UNCG Staff Senate | What’s a Senator?

What’s a Senator?

The Staff Senate serves all university EHRA and SHRA staff through open communication with our constituency to represent staff interests to university leadership and ensure staff are an integral part of key decision-making.

As a member of the Staff Senate, you have the opportunity to

  • Collaborate with staff from across campuses and the state to be a part of a community that cares deeply about the well-being of staff at UNC Greensboro.
  • Provide input and help shape UNC Greensboro programs and policies that are of particular interest to staff.
  • Gain a deeper understanding of how the university works, how decisions are made, and what opportunities and resources are available.
  • Connect with UNC Greensboro leadership. Staff Senate hosts university leadership at monthly meetings and provides time for staff to engage with—and learn from—university administrators.
  • Provide your coworkers a voice in university governance.
  • Hear first about upcoming university initiatives.
  • Develop professionally. The Senate provides many opportunities to serve in leadership roles and across many standing committees and events.
Staff Senate on the steps of the Alumni House

Senator Elections

Elections for Staff Senate occur annually in April

See current senators

Time Commitment for a Senator

The overall time commitment of a Staff Senator can vary, but being an effective Senator often involves a commitment of several hours per month, including meeting attendance, committee involvement, and constituent engagement.

It’s essential for Senators to balance these responsibilities with their regular job duties and personal commitments. A typical Senator’s time commitments may look like

  • Staff Senate Full Body Meetings: 2 hours/month (required)
  • Staff Senate Committee Meetings: 1-2 hours/month (required)
  • Voluntary Service Activities: 3-4 hours/month (depending on availability)
  • Senator Onboarding: 2 hours in July (required)

Communicate with constituents

Communication with Staff Senate and the staff that we represent is two-way, from constituents to Senators and from Senators to constituents. The primary method of sharing information with your constituents will likely be email. However, here are some other suggestions you might be able to consider:

  • Determine if your constituents know you and have a means to reach you. This could be accomplished by providing your contact information while sending out staff senate emails to the constituents, requesting to attend department/unit/etc. level meeting to introduce yourself, etc..
  • If you will be away from work, arrange with another Staff Senator to cover for you and send out communication.
  • Not all employees have immediate access to computers or email. In this case, we need to make other arrangements to ensure they also receive Staff Senate communications.
    • Consider printing email messages and posting on bulletin boards for employees to see.
    • Print attachment/flyer (on color printer if possible).
  • You may also determine an alternate method of distribution to ensure that everyone receives all communications.
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