Staff & Professional Development Jade Gourneau, Chair

Applications for Spring 2020 Seeds for Staff Success awards are due December 15, 2019. Funds must be used between January 1, 2020, and May 12, 2020.

Staff Recognition Andria Spaeth & Jennifer Lunde, Co-Chairs

The UShine Award is presented monthly to a UND staff member who went above and beyond, with an annual award chosen each May!

UND faculty, staff, students and public are encouraged to nominate and recognize a UND Staff member who did something special or extraordinary to assist a colleague, supervisor, student or family.

Mission & Vision

Mission:

To advocate for staff by supporting engagement, development, and recognition through shared governance and collaboration.

Vision:

To be the roots for all UND staff.

Suggestion Box Staff Senate welcomes questions and ideas. Please click on the Suggestion Box to submit a suggestion or to read previous questions with answers!