A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor, a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Senate discusses communication

By Chris Pugh
At a June 18 meeting, Staff Senate members discussed developing better communication with the staff at Virginia Tech.
Communications Committee chair Cindy Harrison, an office manager in Risk Management, reported that a brochure and an orientation letter were being designed to be distributed to newly hired staff members and others interested in staff government.
Anyone hired at Virginia Tech who is not a member of the faculty, is automatically a member of a staff association, she said. The brochure and orientation letter would offer general information and answer members' questions, she said.
There are also plans to update information on the staff web page, www.staffsenate.vt.edu, she said. Harrison reported that Communications Committee members will be developing portions of the web site information such as history, bylaws, constitution and mission.
The idea of creating a specific logo for the Staff Senate was rejected, explained President Spencer Allen, because the university discouraged logos other than the official Virginia Tech design.
In the absence of a quorum, no official business was conducted during the Staff Senate meeting. At the close of the meeting Allen, who is choral music technical director in the music department, handed the gavel over to incoming president Ben Poe, computer systems engineer in mechanical engineering. Allen commented on his tenure as president, noting, "I understand now why the wheels of government grind very, very slowly." He also thanked members for sacrificing personal time for Staff Senate projects. "That's what makes the Staff Senate run, individuals doing things on their own," Allen said.
Continuing with the theme of better communication, Poe said he was planning to look into a different time for Staff Senate meetings, noting that the current time, 5:30 p.m., was inconvenient for many members.
"I'd really like to get more people involved," Poe said. He set the next meeting for Thursday, July 16 at 5:30 p.m. At that session, members will discuss ways to make the association function better, Poe said.
Other officers for 1998-99 are Vice President Harrison; Secretary Joy Thorn, accountant in human resources and education; and Parliamentarian Terry Lawrence, graphic designer, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Lawrence will also serve as the Virginia Tech Staff Senate representative to the Virginia Government Employees Association.