Staff Senate March 2010 Report

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 31, 2010) – With a possible attendance as high as 50,000 visitors in one day and an overall attendance of 300,000, the World Equestrian Games (WEG) is second only to the Montreal Olympics in size. Erin Flaherty, director of Volunteer Services for the World Equestrian Games, visited the Staff Senate to deliver a short overview of the WEG. Familiar with the Staff Senate’s excellent volunteer record, Flaherty was seeking volunteers for the WEG from the UK campus. Seventy-five thousand volunteers are needed to ensure the events run as smoothly as possible. Those who volunteer will be allowed free passes to certain areas of the WEG based on the number of hours they devoted to the project. For more information regarding the WEG or volunteering, visit the WEG website at http://www.alltechfeigames.com/ or contact Holly Clark, office coordinator for the Staff Senate, for volunteer forms at 257-9242. 

The Staff Senate passed a motion asking Human Resources for information pertaining to the number of supervisors who have taken supervisory training offered by Human Resources.

The Staff Senate began accepting self-nominations for the staff representative to the Board of Trustees. An open forum for all qualified candidates to have their views heard by UK staff will be held at 1:30 p.m. April 8, during the regularly scheduled Staff Senate meeting. Primary voting begins April 21 and runs through May 5. All voting will be done electronically with staff using either their link blue account or UK ID number and birthdate. Staff may access the voting site by following the link on the Staff Senate Web site, and instructions for voting will be outlined on the voting Web site. The role of staff representative to the Board of Trustees is one of an important liaison between the staff and Board of Trustees, and Staff Senate members urge you to vote.

Another upcoming election is that of Staff Senate officers. This year Holly Clark, Staff Senate office coordinator, and Glen White, parliamentarian, have the task of running the Staff Senate’s internal elections.

May 19, 2010, is Staff Appreciation Day! Mark that date in Wildcat blue on your calendar as a date you don’t want to forget and an event that can’t be missed. 

Sponsored by the Staff Senate and the offices of President Lee T. Todd Jr. and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Frank Butler, the event has become a campus tradition since its inception in the early 1990s. Volunteers who are members of the Staff Senate as well as non-senators strive to include the entire campus when planning the event, and Staff Appreciation Day has grown from an original attendance of around 150 to thousands of UK employees who come to enjoy everything from a delicious lunch to voting in the Staff Trustee election.

"Vendor exhibits, free lunch and live music are just a few of the things staff can expect to see this year,” said Mike Adams, chair, Staff Appreciation Day Commission. “As always, we try to keep expanding and giving staff an enjoyable day.”

Staff Senate chair Bryan Back said he was amazed at “what this committee of volunteers has done and the enthusiasm they bring to the event.”

For more information about Staff Appreciation Day or to volunteer for the commission, go to the Staff Senate Web site and click on the events link.