Make your voice heard – join the OS Council

By Lori Wright, Media Relations

Are you an operating staff member looking to make a difference in the UNH community and have a voice in decisions made at the uppermost levels of the administration?

If so, the OS Council may be the right place for you. The OS Council is looking for energetic, committed people to serve on the council. The council has several seats available.

“We are looking for enthusiastic, assertive people to come share ideas and opinions for two hours a month. The OS Council is made up of your fellow co-workers and serves in an informational and advisory capacity to the president of the university. By being a member of the council, you can express your opinions to university administrators in a positive and proactive environment,” said Stephanie Higgs, OS Council chair.

“We also welcome any operating staff member to our meetings, which are open to the public. If you’d like to learn more about what we do, please join us at our next regular meeting Tuesday, March 2, at 8:30 a.m. in the Trustees Board Room in T-Hall,” Higgs said.

With the PAT Council, the OS Council reviews draft policies, proposes policies that support employees, provides a voice for employees in administrative matters and acts as a designate for employees at official university functions.

“The OS Council plays an important role in helping university administration review proposed policies and initiate solutions to issues of concern to Operating Staff members. The input is a valuable component in the process of creating a university community that meets the needs of all employees on campus,” said Gregg Sanborn, executive assistant to the president.

For example, last year the OS Council began discussing ways to help employees who were facing extended leaves because of catastrophic illnesses or accidents. After working with the PAT Council, the Compassionate Leave Program was born. This spring human resources hopes to begin piloting the program, which allows employees to donate vacation or earned time to a fellow employee in need.

Also, when USNH began looking at how to contain the rising costs of benefits in the last few years, it implemented a “mitigation strategy” following concerns by the councils about employees who may not be prepared financially for the increase in employee medical benefit costs. The strategy provided a phased-in approach to cost increases and allowed employees to cash out vacation time.

“Both the Operating Staff and PAT Staff councils serve an important role in policy update and development. Their committee work in developing new policies as well as their review and feedback has resulted in finished policies that are concise and designed to meet the needs of the greater university community,” said Sharon Demers, interim assistant vice president for human resources.

For more information on the OS Council, contact Higgs at 2-2092 or shiggs@cisunix.unh.edu.