The third congressional election for University Staff began Tuesday, according to a UW-Madison news release.
University Staff, a component of the university’s shared governance system, uses its congress to facilitate decision-making and communication for faculty.
“University Staff is often engaged in campus tasks that may not involve a lot of interaction with the key decision makers,” said John Lease, secretary of the University Staff, in the release. “Congress meetings allow for that direct give and take and candid conversation been the staff and the administration.”
There are 106 seats on the University Staff Congress, with each seat representing 35 to 75 similar employee positions. The recently opened application process ends April 9, and voting will begin May 2. Those elected will serve one-year terms.
Jake Rebholz, a congressional liaison for University Staff, noted that many new faces are running for positions.
“Some people who didn’t get elected last time are giving it another try this year,” Rebholz said in the release. “I think this will create a productive mix of some veterans along with some new voices that we have not heard from before.”
University Staff has also made an effort this year to make the congressional election available to a wider range of candidates, according to the release. Interpretation is provided for members who participate in meetings using their native language, and outreach efforts were made this year to let more faculty know about how to apply.
“We wanted to make the election process accessible and friendly,” said Linda Thao, who works in the office of the Secretary of the University Staff, in the release. “We wanted to take the mystery out of running for a shared governance office.”
