Staff Council's Mandate Extended through Summer; Group Asks President for Permanent Status

In a January 15 letter, Staff Council representatives asked President Joanne Creighton and members of the Educational Priorities Committee (EPC) to make their group a permanent organization. Creighton had originally given the Staff Council a one-year life, primarily to convey staff opinions to her and the EPC during the College's planning process. Now, however, she has agreed to extend the Staff Council's mandate from February 1997 through the summer, and is considering their request for permanent status.

"Because of its success to date, we recommend that the Council be maintained as an ongoing body, elected by the staff, to represent the interests of the staff in the life of the College and to facilitate communication of important information between the administration and the staff," the letter read, in part. "With [the president's] approval, the Council will begin planning for election of a new Council that will continue to mirror the current cross-divisional representation of the current body." The current members were elected in February 1996.

In addition to the letter, the Staff Council sent the president and EPC a report with recommendations for the draft Plan for MHC 2003. These included timely and clear communication about plans and policies on staff-related issues such as job security, retraining, skill development, and enhanced communication between managers and their staffs.

Employees "are committed to the institution's important goals and loyal to its interests; in the same way, the institution must put the best interests of its employees at a high level of consideration," the letter urged.