Winter 2025 Tri-Chair Letter
Hello Research Faculty and Staff,
Wow, what a fall! As we head into the end of the semester, we want to recognize what a challenging few months this has been, particularly for those impacted by changes to federal research funding or by the recent disruption to SNAP benefits. If you still need support with getting access to food, consider the Mobile Food Pantry, Staff and Faculty Emergency Fund, or these community resources. Please utilize the resources campus has to offer during these uncertain times and reach out if you have ideas on ways that we can better support research faculty and staff.
While we continue to navigate these challenges together, we’ve also been actively advocating on your behalf on several key issues. First, we continue to elevate the Staff Council Resolution to Reaffirm and Commit Support for a Positive Work Environment for the Transgender, Intersex, Non-Binary Community with our executive leaders. We have been engaging with a working group made up of colleagues from the Registrar’s Office, OIT, and HR on the Resolution’s recommendation #3 regarding the employee name change process, and the team has made some important changes to the HR website to help clarify the process. If you are interested in providing feedback on those changes, please use this feedback form to submit ideas on ways we can continue to improve. Next steps for the team include identifying needed system improvements and conducting user testing.
We’ve also joined broader campus conversations around inclusion and representation. Staff Council collaborated with the CU Student Government and Boulder Faculty Assembly to submit a letter to the Chancellor that states our disapproval of the statue of Coach Bill McCartney that will be placed on Franklin Field. Led by CUSG leadership, the letter calls for annual scholarships for students and awards for both faculty and staff who demonstrate a commitment to building community.
In addition to these advocacy efforts, we’ve been listening closely to your feedback from our Pulse forms and last newsletter survey on campus safety resources and training. We have shared your anonymous feedback with the Strategic Relations and Communications and Public Safety executives and will continue to partner with them on making campus safety resources as accessible as possible.
As the semester winds down, we’d love to take a moment to celebrate you and all the incredible work you’ve done. Please join us for the upcoming Staff and Research Faculty Appreciation Breakfast on Thursday, December 11, from 7:00 – 9:30 am in the UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom. Our executive leaders will be behind the buffet tables to serve everyone breakfast, and it is a wonderful opportunity to meet other colleagues and be recognized for all that you do on campus. Remember to bring your Buff OneCard and nonperishable food items to donate to the Mobile Food Pantry, if you are able to. We can't wait to see you there!
Warmly,
Crystal, Jessica, and Leah