Bylaws/Elections Committee – reviews, drafts and recommends amendments to the bylaws and presents them to the Executive Committee and then to Staff Senate for approval. They review rules on questions relating to qualifications of electors and members, nominates and receives nominations, presents a slate of nominees, and conducts the elections.

2012-13 Bylaws Changes:
1.  In August 2012 the committee brought forth a proposal for changes to the membership bylaws to include North Dakota University System employees housed on the UND campus as an eligible member and allow other broadband classifications to temporarily fill an area where there is not enough members to fill that category.  The changes were approved.

2.  In October 2012 the committee brought forth a proposal for changes to the Executive Committee to include the chair of Denim Days and to also state that each Staff Senate member is expected to belong to at least one committee; yet can only be a chair of one committee.  The changes were approved.

3.  In December 2012 the committee brought forth a proposal for changes to the mission statement to encourage involvement in campus activities and events, increase knowledge and involvement in the operation of the University, and foster community involvement.  The changes were approved.

In February 2013 the nomination and election process for Staff Senators was again held online this year.

As Past President, Patricia Young will chair Bylaws and Elections for 2013-14.

Denim Days support local non-profit charities/organizations. For more information and details go to the Denim Days webpage.

2013 Denim Day Recipients (all donations support these charities)

• Altru Family YMCA - Child Care Scholarship Fund
• Altru Health Foundation - Child Life Program
• Altru Infant & Child Bereavement Program
• Circle of Friends Humane Society
• Community Violence Intervention Center - Light of Hope Program
• Global Friends Coalition
• Greater Grand Forks Senior Citizens Association - Meals on Wheels Program
• Home Delivered Meals
• Mountainbrooke Recovery Center
• Safe Kids Grand Forks
• Special Olympics North Dakota
• Third Street Clinic
• Village Family Service Center - Love & Logic Parenting Program

Cheri Williams will continue to serve as the Denim Day Chair for 2013-2014.

Scholarship for Dependents of Benefited Staff

Successful fundraising has once again enabled the UND Staff Senate to provide student scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The UND Staff Senate is very proud of its efforts in raising the money for these scholarships.  This money was raised by 31 Days of Glory Raffle, payroll deductions, and donations.  We thank you for your past support of the UND Staff Senate and look forward to your continued support in future endeavors.

Applications were due at Student Financial Aid by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2013.

Click here for a list of the 2013-2014 Scholarship Recipients

Seeds for Staff Success - NEW Program

Successful fundraising has enabled UND Staff Senate the ability to provide professional development opportunities to UND benefited staff members.  This program was developed by Staff Senate to provide staff members with a source of funding that allows them to continue their education; attend conferences and workshops; or participate in other staff development opportunities they might have interest in.  The maximum for any individual grant is $500. 

The first round of applications were due on September 15, and five staff members were awarded a total of $1,291.90 for professional development.  Application deadlines occur quarterly on September 15, December 15, March 15, and June 15 .

Please see the Seeds for Staff Success application form for the criteria.  Mail completed forms to Sharley Kurtz at Stop 9025 or email Sharley at sharley.kurtz@und.edu .

Please see the Seeds for Staff Success flyer for some of the program information. 

Help us make this program a SUCCESS!!!  This year, all money raised at the Denim & Diamonds Annual Staff and Faculty Celebration which will be held on Friday, February 22, 2013, at the Gorecki Alumni Center, will be matched by President Kelley to support the mission of the program.

Click here for a list of the 2012-2013 Seeds for Staff Success Recipients

31 Days of Glory

UND Staff Senate has been conducting the 31 Days of Glory raffle each year since it was established in 1998.

• What is it? During October and November, Staff Senators sell 500 raffle tickets at $20 each. A winner is drawn for each day of December. Monday through Saturday winners receive $100 cash and Sunday winners receive $500 cash.
• Where do the proceeds go? Proceeds from the raffle will be used to provide scholarships for dependents of UND Staff members.
• Who sells them? All Staff Senators!
• Who can buy a ticket? Staff, faculty, students; anyone! You don't even have to work at UND. Get your ticket early, they sell fast! You can't win if you don't buy a ticket.

Congratulations to last year's winners of the 31 Days of Glory raffle! Thank you for purchasing a ticket to support scholarships for dependents of UND staff members.

2011 List of 31 Days of Glory Winners

Payroll Deduction

Currently, more than 50 UND employees (staff and faculty) have signed up for payroll deduction to help provide scholarships for dependents of UND staff members.  To apply for payroll deduction, download the following form.

• Payroll Deduction Form

Shannon Medina and Pam Henderson will Co-Chair the committee for 2013-2014.

Legislative Committee – provides Staff Senate with information regarding legislative activity, placing particular emphasis on issues affecting higher education and UND staff. The committee depends on feedback from the Staff Senate to propose and initiate a coordinated effort as a result of the given information. This committee also acts as parliamentarian or source of parliamentary procedure according to Sturgis.

As the North Dakota Legislature was in session this past year, the Staff Senate Legislative Committee had an exciting time following the events that transpired.  The legislature was in session a record 80 days which is the maximum amount they can be in session by law.

One of the bills passed included state employee pay increases of about 4% for FY 2014 and 3% for FY 2015.  the employing department will have the final say on the exact amount of any pay increases.  Health insurance premiums will continue to be paid by the employer.  A study will be conducted in the upcoming biennium that will assess the need for the state to continue to fully pay for this benefit. 

Other items of note:  The state employee incentive program that targets reducing expenditures was increased from $2,000 to $4,000.  Funding for several building projects at UND was included in one of the bills passed - most notably funding for a new medical school and an expansion and improvements to the law school building.  After much debate the budget for Higher Education was passed on the final day of the session.

Finally, a resolution was passed that will send to the voters of North Dakota a choice to redo how higher education is governed.  Currently North Dakota Higher Education is administered by a board appointed by the governor.  There are also members that represent staff, faculty and students.  The resolution going to the people will be an election of a three member commission that would replace the current board of higher education.  The vote on whether to redo the governing of higher education will occur in the fall of 2014.

Darin Lee will continue to serve as Legislative Chair for 2013-14.

The North Dakota State Staff Senate (ND SSS) serves staff members at institutions throughout the university system. The ND SSS identifies staff interests and issues; acts as a forum for staff-related matters; and promotes communication between campus staff, the NDUS chancellor and the State Board of Higher Education. The ND SSS meets at least four times a year.

UND Staff Senate President, Vice President and Past President will serve as members of the ND SSS with the Past President rotating off each year.

Currently Kristi Swartz from UND is the President for 2013-2014.

Public Relations Committee – works in conjunction with other Staff Senate Committees to:

• Publicize events sponsored by the Staff Senate
• Open channels of communication with the campus community
• Raise awareness about the vital role performed by staff in the operation of the University
• Develop documents and correspondence prior to submission to the Executive Committee
• Maintain the Staff Senate web page and display case

During 2012-13 they oversaw the following:

• The PR Committee has continued to review flyers and other public materials, checking grammar and spelling, and providing guidance and assistance in branding.
• The PR Committee reviewed over sixty documents, promoting events such as 31 Days of Glory, tours, U-Shine, Exceptional U, Denim & Diamonds, Staff Recognition Week, Denim Day and Spring Fling.
• The PR Committee continues to produce Staff Happens, the Staff Senate newsletter.  This committee plans to continue producing the newsletter twice a year after the Christmas break and during the early summer break.
• The PR Committee promotes Staff Senate in the U-Letter. Most releases are written by other committees that are responsible for the event being announced.  Whether or not a release or announcement is generated by our committee, the release or announcement is reviewed by the PR Committee. 
• The Staff Senate display case in the Memorial Union is maintained monthly.
• Nameplates were printed for new members.
• The PR Committee has designed and will continue to design other materials as needed.  Examples of this include the site coordinator poster for Denim Day, the Spring Fling flyer, the Staff Recognition Week flyer and Staff Development workshop flyers. 
• The committee has been archiving the history of Staff Senate.  We will continue to document elected officers, meetings, photographs, reports and accomplishments of our organization before the history is lost.  This data is being stored on an external hard drive. 

John Lee will continue on as Public Relations chair for 2013-14.

Staff Development Program Committee identifies, recommends, and coordinates various programs and activities that will provide professional and personal growth for all UND employees.

The Vice President, also the Chair of the Staff Development Program Committee, is responsible for lining up speaker for the monthly full Staff Senate meetings.  Subjects for updates and programs included; TIAA/CREF options, United Way campaign, Emergency Notification issue, University Police Department update, overall UND updates, Human Resources Leadership Program, Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Grand Forks, legislative updates, nutrition information, HLC update, and campus parking update.  President Kelley also presented the Seeds for Staff Success fundraising match to Staff Senate during our last meeting of the year.  

The committee is involved in the following:

• Workshops.  Workshops provide Staff Development opprotunities and this year's workships included:
  • Goal Setting which took place in October 2012
  • Bullying in the Workplace held in January 2013
  • Ace the Interview was held during the month of March 2013

The Bullying Workshop was an interactive workshop that was live streamed and also recorded so it could be watched at a later date.  All three workshops were well attended and very informative.

• Campus Tours. Staff Development Program Committee continued the campus tours which have been a huge success and they included:
  
  • Gorecki Alumni Center (several tours took place in different months)
  • Hughes Fine Arts provided several musical performance snap shots
  • May Day Tour of the Cultural Centers with water and food provided as participants walked from Center to Center.  The Era Bell Thompson Multicultural Center had cake and showed off the computer lab and tutoring for students.  The International Center had fresh fruit, a slide show with trivia, and studying abroad opportunities were review and tours.  The American Indian Center had Indian fry bread with Wojapi sauce, a slide show and tours.
  • Previous tours have included EERC, Aerospace, Aerospace at the Airport, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Memorial Union, Facilities, and the Steam Plant.

The tours have been popular and will continue to get staff out of their offices and across campus to become more informed about the University.

• Christmas Potluck Donation
  • The committee decided to do a food and personal care drive and the donations will go to St. Joseph's Social Care and Thrift Store for 2012.  In 2011 we provided "holiday cheer packages" to senior citizens. We have received many thank you letters from the Senior Citizens that we'd like to share. Thank You - UND
  • The annual potluck was held on December 12, 2012 with President and Mrs. Kelley in attendance. 
• Staff Mentorship Program and Ambassador Program
  • The Mentorship Program is being developed in collaboration with Human Resources, U2 Program, Director of the Memorial Union and Staff Senate.  The first push will be to develop a proposal for the University administration to review regarding the need for a Mentorship Program.  The Ambassadors Program is still in progress and will follow the Mentorship proposal.

As Vice-President/President Elect, Sharley Kurtz will serve as chair for Staff Development Program Committee for 2013-14.

Staff Recognition Committee – Develops and administers events and programs to recognize and reward staff employees for their service to UND. Coordinates events such as Spring Fling and, in conjunction with Council of State Employees (COSE), plans activities for State Employee Recognition Week. This committee also administers the UND Staff Senate Senator of the Year award.

• State Employee Recognition Week
  • State Employee Recognition Week (SERW) was held September 10 through September 14, 2012.  On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 approximately 388 staff were served Taco in a Bag; also the Work Well Committee provided sliced fruits and vegetables as a healthy addition to our menu. Wednesday, September 12 we served 93 Night Staff at a Breakfast that was held for them in the Terrace Cafeteria; and on Thursday, September 13 we held the Courtyard Picnic in the Ballroom and served about 395 staff members. For the Picnic event we had pie and ice cream for dessert that was provided by Peter Johnson and the University Relations Department. In addition to the food celebrations – There was a Scavenger Hunt that started on Monday and went through Thursday: Things 2C@UND. This was put together by the COSE committee as something more in the fitness category.   There were 22 participants in this event and there were prizes that were drawn at random by those that completed the course. Friday of that week was Wear your Colors Day ranging from 1-25+ years. The charity this year was the Listen Drop-In Center of Grand Forks and $140.00 dollars was donated to them by Staff Senate.
• Staff Senator of the Year
  • The Staff Senator of the Year award was developed by the Staff Recognition Committee to recognize a Staff Senator who promotes a spirit of unity and pride and represents Staff Senate in an exemplary manner through their vision, enthusiasm, dedication and willingness to volunteer. Our award winner was Sharley Kurtz , who was presented with a desk clock and perpetual plaque that will hang in Staff Senate’s display case at the Memorial Union.
• Spring Fling
  • Spring Fling was held on Friday, May 3, 2013 at the Memorial Union Ballroom. This year we served BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches, veggie burgers, chips, pickles, fruit, and lemonade.  A table was set up for non-perishable food items to donate to the local food shelves. Spring Fling was held in conjunction with Work Well and their Health & Wellness Fair.
• U-Shine Award 
  • This is the fourth year of what we consider to be a very successful program that recognizes outstanding UND staff employees. This award is presented every month by the Staff Senate President and the U-Shine Coordinator to a staff member that has been nominated for going above and beyond the call of duty in his/her job. This is different than the yearly meritorious award. There has to be a specific incident or act of kindness that was displayed by the employee. The winner each month receives a certificate and a gift of $50.00. An annual award of $250.00 is presented at the annual Staff Recognition Banquet in May. Winners are unaware of their win until the award is presented during a "special department meeting" or other gathering which is arranged in advance. The annual winner for 2013 was shared by Galen Gasink and Jim Hanson, both from Facilities.  Lynn Lee, Member-at-Large, has volunteered to assist in organizing the U-Shine Award process as part of her nomination to be a Member-at-Large.

Marsha Nelson and Vicki Thompson will Co-Chair the Staff Recognition Committee for 2013-14.

Staff Senate also has three Ad Hoc Committess that are listed below. The three Executive Committee at-large members are the coordinators for these committees.

• Denim & Diamonds - Patricia Hodny, Coordinator
• Parades - Robert Schindele, Coordinator
• U-Shine Award - Lynn Lee, Coordinator

Staff Senate has members who serve on the following University Committees.

• Building/Facilities Access Committee - Marsha Nelson
• Chester Fritz Auditorium Advisory Committee - Kim Keeley
• Conflict of Interest/Scientific Misconduct Committee - Diane Hillebrand, Cheri Williams
• Council of State Employees (COSE) - Kim Keeley, Kim Burris, Shannon Medina
• Diversity Council - Thomas Brockling, Kristine Paranica, William Young
• Healthy UND Tobacco Task Group - Kimberly Ruliffson
• North Dakota State Staff Senate - Diane Hillebrand, Sharley Kurtz, Trish Young
• Sexual Violence - Eileen Tronnes Nelson
• University Bookstore Advisory Committee - Nancy Krom
• University Ombuds Committee - Cheri Williams
• University Senate - Diane Hillebrand, Sharley Kurtz, Kim Keeley
• Work Well Committee - Jessica Dunphy