Staff Senate Newsletter Masthead

Staff Senate Newsletter • June 18, 2021

 

Staff Senate Committee Updates

Bylaws & Elections: The Bylaws & Elections Committee has completed the main general election. The committee is working on completing a special election for advancement and research and organizing officer elections coming up.  They will be looking at the officer election process to see about streamlining it in this semi-remote/in-person world.

Communications & Public Relations: The Communications & Public Relations Committee is currently testing a platform to simplify the creation of social media posts. The committee is also in the process of removing outdated/non-ADA compliant documents from the website, in preparation for the transition to Modern Campus Omni WCMS.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: The Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee is working on two collaborations with campus partners for new programs. As part of the Pronoun Initiative, aiming to create educational resources and contribute to a campus culture focused on the importance of inclusive pronoun use and gender identity awareness, they have teamed up with the Pride Alliance to create buttons that can be worn by staff, faculty, and students. These buttons will allow people to identify their pronouns on their clothing if they choose. They hope to start making them available at summer orientations soon where staff from several offices have expressed a desire to wear them and students can pick them up at a resource fair. They are also working with the Office of Disability Access to create a personalized campus tour program for our blind and visually impaired students who do not benefit as fully from traditional tour options as their seeing peers do. They hope to launch this in the 2021-2022 school year.

Policy and Benefits: The Policy & Benefits Committee have tentatively scheduled their “UNT Staff Soars Kickoff” for September 21 — 22, 2021. Just like “First Flight Week” for students, they would like to have something similar for staff.  They hope this will be an annual weeklong event to kick off the school year. “UNT Staff Soars Kickoff” will acknowledge the efforts of staff members while building campus morale. The committee is looking into event ideas that will include networking, fun, and beneficial information for staff members. In the future, the committee will explore collaboration opportunities with various departments and faculty.  

Call for Nominations Open Until 6/22

Staff Senate is conducting a Special Election! Nominees must work in Advancement or Research & Innovation. Staff in any unit may nominate staff members from either Advancement or Research & Innovation for a senate seat effective 9/1/21 — 8/31/23. Candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by another staff member.

Learn more about the process and the election at staffsenate.unt.edu/elections!

Nomination Form: staffsenate.unt.edu/nomination

Supervisors must approve staff to serve on the senate. All candidates should send the online approval form to their supervisor before the election. Approval must be on file before the election to appear on the ballot.

Supervisor Approval Form: staffsenate.unt.edu/supervisor-approval-form 

Have questions about the Staff Senate election process or what it is like to serve on the Staff Senate? Email StaffSenateElections@unt.edu

Juneteenth Webinar: The Social and Economic Value of Juneteenth. June 18, 2021 - Youtube. Picture of Curtis Faulkner, he/him pronouns. Curtis has black hair, a gray beard, a gray strip suite and white shirt.Juneteenth Webinar

Join the UNT Frisco Diversity and Inclusion Council and Diversity & Inclusion for a Juneteenth webinar with speaker, Curtis Faulkner (he/him), "The Social and Economic Value of Juneteenth." The webinar will take place on June 18 from 1 — 2 p.m. Subscribe to the Division of Institutional Equity & Diversity YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you know when the video is posted or check back on the event page.

 

 

 

Denton Juneteenth Celebration Logo. The logo has two green stars, a yellow celebration banner and a red loopCity of Denton Juneteenth Celebration

The City of Denton has celebrated Juneteenth annually since 1891. This year’s celebration will take place on June 19th at Fred Moore Park. The celebration will include a parade, sports tournaments, children’s activities and live performances. See the official Denton Juneteenth Celebration site for more information.

Make Music Day Denton

The City of Denton joins the Make Music Day celebration with numerous events on June 21, 2021. Make Music Day is a one-day event where free, live musical performances, opportunities to make music, and other musical events take place around the world on the longest day of the year. Musical festivities in Denton are part of a global celebration of music-making in over 750 cities inspired by France’s Fête de la Musique. Learn more about the Make Music Day events!

Special Collections Research Fellowship Lecture Series

Please join UNT Libraries on June 25 when Special Collections Research Fellow Lacy Molina will give her lecture, "You Can’t Buy Me I Don’t Care What You Pay: Music, Musicians, and the Cultural Boycott," in a Zoom meeting from 11:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. Registration is required to attend.

Molina's project is about the global anti-apartheid movement. She looks in particular at musical artists who chose to violate the cultural boycott. Molina argues that the artists that violated the cultural boycott undermined the global anti-apartheid struggle.

Lacy Molina is a graduate assistant and doctoral student in the Department of Information Science at the University of North Texas. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Master of Arts in History from the University of Texas Permian Basin. Her research interests include analyzing the relationship of politics and popular culture and studying higher education, government and legal research information processes.

North Texas Lavender Festival, June 26-27. The lettering is set against a cloudy lavender fieldNorth Texas Lavender Festival

The North Texas Lavender Festival will be held on June 26 – 27. Join North Texas lavender producers as they celebrate the lavender bloom and all that it has to offer. North Texas Lavender Producers include Fields of FidelisFarmers Lavender Co., and TX-Ture Farm. Enjoy local vendors, food, live music, workshops, alpaca yoga, demonstrations, and an art exhibit in the barn, all with the backdrop of a lavender field. Purchase your festival tickets today!

2021 PRIDENTON - Queer Skies Ahead. The logo is black with a pink moon and gray clouds. The "D" in PRIDENTON is rainbow-colored and the "O" in PRIDENTON is the City of Denton logo with a rainbow backgroundThe Pride Alliance Collaborates with PRIDENTON for June Pride Events

For the fifth year in a row, the Pride Alliance is partnering with PRIDENTON to put on a series of events in June, celebrating the month of Pride. This year's lineup includes a virtual panel and showcase, as well as a few socially distant in-person events. With the theme "Queer Skies Ahead," they hope to be able to fully gather in person for Pride 2022!

Pride t-shirts can be ordered on the PRIDENTON website.

More information on the events can be found on the PRIDENTON Facebook page.

ASL interpretation will be provided. Additional accommodations can be requested. Please contact the Pride Alliance at pridealliance@unt.edu and/or 940-565-2589 if you need an accommodation to fully participate in an event because of a disability. For voice call access, dial 1-800-RELAYTX (735-2989). Please make the request as soon as possible to allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.

Picture of Staff Senator Joshua Sylve'. Joshua has a bald head, black glasses and a black t-shirt that reads, "The Portal to Texas History." Joshua is smiling against a white backgroundStaff Senate Spotlight

Joshua Sylve’

Director of Marketing & Communications, University Libraries

Learn more about Joshua!

 

 

Join Us at Our Next Meeting!

Meetings are open to all UNT staff members. The next meeting is July 13, 2021, at 3 p.m.

For meeting agendas, minutes and recordings, please visit the Agendas and Minutes page.

Contact Us!

If you have an article, announcement, or suggestion relating to this newsletter, email Staff Senate to have it included.