Operating Staff elects leaders

by Joe King

Members of the Operating Staff Council have selected new leadership for the 2004-2005 academic year.

Officers elected were Donna Smith, president; Rachel X. Turner, vice president; Theresa Kinniry, secretary; and Elizabeth Buck, treasurer.

Smith, a 17-year employee of the university who works in the dean’s office in the College of Education, has been active on the Operating Staff Council for 10 years. She has previously served as secretary and vice president of the OSC, and has participated in a number of university committees.

Smith said she expects salaries and benefits to be among the most important issues the council will face in the year ahead.

“I understand that budget cuts are difficult, and I believe the university has been handling them well, but we hope to work with the administration to look for ways of providing salary increases and to hold down the cost of benefits,” she said.

Other priorities will be looking for ways to improve communications with all university operating staff and finding new ways to recognize outstanding employees within that group. Smith also is looking forward to hosting a conference for representatives from operating staff councils from across the state in October.

Other OSC election results included the re-election to the council of Linda Jennings, Theresa Kinniry and Joe Koch. New members elected were Margie Foshe and Nancy Schuneman.

7-26-04