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Community Events and Traditions
A number of community events and traditions are posted
on eDigest.
Staff Council
The mission of the Smith College Staff Council is to
give members of the administrative, administrative support, and service staff a direct
involvement in the governance of nonacademic affairs and in the life of the Smith
College community.
Staff Council ensures participation of staff in the
policy-making process, promotes visibility of staff as valuable members of the Smith
College community, and facilitates a sense of belonging within the community. The
Council examines policies affecting the college community and makes recommendations
to appropriate committees and administrators. The Council actively seeks to involve
all segments of the college's diverse staff in the Council's decision-making process.
Staff Council is not a labor organization; it is not
authorized to negotiate grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of
employment, or conditions of work.
All members of the administrative, administrative support,
and service staff are eligible to run for Staff Council. Staff Council members are
elected annually by vote of the staff and representation is distributed proportionally
based on the numbers of administrative, administrative support, and service staff
in the general staff population. In addition to the elected members, two nonvoting
representatives are appointed by the President to act as resource persons and communication
liaisons to the Council.
Staff Council Committees
Staff Council has six standing committees and one ad
hoc committee. Staff Council will create additional ad hoc committees as the need
arises.
Activities Committee (ad hoc committee): The
Activities Committee provides opportunities for staff to meet and socialize with
co-workers in a non-work environment. The Committee sponsors bus trips, intramural
teams, community projects, and special interest groups.
Communications Committee: The Communications
Committee addresses issues of campus-wide communication and is responsible for promoting
a sense of community by keeping staff informed about Staff Council activity.
Finance and Budget Committee: The Finance and
Budget Committee keeps staff informed of the college budget process.
Nominations and Elections Committee: The Nominations
and Elections Committee is responsible for ensuring that all elections and appointments
to Staff Council are conducted properly, and provides, upon request, nominations
for appointment to campus committees.
Personnel Policy Committee: The Personnel Policy
Committee examines and comments on college personnel policies.
Staff Development Committee: The Staff Development
Committee supports and offers suggestions on how to enhance staff training and professional
development.
Steering Committee: The Steering Committee is
responsible for communicating staff issues to administrators and other committees,
and for gathers information from the college community for discussion at Staff Council
meetings.
Staff Council Released Time Policy
To support and facilitate involvement in Staff Council,
the college will extend released time for staff as indicated below. All released
time must be scheduled in advance with your supervisor.
Elected Staff Council Representatives: Elected
representatives will be granted up to 30 hours of paid released time to attend scheduled
Staff Council and committee meetings held during an individual's normal work hours.
During the academic year, it is expected that this will average no more than two
to three hours per month. Members will not be compensated when Staff Council or committee
meetings are held outside their normal work hours.
Members-at-Large appointed to Staff Council Committees:
Members-at-large appointed to Staff Council committees will be granted up to 20 hours
of paid released time each fiscal year for attendance at committee meetings. During
the academic year it is expected that this will average no more than two hours per
month. Members-at-large will not be compensated when committee meetings are held
outside their normal work hours.
Members-at-Large (non-elected members) attending
Staff Council meetings: Staff may use vacation, personal, or make-up time (during
the same work week) to attend a Staff Council meeting held during their normal
work hours.
Staff Council Community Forums: With advance
notice to their supervisor, staff may receive released time to attend two Staff Council
community forums a year if the forums occur during their normal work hours.
For more information on Staff Council or to obtain a
copy of the Charter, contact the Staff Council representative for your department
or the Office of Human Resources. Or go to http://www.smith.edu/staffcouncil/
Other College Committees
A number of other committees exist to serve the Smith
College community. Nominations for many of the committees that have staff appointees
are coordinated through Staff Council; other nominations are coordinated through
the Office of Human Resources.
Conservation
For information about Smith College’s conservation
efforts, please see http://www.smith.edu/physplant/index.php
Smith and Northampton
For information about the college’s partnership
with the local community, please visit http://www.smith.edu/fornorthampton.php |
