The UA Staff Advisory Council is trying to expand its influence and get its voice heard by other faculty members in colleges with advisory councils on campus.
SAC arrived on campus in the mid ’70s to early ’80s to provide links to information and to advise others on policies and procedures. Members want to understand what is going on in different colleges around the university and offer assistance.
Richard Salazar, parking appeals officer and SAC member, said he thinks it is important to combine information, because the councils share common threads and are stronger when they work together.
“Our concerns are your concerns,” he said.
Salazar said he wants to make the SAC meetings mobile so they can travel to every college at the UA. Tuesday’s meeting was attended by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences SAC, College of Science SAC and the Arizona Health Sciences Center SAC, which were asked to voice their concerns and opinions.
“If there were no staff advisory council, the concerns people have would never be heard,” said Elena Stauffer, co-chair of SBS SAC group. “You just have to find a way to get people excited or worthwhile to come to the advisory meeting, and then they start to see a return.”
In December, the SBS SAC hosted a holiday giving event called “Adopt-a-School” and provided seven to eight families with gifts and money.
Hildi Williams, College of Medicine faculty member and a member of AHSC SAC, said their advising council focuses on staff recognition and professional development.
“We need ideas on new and exciting ways to draw in people,” Williams said.
Michael Dyckman, chairperson for College of Science Advisory Council, said they are an eclectic group with 14 council members in each department. For professional development, the council gives away small grants several times a year to help people attend events and staff recognition awards.
“Every now and then, there is an issue that arises, but it’s really obscure,” he said.
Allyson McAdams, accountant at SBS Business Center and SAC member, mentioned the 2015 Crossroads Conference that SAC has planned for May 20. There will be several workshops, and every old member of SAC will be paired with a new member in attending three workshops, allowing them to monitor the workshops with an executive board member while also taking part in them.
SAC also provides an information outlet to the UA community regarding events like the “Stuff the CatTran” event where 14,183 meals were produced with the food donations, according to Christina Rocha, the SAC Executive Vice Chair.
“If you could encourage anyone to think of joining the staff advisory council,” Rocha said, “that could be a part of your agenda items when you meet every month.”
One of its largest accomplishments this year was adding classified staff to the “Never Settle Strategic Plan,” according to Charlotte Honeycutt, the administrative vice chair of SAC.
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